Foam base for Layout

[Daniel S. Thole]

I'm building a new layout and intend to build the subbase out of rigid
Urethane foam and glue to the top of it a 1/2 inch layer of homosote. On
this homosote I will lay my track. Does anyone have experience using
rigid Urethane foam as a foundation for their layout??

[Win]

Hello Daniel,

I'm currently building a layout using only the Dow Corning blue extruded
styrofoam, and I love it! I'll never go back to the traditional
plywood/Homasote construction I've used so many times in the past.
The layout is a rather small (8' x 8')two lap over and under with a
staging yard under the upper level and a center operating area. Here's
a quick synopsis of the construction techniques:

1. The benchwork is standard "L-girder" as detailed in various books
and magazine articles. The biggest difference is that instead of
mounting the 1" x 3" joists on their edges, I laid them flat on the 3"
side, spaced about every 8 inches.

2. I'm using the 1" foam sheets. The bottom sheet is glued to the
joists using Elmers "ProBond" polyurethane glue. (The stuff is great!)
Additional 1" sheets are cut to fit as needed to form the upper levels
and laminated with ProBond. The level over the staging yard is a single
sheet of 1" foam supported by 3 stacked and laminated 1" x 3" foam
strips cut to appropriate length and spaced about every eight inches.

3. The grades between the various levels are Woodland Scenics (WS) foam
grades. These are glued to the base using ProBond. I have to use the
4% due to the small size of the layout. But they work just fine since
most of the grades are short.

4. The roadbed is WS foam Track Bed which is glued to the blue foam and
grades using WS Foam Glue. (You could probably use Homasote for the
roadbed, but unless you're handlaying track and need the density to hold
the spikes, I'd say you wouldn't need it.) Track is Walthers/Shinohara
Code 83 which is glued to the Track Bed using Floam Glue.

5. Basic scenery forms are carved into the foam after lamination using
a Woodland Scenics foam knife and a Stanley Sureform rasp, then covered
with plaster cloth. I use WS brand, but others work just as well.
Rather than covering the sub-roadbed with the plaster cloth as suggested
by WS, I test fit the track bed, mark the edges, and lay the cloth up to
the marks. This keeps the surface smooth. I have been putting on the
plaster cloth and painting it before installing the track bed and track.
That way I don't need the extra step of masking the track to keep off
plaster droplets. Final scenery is your favorite method.

6. Holes for DCC wiring are made simply by simply poking through the
foam track bed and foam with a long phillips head screwdriver.

The advantages of this construction method are that it's . . .
. . . Fast: No tricky carpentry, or tedious spiking of track. So
construction goes very, very quickly.

. . . Flexible: It's very user friendly. You can test fit the roadbed
and track using the WS track pins before gluing anything down. If you
don't like the arrangement, you can change it as I've done several
times. If you make a mistake, you can just cut away and glue in new
foam, which I've also done.

. . . Lightweight: Because the only wood is in the benchwork, one
person can lift the entire layout. Great if you have to move and don't
want to start over.

. . . Quiet: Except for the benchwork, everything is glued so there are
no power tools to disrupt the rest of the family.

The only real downside I've encountered is that the WS grades are
inflexible; if you need a 3% grade you're out of luck unless you use
some other construction method. Also the transitions from level to
grade are rather tricky and need to be massaged to get a smooth
transition.

As I said, I love using the foam, and I've had more fun building this
layout than any of the others. I hope this helps.

Regards,

Steve Flanigan

[Ray_Schwarz]

I have used 1"x2'x8' Dow blue extruded styrofoam for scenery for the past
couple of years. When I went back for a resupply recently, the insulation
supply house stopped carrying it. I called around and got the same story at
other places that used to carry it. Finally located it at a foam specialist
(at about $.89/sq ft) - he only had three pieces left and was not planning
to restock. I guess the newer, higher R rated products have replaced it -
at least in northern California. I don't think the demand from model
railroaders will keep it available so it might be a good idea to get a piece
or two if you anticipate a need in the next few years. It may become as
hard to find as Homosote which is heardly used for it's original purpose
anymore.

Win <lee...@pacbell.net> wrote in message news:37FB71...@pacbell.net...

[Phil Rowe]

Hate to mention this Dave, but you have the "infamous" HAPPY99 virus on
your computer.
Phil Rowe

Dave Wells wrote:
>
> Daniel,
>
> Yeah, the stuff is great! Easy to cut and work with, and a breeze to shape.
> With regards to Steve Flanagan's note about it being not suitable for
> handlaying....WRONG! To hell with homasote! Remember, it's the ties that
> hold the spikes in, not the roadbed. If the ties are fully secured, the rail
> will hold. This has been my experience. So go ahead and even use foam as
> roadbed!
>
> Good luck.

[Dave Wells]

[Paul Soutar]

Foam works for handlaying. I'm currently finishing up a six-track yard
in HO using code 55 rail on wood ties. The ties are secured to pink
extruded polystyrene foam with Liquid Nails for Projects in a can. The
stuff's a good bit thinner than the type in a tube and it holds the ties
perfectly. I'm using foam so I can more easily model the little
variations you find in any piece of ground that isn't made of plywood.

Paul

[Clarence Bell]

I'm still looking for foam to use. The supply places I've been to all have
the same stuff. I thin layer of foam covered on both sides by plastic.
Even liquid nails won't stick to the suff!

Paul Soutar <psgr...@wichita.infi.net> wrote in message
news:380185AF...@wichita.infi.net...

[David Holliday]

Do you live in a climate where insulation isn't needed? If not, any
lumber yard or Home Depot will have it; Eagle Hardware, etc. Imagine
white styrofoam 4x8 or 2x8 sheets, but these are either pink or blue,
denser, and don't come apart like styrofoam does. Ask your building
supply where the foam insulation board is, there you'll find it.

You've been looking at the "new" illustration board, found in art supply
stores, etc.

D.

[Paul Soutar]

The pink Corning foam I use comes in 1/2 " and 1". Both have a plastic
protective film on both sides. I take this off before attaching the foam
to my layout.

Paul

[D.H. Baun]

I am using the pink foam insulation that comes in 2" by 8' sections (no
protective film). The width is perfect for a shelf layout and the thickness
allows you to carve the surface to get away from the flat "golf course"
look.

Darren

Paul Soutar <psgr...@wichita.infi.net> wrote in message

news:38057D52...@wichita.infi.net...

[Dave Wells]

Thanks for the tip. Got rid of it by downloading the latest AV update from
Norton. Nasty thing! What sniveling nose snot of a human being, a complete
and utter waste of good DNA, who's probably never kissed a girl, who's
probably still living in his parents basement, who can't quite seem to make
friends (or control that body odour), whoo can't quite seem to get his hair
clean despite the bi-annual bath, who has nothing better to do than to hose
innocent people such as myself with a mindless, UNCREATIVE virus.

I've seen better code from a third grader, you worm of a human (not you
Phil!)

Now go, return to your TV and your one-handed magazines and leave us humans
in peace.

Thanks again for the notice Phil.