foam board and layout

Sounds overbult to me. You don't mention the size of the pallets, but I suppose they're roughly 4ft square. Also, oak is kinds heavy, and pallet wood is notorious for warping: pallets are made from trash lumber.

To get the layout up high enough, you'll have to build legs, or else support the layout in shelves along the wall.

For a portable layout, foam gives the advantage of lightness, since the supporting framework can be lighter, and track and scenery can be built on foam layers instead of on roadbed made of lumber, etc. A very small layout doesn't even need a wooden framework. except perhaps for protecting the edges, in which case you just glue on 1/4" plywood.

For a permanent layout, foam again reduces weight, which means you can support a shelf layout on ordinary shelf brackets nounted to the wall. And scenery is somewhat easier, too.

For a foam-based layout, build a frame just deep enough to accept the base foam sheet. Peopel say it should be flush with the top edge of the frame, but IMO it can be 1/2" or so higher. Supports underneath should be spaced according to the thickness of the foam. 2" foam requires supports about 18" apart, but 1x2 lumber set flat in the bottom of the frame is enough. This gives you enough space below the foam for wiring runs. **

However, in your case, you also need some way of fastening the individual sections togther, so it would be better to set the supports on edge. This provides a gap of about 1-1/2" below the foam, enough room for bolting the frames togther with 1/4" or 3/8" bolts and wingnuts. Add hinges to ensure the frames line up every time they're joined. Don't rely on these hinges to hold the frames, though, as stresses on them will throw them out of alignment.

The track base and scenery is built up with additional layers of foam, glued to each other, and preshaped as much as possible. Use cork as the ballast former, gluing it to the foam base with latex (water based) glue.

I strongly suggest you get one of the books about building a complete layout. Such books give instruction in all the basic techniques.

HTH

The reason "they" say the foam should be flush with the top of the frame is so that the frame protects the foam from damage. I have modules built both ways - all future construction will have the foam recessed into the frame. It's worth the extra work.

I'm concerned about support under the track area. There doesn't seem to be much support for the track, using about 1" of foam beneath everything. I use cork roadbed, but even then there's not much to hold the track nails in place. The track remains "wiggly". Can I assume that once I lay the ballast that it will glue everything in place? Or, should I consider something like "homabed" that Lou Sassi suggests in his "Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders" book?

Just color me confused...

Sam

S> >>>A few questions for those of you who have layouts on pink insulation S> >>>foam board: S> >>>

S> >>>1) How do you handle the elevated track areas? Do you glue more foam S> >>>on top and cut it with a hot wire cutter into the grade that you want? S> >>>It seems like doing that would be a bit of a pain. Any tips? S> >>>

S> >>>2) What do you put the board on? It seems like one of the advantages S> >>>to using foam board is you wouldn't have to build all that benchwork, S> >>>but if you just slap it down on a card table or sawhorses it's not S> >>>going to be closer to eye level which looks better. Also, how do you S> >>>handle all the wires coming out through the bottom of the board S> >>>(related to what you set the layout on)? S> >>>

S> S> I'm concerned about support under the track area. There doesn't seem S> to be much support for the track, using about 1" of foam beneath S> everything. I use cork roadbed, but even then there's not much to hold S> the track nails in place. The track remains "wiggly". Can I assume S> that once I lay the ballast that it will glue everything in place? Or, S> should I consider something like "homabed" that Lou Sassi suggests in S> his "Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders" book?

I use homabed glued to the foam. 1" of foam will support N and H0 trains quite well. And the homabed will hold the track nails well.

Glue down the homabed, using a yellow carpenter's glue (eg Titebond) OR Liquid Nails for Projects (the Latex formula). You can tack the homabed down with push pins (in the bevels) while the glue drys. Once the glue is *totally dry* (about 24 hours), you can tack the track down with track nails. *Then* ballast it (covered in other threads in this group in great detail).

S> S> Just color me confused... S> S> Sam S> S>

\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@deepsoft.com

Sam wrote: [...]

Cut subroadbed out of 1" foam, thicker of you want scenery well below track level. Glue it down onto the base sheet with latex glue. Then glue cork to that. Use pins to hold the cork until the glue sets. Then glue the track to that. A dab of glue every 6" or so will do nicely. Again, use pins to hold the track in place until the glue sets. I use the T-shaped pins that quilters use. -- The 1" height of the subroadbed, plus the thickness of the cork, will put the track at about 9 HO feet above the base, which gives you some flexibility in designing the scenery.

If you are using flex track, solder any joints that fall on a curve, and bend the flex track close to the final curve before you lay it. (I "over bend" it, and let it spring back to the approximate curve.) You can add ballast at your leisure. It will fix the track to the point that salvaging it will be difficult when (not if) you decide to rebuild.

For grades, cut risers out of foam about 2" long, and place them about every 6". If the subroad bed sags, stick in more risers. Make sure you match the slope on the risers to the grade. I start with narrow risers of calculated heights at about 12" to 18" spacing, move them to get a smooth grade, and fill in between them with additional risers cut to fit.

Oh yeah, avoid walking on the layout. :-)

HTH

Thanks for the advice on walking on the layout .

My foam is on a plywood base so I think there's more than enough support for it. I just needed to know how the best method to attach the track to it was. Your suggestions will be helpful... I need to find some latex glue next. Maybe once the cork is cemented in place it will probably be a whole lot more stable. However, the track nails going through the center of the "roadbed" where the two halves meet seem to have very little grab for the nails... that was one of my concerns.

Sam

Sam wrote: [...] I need to

I use Lepages #7, a creamy latex contact cement. If you don't let it dry to the point of instant tack, you can adjust the cork as you put it down, but you need to pin it till the glue dries.

Construction type latex cement is too thick for this work, but it works well for cementing the foam to the plywood base.

HTH

Unfortunately they don't seem to sell this product where I live (Portland, OR vicinity). Although their web site lists Home Depot as a source, doing a search there turned up nothing. Thankfully, we have no Walmarts near us.

Is there another brand, or product that you or anyone else knows, that can be substituted?

Sam

Ask HD for a latex contact cement that has the same properties. Lepages #7 has the consistency of light cream, and a fairly long drying time. I've found that instant tack occurs 5-10 minutes after application, and lasts for over an hour. It's moderately strong on clean metal and other non-porous surfaces, and quite strong on extruded foam plastic. Clean up with soapy water as soon as possible. If you let the stuff dry on your fingers, it won't come off for a day or two.

On porous surfaces (wood, paper), I let the first coat dry completely, and then apply a second coat on one of the surfaces to be joined.

Any brand with similar properties should work.

HTH