White or Pink Foam?
#1
My son & I are planning to rebuild our 28.5" x 68" layout. We have a sheet of white styrofoam that I bought from Home Depot. It seems strong and sturdy. But we want to do things right this time. We don't plan to dig down into the foam but do plan to build & add scenery on top of it.

Is it OK to use this white sheet of foam or should we purchase some of the pink or blue foam?

TIA.

Rob
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#2
How thick is the foam board and how are you planning on supporting it? As with all foam, it's great in compression, poor in tension, so it's all about properly supporting it.
Check out my "Rainbows in the Gorge" website: http://morristhemoosetm.wixsite.com/rainbows
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#3
Anytime I have used white foam, if I do any cutting, shapping, goughing, it goes everywhere. I know you say you aren't going to cut into it, but not sure you can build a layout and not do some digging someplace. I would opt for the pink or blue foam.
dwight77
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#4
Thanks, it's pretty thick -- about 2".
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#5
(01-22-2025, 10:48 AM)GreenDiesel Wrote: My son & I are planning to rebuild our 28.5" x 68" layout. We have a sheet of white styrofoam that I bought from Home Depot. It seems strong and sturdy. But we want to do things right this time. We don't plan to dig down into the foam but do plan to build & add scenery on top of it.

Is it OK to use this white sheet of foam or should we purchase some of the pink or blue foam?

TIA.

Rob

(01-22-2025, 11:34 AM)TMo Wrote: How thick is the foam board and how are you planning on supporting it?  As with all foam, it's great in compression, poor in tension, so it's all about properly supporting it.

It's pretty thick. Around 2".
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#6
(01-22-2025, 10:48 AM)GreenDiesel Wrote: My son & I are planning to rebuild our 28.5" x 68" layout. We have a sheet of white styrofoam that I bought from Home Depot. It seems strong and sturdy. But we want to do things right this time. We don't plan to dig down into the foam but do plan to build & add scenery on top of it.

Is it OK to use this white sheet of foam or should we purchase some of the pink or blue foam?

TIA.

Rob

Hmm, yes, maybe I should get the pink foam then. Fortunately, we have a Home Depot about a 5 minute walk from our house!
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#7
Rob: Is the white foam the type with little plastic balls stuck together? I would avoid this except for packing. When you cut it, the little balls all pull apart and you can't get a smooth edge. (plus mess)
The pink or blue foam is what I use.*
You might want to get a hot-wire cutting tool. Woodland Scenics makes one that does for a certain distance. Be well ventilated. They also make a foam glue that works well.

Ask H D if they have any damaged or broken bits cheap. They can be used to build things up.

* the colour is different brands. I visited one layout where they made a hill of alternating colours.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#8
(01-22-2025, 08:37 PM)BR60103 Wrote: Rob:  Is the white foam the type with little plastic balls stuck together?  I would avoid this except for packing.  When you cut it, the little balls all pull apart and you can't get a smooth edge. (plus mess)
The pink or blue foam is what I use.*
You might want to get a hot-wire cutting tool. Woodland Scenics makes one that does for a certain distance.  Be well ventilated. They also make a foam glue that works well.

Ask H D if they have any damaged or broken bits cheap. They can be used to build things up.

* the colour is different brands.  I visited one layout where they made a hill of alternating colours.

Thanks, David. Good to be in touch again!

I don't think this is packing foam that you'd see around an appliance. It's thicker but a bunch of small balls do flake off when you cut it. But I'm not really planning to cut it much. I'll try to post some pics...

           
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#9
have used bead board (white foam) in the past it isn't as strong as extruded foam (pink or blue) needs more support as said its messy to cut  so instead of gouging out i just brushed lacquer  thinner and Wala you have a hole, depending on the financial aspect it will work the reason I used it  was it was easier and cheaper than extruded and easier to get in 1 and 1/2 inch than the extruded stuff.
Jim
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#10
(01-23-2025, 12:35 AM)jim currie Wrote: have used bead board (white foam) in the past it isn't as strong as extruded foam (pink or blue) needs more support as said its messy to cut  so instead of gouging out i just brushed lacquer  thinner and Wala you have a hole, depending on the financial aspect it will work the reason I used it  was it was easier and cheaper than extruded and easier to get in 1 and 1/2 inch than the extruded stuff.
Jim

Thanks, Jim. I'm using it generally for the same reasons. I had a 4x8' piece which I thought would be perfect to cut down to my 28.5 x 68" size. I could buy (or find) 1-2 small pieces of the extruded foam to build up some hills on the layout. Eventually, I hope to wired up my points (turnouts) -- are there any heat concerns if I run wires through holes in the white foam?
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#11
Rob: I never think of the foam with tinfoil on it. That cut end will shed beads when people rub against it.
I made one of our layouts with a tray of upside-down L-girders covering the edges of the foam.
There shouldn't be heat concerns in the wiring if you run the layout moderately. I have heard cautions about chemical reactions between the foam and wire insulation but never seen any.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#12
(01-23-2025, 07:49 PM)BR60103 Wrote: Rob:  I never think of the foam with tinfoil on it.  That cut end will shed beads when people rub against it.

I made one of our layouts with a tray of upside-down L-girders covering the edges of the foam.

There shouldn't be heat concerns in the wiring if you run the layout moderately.  I have heard cautions about chemical reactions between the foam and wire insulation but never seen any.


Thanks, David. 

I've 'sealed' the foam on the other side with a thin layer of white glue. That should solve the problem above. Also, I plan to insert the foam into a wooden frame that I made so no one will come in contact with the foam as it's surrounded by the wooden frame. Even still, I could also seal this end as well with the white glue. 

So it should be fine based on this?

Great that there should not be any heat issues.
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#13
I think what you have is fine - I wouldn't go purchase another piece of foamboard just to replace it. Wrapping the edges is going to give you a nice way to add a support structure underneath the foam. Even if you eventually dig into the foam to add some scenic details you can always layer in some plaster cloth and you won't have the white mess to deal with.
Check out my "Rainbows in the Gorge" website: http://morristhemoosetm.wixsite.com/rainbows
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#14
(01-24-2025, 08:08 AM)TMo Wrote: I think what you have is fine - I wouldn't go purchase another piece of foamboard just to replace it.  Wrapping the edges is going to give you a nice way to add a support structure underneath the foam.  Even if you eventually dig into the foam to add some scenic details you can always layer in some plaster cloth and you won't have the white mess to deal with.

Thanks, this is helpful. I plan to carve up some small pieces of pink 2x2 foam on top of it to create 1-2 hills.
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