What are the advantages and disadvantages of using just cork on plywood or covering the plywood with pinkboard and then corkin' it? Is this just for sound deadening or are there real advantages this newbie hasn't heard of? Just curious. Thanks.

Well with the pink foam board you can easily carve ditches and other below the track grade features. FOr straight plywood you'd have to cut out a slice and change the benchwork underneath it. Or just leave an open grid and cut the plywood to follow along with the track but wider and use risers to support it above the benchwork, then the scenery can go up and down as needed.

--Randy

For realism, you want to elevate the track above standard tabletop height. Almost all railroad grades are elevated somewhat above the surrounding landscape. you don't have to use cork, you can use foam, but for realism you want to either add an extra layer of foam under the track, or carve out the foam a little in the areas where there is no track. As for sound deadening - I think it is overrated. Once the scenery, ballast, and groundcover are down, I can hardly hear a difference.

The cork or the foam alone should do the sound deadening -- both are overkill. The extra foam lets you carve down for scenery (as mentioned).
Problem of foam is switch machines. The don't attach that solidly to foam and if you put them under the plywood+foam+cork you'll need a loooong activating rod.

Absolute non-issue, I have TWO layers of 2" foam - 4" of foam, and no problem with just using longer pieces of music wire for my turnouts. I use servos but a Tortoise would work the same. 1/4" ply, 4" of foam, and cork under the track.

--Randy

Just a thought, but plywood and homasote don't give off noxious fumes when they burn, unlike foam....

Functionally I don't think there's much difference between foam board alone vs. a foam and cork combo, except that the cork may hold a spike slightly better than foam, which is basically nil to begin with.

I'm using a plywood base and ceiling tile type fiber board for roadbed, although I may elevate my main line using N scale cork just to provide a visual distinction (I model HO). That may be a better use of the cork, simply for visual purposes.

Galen

Thanks for the info guys. I started the layout the other night and benchwork is coming along nicely. Look for updated pics in the layout thread. Probably will be titled "Chicago Division-Pemberville Sub layout". Thanks again for the information.

nachoman Wrote:For realism, you want to elevate the track above standard tabletop height. Almost all railroad grades are elevated somewhat above the surrounding landscape. you don't have to use cork, you can use foam, but for realism you want to either add an extra layer of foam under the track, or carve out the foam a little in the areas where there is no track. As for sound deadening - I think it is overrated. Once the scenery, ballast, and groundcover are down, I can hardly hear a difference.

Depends on what type of track you are modeling..Most urban industrial branches have no high roadbed and very little ballast.Same applies to some branch lines.

Even some main lines doesn't have a elevated roadbed in places.

Brakie Wrote:Depends on what type of track you are modeling..Most urban industrial branches have no high roadbed and very little ballast.Same applies to some branch lines.

Even some main lines doesn't have a elevated roadbed in places.

Right on Brakie, also if you are modeling an industrial switching layout in an urban environment, the drainage may well be located under ground much like what is found in the streets of a subdivision hence no visible drainage ditches just an open grate in the pavement.

Russ Bellinis Wrote:

Brakie Wrote:Depends on what type of track you are modeling..Most urban industrial branches have no high roadbed and very little ballast.Same applies to some branch lines.

Even some main lines doesn't have a elevated roadbed in places.

Right on Brakie, also if you are modeling an industrial switching layout in an urban environment, the drainage may well be located under ground much like what is found in the streets of a subdivision hence no visible drainage ditches just an open grate in the pavement.

Russ we don't have to be too worried about roadbed or ballast on our LAJ layouts. According to a LAJ employee there's very little elevated roadbed on the LAJ much less very much ballast. So my LAJ tracks will be layed right on the homosote w' alot of dirt & a little ballast.

Yeah Andy, same with mine. I remember our friend William mentioning that LAJ had almost daily derailments somewhere on the line due to the bad track. the management would have daily safety meetings telling guys to avoid derailments by "being careful." As William said, "Being careful doesn't make up for bad track!"