Cork or cork on pinkboard???????????

[Brakie]

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.