Laying rail directly on the substrate...

[cajon]

I'm going to build on a 3x6 plywood base. I was going to use cork, but since it's an industrial switching plan I'm going to lay my track directly to the ply. I'm still thinking, but I'm liking the idea of it looking like a shoestring operation, so ballasting and other things will have the appropriate appearance.

You're right if you mean cork roadbed but there's nothing wrong w/ putting your tracks on sheet cork or homasote to deaden sounds.

 

[cajon]

I'm going to build on a 3x6 plywood base. I was going to use cork, but since it's an industrial switching plan I'm going to lay my track directly to the ply. I'm still thinking, but I'm liking the idea of it looking like a shoestring operation, so ballasting and other things will have the appropriate appearance.

You're right if you mean cork roadbed but there's nothing wrong w/ putting your tracks on sheet cork or homasote to deaden sounds.

 

[trailrider]

I have used sheet cork for both my large yard areas, (transitioning to strip cork roadbed out on the main line. I use acrylic paint (mostly burnt sienna and black), laying the track (pre located) on the wet paint and sprinkling black or dark gravel in some places except where I wanted gravel roads leading to industries. To secure the track further, I do use spikes to keep the track from shifting around, especially on the turnouts. The sheet cork is laid on the 1/2" plywood, secured with Liquid Nails. In addition to being quieter, the cork allows carving out drainage ditches, clearance for turnout throwbars, etc. Terrain can also be built up where desired using any number of different media.

 

[kjchronister]

Another +1 for using sheet cork. You'll not believe how very loud track laid right on a plywood. Or foam base will sound. Don't find out the hard way.

 

[montanan]

I used Homabed for all of my main line track but in my yards, all of the track is laid right on the plywood and all industrial siding have been brough down a quarter of an inch to the plywood surface.

This is a yard presently waiting for ballasting. The second picture is of another yard and if you look closely, you can see the tracks in the dropping to the surface of the plywood. After ballasting it looks good as in the picture with the Milwaukee switcher.

In the last picture you should be able to the the tracks dropping down to the surface in front of the freight station.

So far a noise goes, in a switching layout, the speeds are going to be slow and I have no problem at all with the noise. Tracks in industrial areas and sidings are lower than main line tracks. the next time you are near any industrial tracks, take a look.

 

[kjchronister]

To each their own re: noise... drives me batty personally.

And yes, I realize yard road bed is flatter than mainline. That's why I use cork sheets on the entire yard area, so the track is effectively on the 'surface' rather than 'raised'. But again, I suppose we all have different reactions to track noise and what's excessive. I will say that track directly on foam is loud enough to make normal conversation difficult; plywood much less so.

 

[KB02]

Some real world perspective: This is the mainline track and sidings across the street from my Son's Day Care (Yes, he and I LOVE the fact there are tracks across from the Day Care):

The main line in the in the background with the sidings (you're actually looking at the middle of the turnout) is in the foreground; and much lower.

 

[kjchronister]

And looks like pretty light-gauge rail to boot...

Hard to judge the actual height of the ballast/roadbed from perspective here. But looks like the siding/turnout roadbed might be 6" tall at the very most? i.e. pretty borderline to even bother representing in HO - just under 1/16" if my math serves.

I don't think anyone disputes that yards/sidings/etc. are much much 'flatter' roadbed than mainline. Heck, even for mainline, standard cork strips are nearly 2' tall which is already pretty 'steep'.

For my part, I typically model yards & service areas as 'flat' to the ground; I just make 'ground level' flat sheet cork because excessive (or what I view as excessive) track/turnout noise bugs me.