Okay, so what do you prefer for roadbed?

Easiest to use for roadbed = Homasote

Easiest to use for Backdrop = lineolum (goes around the corners of the room SEAMLESSLY.

Chuck D.

Pete, Lots of folks use Homasote, but if you live where there are swings in humidity, it tends to shrink and swell unless you seal top, bottom, and all edges.

If you like cork, you can also buy sheets the same thickness as the strips. Faster, better looking, and nominally more economical than the strips.

I've also heard of folks using 1/4-inch luan ply.

For my yard area, I plan to fasten the track directly to the otherwise-nekked plywood using a *very* thin layer of acrylic caulk. Works great and can be pulled up should you ever need to. (It also works great for attaching cork roadbed to the plywood, and track to the cork. Weigh it down or use push-pins until it sets.)

Oh, and 1/8-inch Masonite for the backdrop. Does larger-radius curves as-is, and can be steamed for smaller radius curves. Drywall (or sheetrock, depending on your locale) mud for the seams.

HTH, Stevert

"P. Roehling" wrote in news:48029fae$0$4084$ snipped-for-privacy@roadrunner.com:

I haven't given yard areas much thought, but I have heard suggestions of using cork sheeting for the roadbed.

If I had the extra cork roadbed, I'd use it though. Just put one strip under the center of the track and fill the rest in with ballast. (I've done this on main lines, and it looks better than using the cork full width.)

Puckdropper

You mention "hold spikes well". Does this mean you plan to hand-lay rail on wood ties with individual spikes, or are you using "spikes" more broadly to refer to flex track type track nails? Others have mentioned using sheets of 1/4" cork. This is a good yard base for flex track, but I have found that cork does not hold spikes as well as Homosote if you are hand-laying. Geezer

"Geezer" wrote

Actually, both.

I prefer to hand-lay track that's going to be up close and personal to the viewer -particularly on spur and industrial trackage- but I generally use flex-track for mainlines where the tie spacing would be quite even on the prototype, and I also use it wherever it isn't easily seen.

Thanks, Geezer; you're as helpful and knowledgeable as ever. I may well end up using Homasote as I'm probably going to be doing some of both sorts of trackwork.

Now the only problem is finding Homasote in southern California, where it seems to be a rara avis.

-Pete

hand-lay rail

generally use

Not just California.

With the advent of more modern isulating materials for house building, it seems fewer and fewer lumber yards have Homasote on hand these days. One local yard said they'd order a bundle (25 sheets?) for me, but I had to take the entire bundle.

Len

This is what I use. Take care when buying, as not all luans are the same. Bring a thumbtack with you into the lumber yard/store. If you can press the tack into the luan, buy it. If you can't, don't. Some luans have way too much glue in it to be spiked, while others are as soft as white pine and are easy to spike into. I fasten my luan to my plywood with a brad nail gun...no messy glues, no pilot drills or screws, just brads.

Paul A. Cutler III

************* Weather Or No Go New Haven *************

For major yards ( more than 4 tracks )I have started using acoustical ceiling tile in 2 x 4 pieces mill side up. I've had no problem with humidity or glue water mixtures on the "MILL" side, NOT the finish side. Of course if you have not allowed for that type of thickness, forget it even if you lose the ability to create ditches, ruts and the like.

( acoustical ceiling tile, NOT the paper faced fiberglass crap )

"Mostly called lauan in the United States, tropical plywood is the largest internationally traded tropical hardwood product. The name lauan comes from trees found in the Philippines but has become a generic term in the US for imported tropical plywood. "

There was an article in MR some years back about a material called Micore that was made from slag. A friend of mine used it for roadbed and liked it. It looks a lot like Homasote but, not being paper based, avoids any moisture problems. I have no idea if it's any more available than Homasote, but it's worth a look.

And in order to fend off innumerable responses, yes I know lots of people have had absolutely no problems with Homasote - others haven't been as lucky. Let's not start THAT thread again!

"Len" wrote

Turns out that the Homasote factory website has a "dealer search" page -see below- but my "closest dealer" is 60 miles away.

BTW: the page claims that that dealer is only 19 miles away, which leads one to doubt the veracity of anything else on there... I'm going to call and be darned sure they have some in stock and are willing to sell it in less than carload lots before I make the drive!

-Pete

"David Starr" wrote

In southern California -where the humidity seldom rises above 30% unless it's actually raining; an uncommon event in any case- I suspect that painting Homasote would be gilding the lily.

Or something like that.

-Pete

For major yards ( more than 4 tracks )I have started using acoustical ceiling tile in 2 x 4 pieces mill side up. I've had no problem with humidity or glue water mixtures on the "MILL" side, NOT the finish side. Of course if you have not allowed for that type of thickness, forget it even if you lose the ability to create ditches, ruts and the like.

( acoustical ceiling tile, NOT the paper faced fiberglass crap )

Have you considered using cork but not breaking it into two sections? I plan to do that where I have some staging tracks. If it did whow, you could use the beveled strips on the outermost parts only... and fill in the gaps with other scraps much like you would at a switch.

Just a thought...

dlm