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Hard Insulation Board and Track Clearance on N Layout
Darrell is building an N scale layout and is hoping someone with experience will offer some guidance and words of wisdom:
1. I plan on using the hard insulation board to raise my track. Is there a preferred thickness, brand and type?
2. How do I cut the board for the slope?
3. It has been recommend 2″ clearance for bridges over other track. Is that from top of lower track to bottom of bridge or is that from top of track to top of track? Using the 2″ thick foam board or doubling the 1″ would give me the 2″ But when I add the cork roadbed I loose some of that clearance.
4. What is the best way to attach the track to the cork roadbed and the cork roadbed to the foam board or the plywood decking?”
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Darrell,
When you say your going to ‘raise your track’ in Question #1, I assume you are talking about roadbed. Though it tempting to use products not intended for this purpose to save money or whatever, I would recommend sticking with products that have been designed specifically for this purpose. If you’re just starting construction and your layout is fairly large, you can by roadbed in bulk (either cork or foam) which will keep your costs down.
Again, I assume in Question #2 that you’re referring to a grade of some sort. If you are, you can purchase foam risers that have been made for specific grades from Woodland Scenics. You can go to http://www.woodlandscenics.com to see what I’m talking about. This company also makes foam roadbed I mentioned earlier but I would suggest shopping around the ‘Net to find better prices than what they offer. I’d recommend http://www.modeltrainstuff.com as a place to start.
Question #3 – Two inches is fine but you can get by with even less than that. I have an overpass that is 1 3/4 inches (measured from the top of the rails to the underside of the bridge). Bear in mind that the higher the overpass measurements on your layout the steeper your grades will be (generally speaking). Steeper grades mean shorter trains.
Question #4: White or so-called tacky glue. I use foam pins to secure that roadbed to the foam base once I have coated the underside with glue. Once the glue has has time to dry (over night is best), remove the foam pins and then repeat the process (glue on the track’s underside & secured with pins) with the track. (Important note: Do NOT glue your switches down since this could foul the switching mechanism! Let them ‘float’ between glued sections.)
You can get the foam pins & tacky glue at any craft store or on line. Some people secure their track & roadbed using a mix of glue & nails or just nails for both steps when using a plywood base. The downside of glue is that if you haven’t taken care to lay the track carefully, you could end up with kinks. This could happen with nails as well but you can go back and reposition the track. Glue won’t let you do that very easily.
Hope this helps,
Geof
1> Your choice I should think. 1″ thick is easier to cut and set up. You can always build it up with layers if thicker is needed. Just don’t use the beaded white foam, too messy.
2> Get yourself a good Hot Wire foam cutting tool. Worth every penny. You can also use a utility knife that uses the long blades that can be broken off as you need a new sharp point. Just extend the blade out the handle as thick as your foam. this is where the 1″ thick foam gets easier for cutting. the blade doesn’t stick out as far. Down side is foam dulls the blades fast that is why I recommend the hot wire tool.
3> You need enough to clear your talles rolling stock. Add cork road bed to the bottom layer and you will add it to the top layer as well so they cancel each other out. You still have 2″.
4>Woodland Scenic Cement. Smear it on and weight down your track until it sets up.
Thanks for the feedback. I am beginning to form a plan in my mind.
A little clarification:
I have a layout designed which will have 3 levels. I have N scale trains and my layout is approximately 3 1/2′ x 6′. Since I will be having several places with grade I need to support the cork roadbed which I will put under almost all of the track. I have heard and seen pictures of people using the construction foam to do this. It is available in thicknesses of 1″ and 2″ that I am aware of. Is there more? How do I shape the slope to create an even grade with this foam? I do not want the train to get seasick with an uneven grade up the climb.
The concern I have with height is because of the 3 levels of track I will be running. I do not want the overall height to be too tall. I also want to limit the grade where I can. Eventually when I get time and money I will detail the layout with mountain scenery. So how it looks now is not an indication of how it will look. I plan on having a few areas which will be supported by trestles which I will add later. So now the questions are: how do I attach the solid foam to the plywood, the cork roadbed to the foam and then the track to the cork roadbed? I do NOT want to glue the track or the cork down to give me flexibility to adjust as needed and to give me the option to remove some of this in the future when I build my trestles and create the canyons in the layout. I hope this clarifies things.