Substitute for Homasote?

Mark, I would seriously recommend against using any kind of ceiling tile. They are quite absorbant and warpage would be beyond control. Give me a call and I'll help you locate Homosote in your area. It is by far the best roadbed material...but you should seal it............simple, just paint all exposed surfaces with gloss or semi gloss laytex ( or enamel)...gloss being a bit better, but may require extra coats. Homasote being a paper product may warp without the sealant. Howard Zane.........410 730 1036

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Agreed.

Ceiling tiles are a really bad idea for roadbed.

-- Happy Holidays Roger T.

of the Great Eastern Railway

Using it on my modules. Works fine. I did seal them with a couple coats of latex paint.

Not as dense as Homasote. Good for weight conservation; not so good for durability. For the price (free in my case) it's hard to beat ceiling tiles.

How or why is it better than cork? I have heard it is great, but have never used it so I am curious. Thanks.

I've got some rubber flooring that I'm going to tryout. I tested out a small section with contact cement and a piece of track. I also drilled a few holes and pushed in some spikes and they seem to hold well. I've got foam roadbed laid on spline and that seems to be quiet enough but I need something different over the plywood yard areas. At least rubber should not be affected by humidity. Bruce

Has anyone mentioned Micore yet?

No - what is it?

Homasote has been used for roadbed for many years. It holds track nails well and deadens the noise of the running train nicely. It holds its size over time better than wood (wood shrinks markedly over the years). Sealing it with ordinary paint makes it even more stable. I would recommend backing up the homosote with 1/4" plywood to prevent sagging over time.

David J. Starr

Mark Picarro wrote:

Dave,

Homasote will 'swell' - It is very moisture sensitive. Also 1/4" plywood is really not enought for sub-roadbed under it. I 'HomaBed' onver 1/2" plywood, supported on 16" centers. It is 'glued & screwed' to the plywood. During some layout remodeling, I removed some scenery and was sirprized to find a 'sag' in one area. I am going to 'gusset' it with some aluminum 'L' channel before the scenery covers up the tunnel again. Some folks even paint of varnish Homasote to 'seal' it. Remember, all of you layout materials have different expansion/shrinkage rate. You have plywood that moves very little, with Homasote about that that can move a lot(like after ballasting), and your poor flex track is on top, hanging on for dear life!

Jim Bernier

"David J. Starr" wrote:

It's a slag product. Model Railroader did a positive article on it a few years back. A friend of mine is using it and loves it. Apparently it has all the good qualities of Homasote but is immune to water - doesn't expand, doesn't shrink.

Caveat - I've never used it so this is secondhand info.

All in GW's mind.

Doesn't matter if its pro Bush or anti Bush, pro Gulf war II or anti Gulf war II. It has no business here, and those touting political opinion in message bodies or tag lines deserve their fate.

-- Jim McLaughlin

Please don't just hit the reply key. Remove the obvious from the address to reply.

Boy Jim, you Plonk everyone with an opinion and you will soon be talking to yourself here. you won't see any messages.

More likely buried in the sand like that MiG they found a few weeks ago...

It is really nice stuff. Weighs less than homosote, easy to work with. The problem is availability. We got one sheet to try out. Liked it and went back to get more and it was all gone and can't order anymore. I've tried to order it from Lowes, Hugh-M-Woods, and Home Depot. A few years ago I made a more concentrated search to find more and was only able to track it down at one place in Canada.

Here's a list of distributors for Micore:

Here is the URL for Micore, for anyone who is interested:

According tot he product literature, it may grow 1/8" when going from

50% to 90% humidity. That doesn't sound very sensitive. The wood undernreath will swell as much or more...