Fast track noise

I put it right on carpeting.

I find the best way to quiet fastrack is to screw it to the substrate.

If you use the lionel track without a road bed it will be quieter than the fast track. Also, run your train at moderate speeds.

I’ve got a similar issue each Christmas. I have one Fastrack layout around the real Christmas tree in our great room which is hardwood flooring and another around an artificial tree upstairs in our media room on carpet.  Both layouts have Buffalo Snow between the track and either the hardwood or carpeting.

The layout on carpet isn’t bad but, my wife will complain if I run a train around the real tree while she’s on the phone or watching TV.  The sound doesn’t bother me if I remove my hearing aids so; the compromise reached with “the boss” is choose my running times carefully. 😉

Curt

@Williamm posted:

If you use the lionel track without a road bed it will be quieter than the fast track. Also, run your train at moderate speeds.

I've found the same thing. The older, traditional Lionel track is quieter than FasTrack. Probably because there's no hollow roadbed under it. It's reasonably quiet just sitting on white felt. Of course, the more slowly your run your trains, the quieter they are.

There has been much written about FasTrack noise. The ideas expressed in this thread are about the best you can do to limit it. The combination of hollow rails sitting on hollow hard plastic roadbed amplifies sound, and there's only so much you can do to limit that.

Around the tree, on top of the hardwood floor, I just put FasTrack on white felt "snow," run the trains relatively slowly, and it's good enough for me. With cruise control, you can set the engines to run at an accoustically acceptable speed, and let them go.

I find the best way to quiet Fastrack is to replace it with something that doesn't come with a built-in echo chamber.

I found the best way to eliminate fastrack noise was to use O27 track for my Christmas layout

This is an old topic. IF you secure the track with screws, do not overtighten the screws. If is it "snugged" to the sub-straight, it only makes matters worse.

In my experience, the best way to reduce the noise is to take Woodland Scenics foam roadbed and glue it to the bottom of the FasTrack. It is easily cut with scissors, and Gorilla glue works great. Spray foam makes little difference. Long pile carpet is effective.

IMHO your best option is slow/moderate speed operation. A casual trip around the Christmas tree is not too loud.

Lionel themselves produced a video saying to glue carpet pad material under the roadbed. You have to cut it to fit.

Get some Lionel or Menards tubular track.  Much quieter.

The one nice thing about Fastrack for X-mas tree layouts is you just snap it together and lay it down.  But there will always be some noise, it is just it's design.  If you are able to put some substrate down, then you could get Ross or Gargraves track which is much quieter, but not sure if that is doable in your setup.  Although the hollow roadbed makes it worse, it is the hollow tin rails that create most of the noise.

I have an entire layout of Fastrack that is sits on a layer of 1/8-inch neoprene rubber and is screwed to a plywood roadbed. The rubber really cuts the noise down. I have found that lightweight rolling stock (with plastic trucks, etc.) is considerably louder than the premier stuff with spring-loaded metal trucks.

This method could be adapted to a Christmas tree loop fairly easily. Using a jigsaw, trace and cut a roadbed from plywood (1/2 in or thicker), either as a single loop or in two half-circles. Cut and glue a layer of neoprene to the plywood, then attach the Fastrack using #4 x 1-inch screws (do not overtighten). You could divide the roadbed into sections (IE, modular) matched to the Fastrack joints. This could be a semi-permanent arrangement if you have room to store the sections in closet, garage, or attic.

Put this on while using fast track if you are un happy with  the sound.

On the Plywood Empire Route track speed is never high enough for noise to be an issue. At 10-20 SMPH Fastrack is pretty much quiet with most of the noise being created by wheels passing over joints. I use no underlayment and the Fastrack is screwed directly to the ¼" luan decking. Part of the Pike is a 1X6 shelf with the Fastrack again screwed directly to the wood, one screw per track section.