Need Help with layout

you need to put a sheet of homasote over the plywood, i would also use cork roadbed under the track.

Most important thing -- do not use long screws to hold the track. The screws should end in the Homasote/sound board and not go into the plywood. Otherwise you'll still get track noise.

solid rail for track.  Another thing to do is anchor the layout if possible to frame of house. I use woodland scenics road bed on plywood and did the above for a very quiet layout

I have found using a fascia skirt around the layout helps keep the sound resonance down a bit as well.

Another name brand sound board is SoundStop by Celetex.

Works great, is less costly than homosote and readily available up here where homosote is hard to find.

Note, it is not strong structurally, if you pick up a sheet by a corner, it will break off.

Another forum member did a series of tests with actualy quality sound equipment some time back.

Findings?

Hollow rail track on plastic roadbed is the worst. All the makers have the same issue there.

Filling in the roadbed helps but different track is still superior.

A side point he made: Filling boxcars with foam also reduces track noise considerably, they resonate and act as speaker for the sound.

Just filling the ends out of sight of the doors helps a lot.

Hoppers and Gondolas with loads have the same issue but not as bad.

Passenger cars we just have to live with. A strip of foam on the inside of the roof helps. Remember to avoid the lights, they get hot.

I looked at the material at Lowe's with the black coating on one side. How do you get this stuff to look good? Seems paint won't do it, do you cover it with a woodland academics sheet?

I covered the whole top of my benchwok with "Hardwood flooring" underpad. The stuff is about 1/4" thick, and is a very dense rubber. Easy to work with, just cut with scissors.

I use Fastrack, which most feel is a very noisy track, and the rubber underlay really controls the sound well in my opinion.

REV

I'm doing the same as the OP, planning a layout and want to know what to do about noise.  I live in Arizona, and can't seem to find a source for any of the 3 brand name sound boards (Homosote, Quietbrace, or SoundStop).  Is anyone here also in the state and what do you use and where did you get it?

I just put down Pink Form Board 2" thick. Used form glue  to hold the pink form to table top. Works good the cost is less then Homosote. Easy  to work with. Oh yes the rating is 250. Purchased at Menards around $21 4x8x2.

Try here:

http://www.homasote.com/WhereToBuy/Default.aspx

http://www.blueridgefiberboard.com/sales-  For Soundstop

Makers of Quietbrace were bought out, may no longer be available. Website redirects to Georgia Pacific LLC buy out announcement.

Hello

I have had homosote on my layout for 5 years and

have had no problems.If you use homosote make sure you are in a low humidity

environment because it will swell.         

          Mike.

Sinclair.

I live in Chattanooga tn,and I ordered it through a

local lumber yard.They had to order it from Atlanta

hope this helps.  

          Mike.

I talked to someone who heard the same thing about humidity. He mentioned he put drywall primer on both sides and has not had an issue. 

Sinclair, here in Arizona I've always used Celotex.  I glue it to half inch plywood (the painted, white side up) and use cork roadbed and ballasted Gar Graves track.  Also, my floor is carpeted, so noise is not reflected from there.  With this, I can hear the cars click over the joints in the track, so it works quite well from a sound standpoint.

Locally, stores don't know the brand name, but call it "white builder's board".

Homasote would sure be my recommendation.  It's often easier to find at local lumber yards and builder supply outlets rather than the big box suppliers like Home Depot or Lowe's.

Homasote has been something of a standard in the model railroading hobby for more years than I care to remember.  There's probably more Homasote on in place on model railroads than there is on the walls of buildings. 

I live in AZ and found soundstop in my local home depot. It was in the same aisle as the wood panelling and was about $8 for a 4x8 sheet.

Hokie

I painted mine with  the basic color of my lay out

and you can use most any type of non alcoholic sealer

you want to be sure to paint the edges also now that

is on homosoat,i cannot tell you about soundstop.

let me know what soundstop is made of,i hope this help's you. 

          Mike.

Sinclair

Here in the south even new homosote is hard to find, if

you have a large lumber yard near by call them and see if they

can order it for you.     Mike

Sinclair

Soo Line above me says your in luck!

There is a lumber yard where you live that

has homosote.Hope this helps.  Mike.

Awesome, I'll check the lumber yard out when I get to that point (I'm in Mesa.).  Thanks!  The plan is my top will be plywood, then Homosote, and then that'll be covered by that green astro-turf carpet stuff.  I'll lay my FasTrack on it, screwing it only into the Homosote.  My train room will have a tile floor since most of the under layout will be used for storage once it's done, and it's easier to clean up the cat hair.

Another easy sound reducer:

A heavy cloth hanging from the front of the layout to the floor.

Some folks use Velcro to hold it, some use curtain rods, some do other things.

This acts as a baffle for any sound that does make it through the layout to the floor underneath.

It seconds as a way to hide the piles of boxes under there.

Russell.

I do the same thing sometimes I don't even

want to look.         

          Mike.