Another question

Either should work fine; just don't use the "bead board" type. That's the stuff that is made up of little round blls that are fused together with heat. They tend to "crumble" off and make a real mess.

One other thing... I believe the blue Dow foam has a very thin plastic covering on it. You will "probably" want to remove this. Otherwise, when you glue & paint, you will be gouing & painting on that plastic which can peel off.

dlm

Norman, Either color is about the same and should work fine. Bruce

Thanks. That's about what I thought, but before I bought close to $300 worth of the stuff, I figured it would be wise to ask! I'm planning a fairly good sized layout, 2 4x8 tables with a 4x4 connector to make a U.

I want to run L&N equipment in honor of my grandad who worked for the L&N for over 50 years. He started with them around 1910 as a "call boy", a runner who would go fetch people who were needed from the extra board in the days before it was common for everyone to have a telephone. He finally retired after many years as a local switch engineer around

1962, while I was in high school. So I could use stuffed tagged Family Lines or, since I'm shooting for early 1950's, even NC&StL, since that was about the time they merged.

I can remember clearly going with him to Nashville's Union Station on Saturday mornings to pick up his paycheck, then crossing Broadway to the NC&StL building where the official watchmaker was to get his watch regulated. Then often as not, we'd drive to the old South Nashville Yards. to have lunch with some of his buddies across the street at Hap Towns' restaurant. And I can't begin to tell you how many hours we spent in Centennial Park, admiring #576, the Alco J3-57 4-8-4 on display there. Seems like he told me about every rivet on the thing.

To make things a bit easier, I'm not trying to duplicate a particular location, just some interesting terrain typical of Middle Tennessee.

I'll be watching the progress of this one ..... sounds great!

Steve Aussie

As others have said, it is the same stuff so go with what you can find. One note: The pink stuff (which I use) comes in 100, 200, and 400 PSI densities, IIRC. I've used 100 and 200 -- the 200 PSI stuff is significantly stiffer than 100 (duh!) and therefore allows bigger foam-only spans where they make sense. The density is printed on the board.

-dave

You might check some of the articles on using the stuff. I have about the same sized layout and spent about 100. I used 1 1/2 x 20" 8 foot long.

Cut to contour and left hollow spots in the middle where no track was over it.

Jim Stewart

I did, because it was FREE. I can vouch for that. The stuff also picks up a static charge and is a real pain to clean up.

Jay

website URL: members.aol.com/orphantrainlocos/index.html All the world's a stage - and everybody's a critic.

Using the same stuff, for the same reason, but it's not the only reason. I'm stacking it in layers to get the height I need, 1 1/2" thick pieces, and my elevations aren't that high, 3 layers high, but on a base 2 layers thick. Lets me go from that base both ways, I can go down from average level a scale 15 feet, up until I get tired of stacking layers. Exposed edges will have to be covered, if anything rubs it, it'll bead off. Working it with a rotary wirebrush and the shop vac right there to pick up the fluff as soon as it comes off, it's not too messy. Thin coating of plaster on the top, and the entire top will have to be coated, keeps it from beading off. A good spray of Scenic Cement over the plaster hardens the surface enough that it won't powder when it's touched. A couple of 1 X 2 foot modules shows the "do and don't" pretty quick.

It ain't the materials you use, it's how well you learn to work them.

Greybeard

Be careful of satis charges off that shop vac. I knew a guy got knocked on his schwanz vacuuming up spilled toner with an ordinary hand vac.

Keep the end of the hose against the work, maybe spray a little water in the hose, if the weather is dry. Bleeds off the static before it can build up to uncomfortable levels. It isn't so much beware of the static as it is of bleed it off before you have to beware.

Greybeard

Steve Caple wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@40tude.net:

RE: the toner...copier and laser toner is powdered so fine, it goes right through the filter of most vacs, straight into the motor...and the suff is conductive, especially the MICR toner used to print checks. In the computer room where I work we have a vac with special bags and filters for cleaning toner from printers. BTW, if you ever get the stuff on you or your clothes, wash with COLD water, otherwise the heat will make it set.

Thanks for all the tips on the foam board. I wound up buying the Owens- Corning pink stuff. $24.95 for 2"x4'x 8' sheets at Home Depot.