O Scale Cork Roadbed

Fred,

 

Take an x-acto knife and make cuts along the inside and outside radii of the cork strips. This will provide the extra flexibility.

 

Cesar

 

Cesar,

          Thanks for the tip. Should the cuts---just be cuts---or a slight V Shape?

          Best

          Fred

Thank you guys very much for the info. Am I goofy---but I like the looks of the track with the cork road bed so much---I'm thinking of forgetting putting down ballast. Is this abnormal thinking---or a Cardinal sin????

Don't want to be laughed at---when the knowelgeble layout guys come to see my Pike!!!

          Best

          Fred

Goofy, no.  People go years without ballasting their layout, even when there is an intention to do so.  That is the case on some portions of my HO railroad that still need to be sceniced.  It is your railroad, so is is totally up to you.

Now, with that said, ballasting is so darn easy to do, in my opinion, it is worth doing. I also believe that it quiets things down (as long as you are not using diluted white glue).  It doesn't have to be expensive to do either.  I fill in most of the space between the ties, and get the slope on the outside of the ties by using simple play sand as a base.  Then I cover the sand up with regular ballast.  I use Woodland Scenics, not because it is the best, it had the colors that we liked readily available.  With the sand, I don't use a lot of it.  I use dilute matte medium for glue (or Modge Podge when I run out of matte medium).

Regards,
GNNPNUT

 

Fred,

 

That should never be a concern as KD said. Anyone who would laugh at someone's railroad is not knowledgeable in my book.

 

Besides, I keep Duke and his owner around to escort clods like that out of the basement.

 

 

Jim

This may sound odd, but I added the cork roadbed AFTER I laid the track.  By that I mean, I mostly used sectional track (Atlas) and I layout out the track plan on the homasote topped bench work first.  

 

Once the track was were I wanted it, I slide the cork under the track, and formed it to the curves of the rack.  With the weight of the track holding it down, and providing the proper curve, it worked well.  I then used HO size track spikes like a small nail or pin and pushed them through the cork into the homasote.  

 

Worked great for me, no messy glue or adhesive.  In all fairness in the areas I used flex track this approach was not as useful.

Has anyone here built a multi-track mainline that uses two levels of cork roadbed, as described on the roadbed company's website?  They recommend a lower level, that goes all the way across the RoW and then individual "lanes" of the second layer under each track.

Sounds more like a way to double sales. 

 

I find with 0 scale using compression is very important.  Linear compression is very obvious.  However vertical compression is also very important too.  Absolute scale height trees would make any layout look very  small. 

 

IMO. lower then normal roadbed can be helpful to make the track be more of a complete scene than have it high with a pronounced presence.  Low roadbed and MTH Scale Tracks make a nice presentation.  It's all in the eye of the beholder.

 

When using cork roadbed check the heights, shape and flash of the two sides after separating it.  You may find that you might want to use all left sides in one area and all right sides in another area.  Rasp the surface clean and knock off the parting ridge. 

 

A wallpaper or vinyl flooring seam roller can be helpful for placement.  I roll over a piece of thin sheet metal (HVAC trunk duct scrap) to keep the roadbed from bunching up.tt

Cork is pretty easy to work with. The key, as with any track laying, requires a little patience. Glue is messy and you had to tack/pin it down to hold it in place anyway, so we stopped using it. Instead, we just use carpet tacks and just tack it down, then lay the track on top and ballast. A few tips:

1. Don't have a cork roadbed seam where there's a track joint (and/or sub-roadbed joint if using "cookie cutter" roadbed.) You don't want any joints on top of each other.
2. Stagger the joints. This will make your track, especially curves smoother.
3. Use the pieces one at a time -- laying one side, then the other (staggered). There is sometimes a slight variance in the thickness of the road bed from one piece to another. Found that out the hard way and had to sand a section. The last thing you want is for your track to have twists in it.
4. When laying a curve, lay the inside first. In my experience it makes laying the second half of the roadbed easier.

Hope this helps.

I agree with Matt.  In addition, I used staples to hold the cork in place until the glue set.  My layout goes from O-72 up to ~O-120.  I did change on #4 as I did the outside first, but I don't think it matters much.

 

Here are a couple of views of my lower level of the layout I am building:

 

 

I HIGHLY suggest using DAP ALEX Latex Clear Adhesive Caulk. By far the best thing I have ever used to lay down cork and track! It is very sticky and dries in about 5 minutes. You can lay it down and then go back and adjust before it dries permanently.

I use 3/8 in. staples only.  No Glue. 

 

Worked great and really paid off when I recently switched from 3RS to 2 Rail O scale and removed all my 3 rail track and cork roadbed.  (Hadn't ballasted yet).  Simple.  Clean.

 

Since cork roadbed was only stapled, it came off easily and I'm reusing it.   And 've found all along that this makes life much easier when I made the inevitable changes to the layout.  

 

We did the same on our modular club.  Staples.  No glue. No problems for years now.

 

I really like Matt's additional advice above.  Will really help to follow it.

 

Austin Bill  

I like the idea of using staples. Much easier removal than carpet tacks. Going to use that next time.

 

I should add that I place the cork roadbed directly on plywood.  I use one of those ubiquitous manual chrome staple guns that takes the 3/8 in chisle point T50 staples.

 

Most staples end up flush with the roadbed.  But a few don't quite make it.  So, I use a small hobby hammer to tap them to where they are ever so slightly resessed.

 

They hold well and are easy to remove for changes.

 

This probably makes more sense for those of us who use sectional track and so can more easily modify our layouts -- until we ballast and scenik them that is.  

 

Austin Bill

I agree with Austin Bill.  I tack the cork bed down with brads in an electric staple gun.  I didn't see it mentioned above but you first should tear the cork in half down the center and work with only 1/2 at a time.  Draw a centerline with a "Sharpie" pen for you to follow when you lay the cork.

 

Dennis

I am intrigued with the water base contact cement idea.  There is a fairly new process for covering aircraft that involves a green water based glue, and I have found it to be about ten times stronger than the stuff we used to use, which was very close to model airplane cement, or Duco.  The new stuff costs fifty bucks a quart, because it is approved by the FAA.

 

i think this sort of contact cement would be great - I have used it in place of Pliobond for model train glue joints, and it seems stronger than the newer version of Pliobond (Walthers Goo, only cheaper).

 

I strive for isolating noise, and nails or staples would seem to allow noise transmission.  I am not sure I believe that Matte Medium is quieter than white glue, but I have used the matte medium for ballast and was quite happy.  Loose ballast always worries me.

 

As an old dude, I have been resisting the water base revolution, especially because it is so incredibly expensive.  But it is apparently quite good!  A repair on my convertible Mustang was done in water base paint, and it is spectacular!