Laying down Gargraves Track/Ross Switches and Sound?

Hi Charlie,

Soundboard/Celotex works well on top of plywood. It holds the gargraves track screws well and is fairly quiet. I would recommend doing most of the cutting with a saw outside of the train room. It is very messy. It also cuts ok with a carpet knife. It is similar to homosote, but it is not as dense or as costly. If humidity is an issue, then go with homosote. It is moisture resistant and has more structural integrity. Either way, have fun building your layout,

Bob

Check out big_boy_4005's thread about his layout. all Margraves and ross on !/2 birdlime over 7/8" plywood

https://ogrforum.com/t...elix-done-in-54-days

Midwest Products cork  3/16"

Hobbyinnovation Flexxbed 1/4" or 3/8".

Either will work. Add the tie and rail height

I am using Gargraves track and Ross switches. I am using Rossbed under the switches and Woodland Scenics Track Bed under the track.

Gilly

Hey Charlie you are looking for a branch line type profile on your roadbed?

Then Try AMI road bed it has a really soft sticky constancy.  When I modeled HO is had superior sound deadening qualities, and for O it should give you that low profile look while holding your track in place.

Buy the HO and cut one an additional piece in half for the correct width.

Good evening Charlie

Over my 1/2 inch plywood sub base I used 1/2 Homasote. I like the height because in the flat area's It is easy to add changes to elevation below track level, Drainage ditches,  small trestles in low areas, trackside ponds, and country roads tend do raise up to track level grade crossings. Fusion Fiber works great for all of that. If you are bending your own curves definitely go with Homasote because a small nail will hold the track. Factory made curves  don't need that holding power so you can use something else. Of course your more than welcome to come down to Blissfield and get some ideas from the way I built mine.

Clem k 

Charlie you know my layout construction (Gargraves/Ross on Homosote on 1/2" plywood).  Added to that - sound level = layout construction X number of cars running X speed.  The more cars and speed I run the noisier it is, it can get loud.  If you insist on laying gargraves directly on plywood you will have a noisy layout.  I know your layout is in the basement and the kids are in the second floor.  But if you want to run fast and furious you will have to add insulation some where.  The ceiling is one place - email me if you want ideas.

dan

Dan your construction techniques and layout is tops in my book. 

Clem just might have to take you up on that!

I'm just batting around a few ideas as I prepare to commit to my final plans.  Weighing the pros and cons of doing things different ways is what it all comes down to as I'm making my final decisions on materials.

We used 3/4" plywood, 1/2" homesote, cork under the mainlines, and then ballast on the track. No complaints on sound levels here.

At my house, Noise from the basement goes straight up the ductwork to the second floor. Seal the ductwork for noise and you won't wake the children.

Good morning Charlie

Charlie you have a good pool of layouts to visit in southeast Michigan, visit as many as you can and you will come up with a system that works for you.  Use a little from everybody.

Clem

My suggestion is to use homoste on the plywood.  I'm also (re)doing my layout and am using homosote.  Some some track laid and in testing the difference in sound reduction from my old layout is improved. I should caution you I'm also using track bed from flex bed (Hobby Innovations) that while adds 3/8 inches really deadens the the noise. 

Good Luck

I still prefer cork for raised mainlines. But in yards or little used tracks such as a rural spur, I achieve a submerged effect by applying foam board over the subbase whether it is plywood,foam or Homasote. Leaves the top of the ties at ground level.

COrk roadbed between the track and plywood should suffice. The problem you have is when the kids are asleep you cant blow the whistle, but atleast you can run trains

I am currently building a new layout.  I used 1/2 inch homasote over 1/2 inch plywood. Then I used Midwest cork roadbed on top of that.  I wanted to use Quiet Brace or similar products but could not get then in NJ and I tried hard.  If you don't mind the mess you could use plywood with just homasote roadbed that you cut your self.

Al

Hi Charlie - I also used 1/2 plywood with 1/2 homasite and the layout is quite quiet. Come over some night to check it out again before you commit to one method or another.

    MichRR714 In shipping at local co. they sometimes throw away packing material that is about 1/16 to 1/8 thick and around 1 foot wide that is in A roll. You can ask them if they can save it for you. It is free very low profile and you can cut it to what ever width you want to stick out from the track.Choo Choo Kenny

Hi Charlie,

if you decide on Homasote you can get it at Menards.

