Foam or what?

We use Hobby Innovations "FLEXXBED", which is recycled vinyl, glued down on plywood. All visitors commented on how quiet the layout was. The vinyl road bed comes in 3/8" thick and 1/4" thick.  

Homosote did the trick for me.  

For those using foam (or similar), how are you securing the track?

 I prefer cheap white beadboard sold at Home Depot in 4’x8’x2” sheets . I have constructed my layout with a sturdy 1/2 plywood table tops (2x4 framing)with the the sheets fastened on top

   I would also recommend the previous suggestions but you can decide what method will work best for you 

Al

I've tried almost every method to get my trains to run quieter, and nothing works like SOLID rail. Hot Water's trains are quiet because he uses Atlas track, and not necessarily because of his roadbed choice. I use Gargraves, which is not as bad as Lionel's Fastrack, but it's still noisy because the rail is hollow.

I wasn't willing to pay the premium for Atlas track (about an extra buck a foot). I also already had a bunch of Gargraves from my previous layout. It's easier to work with, and there a few good time saving wiring cheats, rather than soldering all your feeders.

Earnie posted:

For those using foam (or similar), how are you securing the track?

The terrain on my layout was made by gluing layers of extruded pink foam on top of plywood. I then glued O-gauge cork to the foam using Titebond yellow carpenter's glue. The cork has large surface area so the bond between it and the foam is strong. Placed Atlas O track atop the cork, drilled small holes and used Atlas O track screws to secure the track. Cork/foam seems to hold the track screws well and some epoxy can be used on the end of the screw if necessary, although I have not needed to do so. Operation is very quiet.

MELGAR

Melgar....sounds good..ty

I'm a fan of homosote!  Trains run quietly on my layout with homosote.  Securing track was no problem. 

Secured to the foam, my track is moslty just "pinned" with screws; as in only a few actually enter the wood below the foam. Screws because with threads, they are less likely to work their way up than a smooth nail/tack/pin.

Where they do enter wood, the solid connection's tendancy to telegraph sounds makes it louder.

  Pinning works well since shifting sideways is what you really want to prevent. Screwing it down tight is only really needed if you plan on turning the layout on it's side.

 I couldn't find homesote. I began with the foam loose on the wood, but it drummed pretty bad. I used foam board adheasive, which is pretty rubbery; it helped a lot. I chose pink foam because it could handle my palms and with a small 5x5 piece of paneling, my knees and full weight (about 200lbs, usually under)

Felt used to be awesome. But finding that isn't as easy anymore. Carpet and cloth, like a thick towel is the best I've encountered; but I haven't figured out a real good way to utilize it well where realistic scenery is used too.

  My thoughts so far are that layering would be effective. Cloth glued to, and between some plywood would stop telegraphed sounds to the frame & lower base wood, leaving only reflective noise off the top wood. Lots of ground cover will eat the reflective sounds before it can bounce.  Attaching solidly to just the top plywood at that point shouldn't transmit sound very well at all; just the reflective sounds remain.

The big issue with cloth is drilling holes without the bit grabbing cloth is a big challenge. Either you need to drill and cut cloth ahead of gluing, or use partial drilling and then use a SHARP circle punch to cut the last bit of wood and cloth. (You can make one from tubing/pipe with a beveled edge, orHarbor Freight has sets pretty cheap )