Home Depot Soundboard Questions

DoubleDAZ posted:

Michael Pellegrino posted:

I didn't take photos of laying down the homasote. I did not take the screws out. At the time I was new to these hobby, so I left them in, in fear of the homasote warping. lol

 

I was talking about the N Scale cork. If there are photos posted, I've probably seen them, but I need to see them again now that I'm close to beginning construction.

I've been told I just need a few dabs of glue in various locations, but I like the idea of spreading glue over the whole surface.

Dave,

i used Midwest cork bed n scale and split the cork bed down the middle and placed it on either side of the atlas track. I used elmers glue with n scale nails to hold the cork bed down.  I used the glue on the whole strip of cork and used my finger to spread the glue it worked great and it looks great. The photos were taken down Dave because I am in contract with another magazine to have layout published.  

Mike 

This is a good thread as I am about to build my first layout and have thought about using the sound board foam from the Home Depot. My local Menards stocks 4' X 8' sheets of Homosote for $25 a sheet. 

Dave in the pictures you posted from HD, that board almost looks like particle board but I'm sure it isn't.    On my other post a a member used the foam board and it does make sense how it has the advantage to use the foam to the advantage to embed people or objects like telephone poles. But I am sure its more fragile and I have a young son who might tear it up haha. I have never seen Homosote personally but  from how much people talk about it on here it must be pretty reliable.

Rich883 posted:

Dave,

Just my 2 cents, but you said you only needed 3 sheets for your layout, I would just get Homosote as you know it will do exactly what you want........... Just pull the trigger and be done with it and move on to building your layout IMO.

I hear you. I'll probably continue to vacillate until I get the framing done and then make the decision. I do that when I have lots of time to think about it. It is interesting reading all the opinions though and I've already picked up a couple of tips other than which to buy. Homasote is definitely the safe choice and spending $37 to only potentially save $70 doesn't seem like such a good deal, does it?

ezmike posted:

 

That is correct, the track screws do not touch the plywood at all. I could have removed the sheet rock screws from the soundboard but I covered them with joint compound and then painted the soundboard my base color. This was may first attempt at doing this so it was a learning process.

That is why I'm asking so many questions. Besides my poor attempt at my Christmas layout in the past, I've only had HO trains on some 4x8 sheets of plywood hanging from the garage rafter's in the 70's and never got to the landscaping stage.

Michael Pellegrino posted

 

i used Midwest cork bed n scale and split the cork bed down the middle and placed it on either side of the atlas track. I used elmers glue with n scale nails to hold the cork bed down.  I used the glue on the whole strip of cork and used my finger to spread the glue it worked great and it looks great. The photos were taken down Dave because I am in contract with another magazine to have layout published.   

I remember someone saying they had to take their photos down, didn't realize it was you. That saves me some frustrating searching.

Is it breaking protocol to ask if you followed Dennis Brennan's technique and if you added ballast to fill in between the ties? Or should I wait for the issue to be released? I've never seen his technique, but I added his book to my Amazon Wishlist.

IraqvetUSMC posted:

This is a good thread as I am about to build my first layout and have thought about using the sound board foam from the Home Depot. My local Menards stocks 4' X 8' sheets of Homosote for $25 a sheet. 

Dave in the pictures you posted from HD, that board almost looks like particle board but I'm sure it isn't.    On my other post a a member used the foam board and it does make sense how it has the advantage to use the foam to the advantage to embed people or objects like telephone poles. But I am sure its more fragile and I have a young son who might tear it up haha. I have never seen Homosote personally but  from how much people talk about it on here it must be pretty reliable.

If I could get Homasote for only $25 I'd already have it. I'd love to have a Menard's here. I make a point to hit Menard's every time I go back home to Wisconsin for a visit. I just don't want to wait until June and it won't fit in our Prius anyway.

No, it isn't particle board. In fact, it's in the foam insulation section, not with the plywood, MDF, etc.

FWIW, I tried both the white bubble foam and the pink rigid foam. I nixed the bubble stuff because it makes a mess with all the little beads filled with static electricity. I tried the rigid foam without plywood underneath, and it was too loud with the small amount of RealTrax I currently have. I don't know how much difference a layer of plywood would have made, but I'm only going to use foam for sculpting hills, walls, etc. While it is okay for embedding objects, I found that some care has to be taken when you stick them in. If the object has a blunt tip, the foam tends to "puncture" (it wasn't at all like pushing in a pin). That creates a larger hole than you want and the object will not sit straight. I probably should have stuck a pin in first, kind of like drilling a pilot hole. I also didn't like how it was when cutting holes for power cords for my building lights. Admittedly, I was using a small hunting-style knife and that might not have been the best too for the job.

There is no doubt Homasote is the safe choice. I sometimes just get hung up on saving money and seeing the Celotex showed me there are options for less money. If Celotex was sold locally, it would be my choice. Unfortunately, I've had no luck finding any reference to Celotex, except for a product from the UK, and I don't think that's the right stuff. I've emailed the store to see if they can give me more info and I'll see if I get a reply.

Hi Dave,

That is the book. I definitely recommend it. Many great modeling tips and yes Dennis used n scale cork.