John

Interesting to see how the world of soundproofing has evolved over time.  Lots of products out there today vs. 15-20 years ago.  

Homasote has been around for ages, but it's gotten SO expensive (like many building materials)!  $26.65 per 4x8 sheet at Home Depot here in southeast portion of PA.   I'd much prefer to use Quietbrace (by Georgia Pacific) on my new layout, priced at $9.45 per 4x8 sheet.  But can't seem to find it in this part of the country.   Home Depot in the central portion of the US (i.e., KY, TN, MO, etc...) seem to carry it, but not nationwide.  I wonder why?    Some of this stuff is very regional as to availability.

David

Homasote has been around for ages, but it's gotten SO expensive (like many building materials)!  $26.65 per 4x8 sheet at Home Depot here in southeast portion of PA.   I'd much prefer to use Quietbrace (by Georgia Pacific) on my new layout, priced at $9.45 per 4x8 sheet.

No offense, but I have to laugh every time I see statements like this.  For anyone considering saving a little money on materials: how large a layout are you building?  Even if you end up using 20 sheets of material, you're only talking about roughly a $340 difference in price (20 sheets times $17).  If Homasote is the preferred material (I've never used Quietbrace) then saving $340 in the grand scheme of things is not worth it.  Make do with one fewer RailKing locomotive and end up with a quality layout to show off ALL of your trains.

I've seen guys use 3-ply sheathing plywood instead of quality 5 to 7-ply, scrounged pallet lumber instead of good 1/4's etc. to save a few bucks building the layout.  These same guys wonder why their big money trains don't run or look as good as they want them to.  The warpy roadbed MIGHT have something to do with it.

Off soapbox now.

No offense taken... Just glad to provide you with some Sunday morning entertainment.    Now that you've gone and done all that sophisticated math for everyone, we'll just have to rethink the error of our ways.  What was I even thinking?  

David

This topic comes around as often as "what to use for track ballast"......

When building a layout, I would never consider "how to save money" as a priority. We tried Celotex when building the bench work on our layout, and we didn't have Quiet Brace as an option out here in Southern CA. Did not like the Celotex, 20 went back to Homasote. It cost more, but it works great, and it's been used for layout building as long as the product has been around.

Build your layout without worrying about saving $200 or $300 on materials, because you don't want to look back later and regret that decision. I can honestly say we used 2x4's, 3/4" plywood, 1/2" Homasote, and cork under the mainlines. Nothing has warped, the sound level is great, and we have walked and crawled all over this thing from day one. Wouldn't change a thing.    

Hi Charlie,

This is great to hear that you're starting your layout. Please keep us updated with your progress.

Alex

Some of you guys are really amazing.    The point of my post was to comment on how the landscape of soundproofing materials has changed over the years, with some newer alternatives having some beneficial pricepoints, while the price of Homasote has really escalated since I last purchased it.  My post had nothing to do with chimping on materials for lesser quality ones.

I've never used Quietbrace either, but I first heard about it here on the forum from Alex in Missouri (Ingeniero No. 1) on his fabulous layout, and it seemed like a worthwhile alternative worthy of further investigation.  I have used Homasote on prior layouts, and it works "OK".  But its certainly not the be-all / end-all of noise reduction products out there -- especially given the state-of-the-art in building materials today.  Everything has it's pros and cons.  So choose whatever works best for you and is available in your part of the country.

Funny how some folks think $300 is nothing, and others balk at a $30 shipping charge that they want the seller to always pick up.  But hey, whatever floats your boat. 

David

Quietbrace sounds like a interesting product, but so far I haven't seen it in Michigan.  That roadbed mentioned by Jdaddy looks to be good for branch lines also.

In the grand scheme of building the layout....$300 is........oh never mind! MY POINT was/is don't buy a product or material just because it's cheaper. Depending on where you live, you're going to be limited to what is available to you.

The bottom line is trains make noise.... real trains, toy trains, model trains, they all make noise. All you can do is minimize it.  

BTW. I am not sure if anyone else experienced this but when I was modeling HO I used homosote for my roadbed. However when I glued ballast and scenery down by soaking it with isopropyl alcohol, then diluted white glue, it warp the track up and ruined the base of which the track sat on. I had to tear it out and start over. 

I then tried to paint it with a acrylic paint to seal it, this worked but it took away its sound absorbent capabilities. I went back to cork and it just seems to work better.