Southern Pacific Switching Layout

[Russ Bellinis]

My heart is in this layout, My only problem with it was that I thought is was beyond my ability, but I have decided I will never gain any skill if I don't build anything.

I already have the track in place so once the weather clears up I will put down a coat of paint over those bright white doors, Then I will solder the track together, Then do the wiring, Then once it runs reliably I will add the backdrop, mock-up some structures, then do scenery.

this layout will probably only last for a couple of years so I am not very concerned with how it looks, it is primarily just for practice.

Do the wiring before you solder the track together. If it isn't fastened down, pick it up and paint the door first. You can solder flex together if you solder two pieces together and then leave the next connection unsoldered to allow for expansion and contraction with temperature changes. You want to test run trains on it first before you make anything permanent. That way you get any "bugs and glitches" out of the track work before you make it permanent.

[Justinmiller171]

Thanks Russ! I forgot about how the weather can affect the track.

I found out that my local hardware store sells polyurethane foam sheets, would these work for a base or am I better off with just putting the track straight
on the doors?

[Gary S]

Justin, my two cents: if you want to have ditches alongside the tracks in places, or shallow creeks or anything, the foam sure makes it easy to do that. With it straight on the door, it won't be that easy to make any terrain go down. Of course, the are that you are modeling may not have any of these, if so, just go straight on the door with the roadbed.

[Justinmiller171]

Thanks Gary,
But is Polyurethane foam as good as the Polystyrene foam that most layouts use. I heard that it is less rigid and more toxic than Polystyrene.

[Tom]

Thanks Gary,
But is Polyurethane foam as good as the Polystyrene foam that most layouts use. I heard that it is less rigid and more toxic than Polystyrene.

Avoid the stuff with the little white beads at ALL costs. It's toxic when cut, and flies EVERYWHERE.

Use the blue or pink stuff, 2" preferred.

[Justinmiller171]

Thanks Gary,
But is Polyurethane foam as good as the Polystyrene foam that most layouts use. I heard that it is less rigid and more toxic than Polystyrene.

Avoid the stuff with the little white beads at ALL costs. It's toxic when cut, and flies EVERYWHERE.

Use the blue or pink stuff, 2" preferred.

I used the stuff with the white beads on my 4x8 I built a few years ago and now my train-room is littered with those little white beads :x

Is polyurethane foam the kind with the little white beads?

[Gary S]

I didn't catch the "polyurethane" part. A quick search on google leads me to believe that the urethane would not be a good idea.

[Steamtrains]

Never mind the chemistry end of things...Get the blue or pink foam at your local "big box" hardware store. It's insulating foam....

[Justinmiller171]

Never mind the chemistry end of things...Get the blue or pink foam at your local "big box" hardware store. It's insulating foam....

Nobody near me has it, I checked every hardware store in the area and nobody carries it.

I guess I can just use some sort of putty to make some subtle elevation changes on my layout if I need to.

[FCIN]

Justin;

Check out the polyurethane foam and see if it's dense and solid feeling like the polystrene foams made by Dow and Owens. I'm thinking that the "rigid" polyurethane foam may also be more expensive. From what I can find out, the rigid polyurethane foam is used for applications other than an insulation material. As long as it's not like that beaded stuff and it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg it may be just fine.

The only polystrene foam available around here is in 1/2 and 3/4 inch thicknesses. The local building supply center here has started carrying the beaded stuff in 2 inch thicknesses with a thin foil layer on one side but when I was just looking at it you could see the beads popping off it! Slight exaggeration there, but I did notice that all the 4x8 sheets had chunks missing out of them. I put 1/2 foam on my bench work, but may add another layer of it when before I start to glue down the track. Low drainage ditches along some of the track and roads is about all I'm going to have anyway and 1/2 is okay for that. I'll build up some higher spots using spackling compound or something like that here and there.

[Tom]

A friend of mine tried that foil backed beaded white crap and boy, what a mess. The train room always stunk like a chemical factory, and you couldn't walk into his house without getting covered in white beads no matter what room of the house you went to. Just NASTY stuff.

[FCIN]

A friend of mine tried that foil backed beaded white crap and boy, what a mess.

I can sure believe that! For a couple of years, I'd save all that beaded foam packing that came in electronic item boxes and so forth with the intention of using it for making scenery forms - UNTIL I actually tried to carve and shape a piece of that stuff one day! Like to never got the mess cleaned up! Darn little white beads stuck to me and everything else within 10 yards. Wife had a fit when I innocently tracked it upstairs. To this day, I'll be cleaning up down here and still find little white beads stuck to things!

[Russ Bellinis]

I think that one of the by products of burning poly urethane is cyanide. You won't deliberately burn it, but in case of a fire, I wouldn't want it in my house. One trick that you could use to get land forms with ditches or gullies or other scenery below the roadbed would be to pick up a luan door skin if your modeling in n-scale, or a thicker plywood if you are modeling in ho and make a "cookie cutter" layout the same size as the door. The cut some wood to make risers as needed to raise the layout above the door. Run your wiring and any switch mechanisms as needed and then use plaster and screen wire or whatever your choice for a surface material to make your land forms.

[Steamtrains]

Any "dedicated" building supply stores near you..?? They might have it. Or check out construction sites for schools, offices, etc .(not homes...). They probably have scraps they have no use for....

[P5se Camelback]

THIS is a link to Home Depot stores within twenty mile of Paradise, California. They may have the pink or blue insulation foam that you need.

Foam insulation is not used much down here in Florida. But I was able to find it, although not in the 2" thisckness I wanted. The H-D stores near me do not have the blue foam ... just the pink in 1/2" 4x8 sheets and the white beadboard in the 2" thickness.

There is also a Lowes in Chico ...

LOWE'S OF CHICO, CA
Store Number: 1201
2350 FOREST AVENUE
CHICO, CA 95928

Phone: (530) 895-5130
FAX: (530) 895-5144

The Lowes near me had the blue foam in 1/2" 4x8 sheets. I bought a bunch of sheets and will be stacking them on top of each other. You could do the same!

My guess is you might find the foam, either the pink or the blue, at one of these "Big Box" stores.

I have not ever seen sheets of the blue Dow “StyroFoam” or the pink Owens-Corning “Foamular” in a hardware store … you need a BUILDING Supply store to get this type of foam insulation ... it is a building supply ... it is not hardware.

EDIT: Had to do more research and actually FIND a couple of 'Big Box" stores in the area.