I chose soundboard because homosote was not readily available. I used homosote in the 80's on my ho layout. I saved it when I tote it down in the late 90's. It was reusable when I started my O layout in 2006. I just did not have a lot of it. With 6 kids it was hard to justify the extra expense. The data sheet I read on homosote said it could handle wet situations. I found that hard to believe, but I left a piece out all winter. We had record rains with over 40 inches. That piece was still as good as it was when I bought it. Structurally superior, but I didn't notice any noise level difference. Atlas is extremely quiet. I also have gargraves. It is not as quiet as atlas. Back to the sound board. I have purchased over 30 sheets and I don't have any of the gargraves screws coming loose, ever. Use a new blade in your carpet knife or cut outside with your saw. Very little mess with the knife, but wow with the saw. I just bought more today for my Christmas layout addition.

The Train show in Tuscon has been amazing the last two years. You may to give a look.

Bob

Bob, thanks for the added info. Does the soundboard you just bought look like the photo I posted? I'm a stubborn old cuss and may still buy at least one sheet when I begin construction. We are talking about the stuff from HD that is $12.50/sheet, right?

Since I have no experience with landscaping, I may buy the book for that even though I know there are tons of You Tube videos to guide me. My assumption is the track goes directly on the soundboard, the cork is added around the edge on both sides of the track and then some ballast is added between the rails.

I've been wanting to check things out down in Tucson, but I always seem to have something else going on, haven't even been to the museum. Is this the one you are talking about? I will have a guest when they have their spring show on Jan 13-14, but I will be home and he might want to see some of Tucson, so might see if we can get a couple of rooms at DM for a night or 2.

Hi Dave,

That is the soundboard they sell at lowes. I prefer it because it makes a little less mess than the darker stuff Home depot sells, but I use both. Depending on the time of year, they sell for $10-12. If you are going with Atlas, noise will not be an issue. I use the soundboard  in a garage with no heat or A/C. Temps have been as high as 112 and low as 22. 

Another tip is to use playground sand as a filler, and put the ballast on top. If you plan any water scenes, that book demonstrates how to do very realistic scenery.

That is the show. I've been going the last few years and always come back with a bunch of good stuff. They have had a good mix of prewar, postwar, marx, and newer stuff. I have not been to the museum because I have to work on previous Mondays, but Monday is the MLK holiday and I'll be going to the museum. Can't wait to see pics of your layout.

Bob

Bob,

I'm not much for buying yet, another reason I haven't made more of an effort to get to shows, but what I buy will be limited to what can fit on the layout. I have no particular road in mind, etc., I just buy whatever strikes my fancy. Given the Bedford Falls theme, the layout will be a running layout mostly to display the building and other accessories from the collect my wife has. It will have a perimeter run on each of the 2 levels and a simple oval in the middle on the lower level so I can run 3 trains unattended. I'm not even going to add turnouts to connect the tracks on the lower level. Other than the display factor, my goal is to learn enough to decide if I want to pursue a larger 18x19 layout in the garage and deal with the obstacles created by my ShopSmith, band saw, bench grinder and the water heater. Right now I don't have time for that kind of project because we'd rather travel while we still can, so we take 3 large road trips each year totaling around 20,000 miles. We have a daughter in the Savannah area and my family is all near Green Bay, so those are 2 trips right there and we try to see different parts of the country each time we go.

You're profile says So Cal, so I can't help being curious about Tucson. Have you moved recently or do you split time between the 2?

Dave,

I have lived in So Cal all my life, but I love road tripping. I spent a couple of summers in western Canada and traveled extensively across the western US.  I like travelling to AZ in the winter, and spent time in So AZ years ago. We visit the Desert Museum, Old Tuscon, Caves, Air Museum,  Tombstone, Saguaro Nat Park, and Bisbee.  The gas prices are low compared to here and we travel in our rv. Lost Dutchman State Park is a favorite camping place. Last year, it snowed in Tuscon. My daughter is in Fargo, and a son in Denver. I will miss Caboose hobbies. I don't blame you for wanting to travel and get around while you can. I do the same. You never know when things will change. About 4 years ago, I woke up with severe back pain that was shooting down my legs. Numbness and nerve pain. I went from running 40-50 miles a week to barely able to move and walking with a cane. Not sure what caused it. Now it is much better, still some numbness, I learned to walk and balance with feeling in half my foot. My old layout was built for a younger man with duckunders, liftouts, and narrow crawl spaces. I am in the process of tearing it down and making a user friendly wide aisle layout with easy access and very few turnouts. On the bright side, I hiked the John Muir Trail last summer. Have fun with your layout. If you haven't bought you track yet, I have found great prices on used Atlas at a few of the train swap meets.

Bob

Bob,

So sorry to hear about the medical issues. I can't do a lot of things I used to do because of back issues, so I have to take a lot of breaks. At one time I could barely check the air in all 4 tires, but things have gotten better since I started doing Resistance Chair exercises, bending exercises and walking at the mall. That's partly why I'm procrastinating on building a larger garage layout, just not sure I'm up to it, and might settle for the Bedford Falls display layout in the bedroom-turned-craft-room.

Two years ago we bought a Prius mostly for the gas mileage, but it has turned out to be a much better ride than I expected. Our previous vehicle was a Pontiac Montana van, but we are able to drive for longer periods in the Prius and that's saying something. We keep talking about a motorhome, but we just don't like staying in one place long enough to make one cost-effective. Our shortest trip was still over 6,000 miles and the longest so far was 18,700 miles in 90 days, that was a lot of fun. The only thing we don't like about the road trips is dragging suitcases, but I've got it own to 3; change of clothes, toiletries and laptops. My wife doesn't want to cook while we're on vacation either and I can't blame her.