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So once again it's been a while since I have posted but I have done some work in the meantime.  I put in drywall, painted, and upgraded the electrical.  In the meantime, my better half has decided that the amount of space allocated for the train was too much so I had to cut down on the track plan a little bit.  My previous railroad had L-girder benchwork but I'm thinking for this one that L-girder my not be necessary since the track plan is basically one level, except for the red track which will dip down 2.5 inches then come back up.  As discussed way back, I am a definite "looper" and even though I really wanted a multi-level plan, it was just too complicated so I think this track plan is right for me.  I could always add a switch or two in the front part of the dog bone if needed.  I hoping to start the benchwork this weekend so your thoughts are welcome.  Thanks and keep rolling.

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I have started the benchwork using the Grid System.  Major snowstorm came through and knocked out the power so we spent a Saturday playing Yahtzee.  Once the power came back on today, I got through some of the benchwork for the dogbone.    Biggest dilemma was deciding on the height of the layout.  My son is only 5'2 so I decided to make it 43.5 inches and once the plywood and homasote are added, it will be just under 45 inches. 

@Vitto posted:

I called Ross and talked to Steve.  He told me expect a lead time of up to 8 weeks.  Wish I would have ordered sooner but no big deal.  One thing that I forgot to even think about was uncoupling tracks.  Any ideas as to how many and where I should incorporate them into my layout?

Well it depends if you can reach the cars or not.  If you can reach them easily you can probably get away with a skewer stick and manually poking the uncoupling mechanism (thumbtack, tab or whatever depending on era and manufacturer of car). Or if not, for uncouplers typically you'd want them at the beginning of a siding - be sure to leave enough spacing so that when the car is uncoupled it doesnt foul the adjacent track - and on "the main" so you can uncouple from the rest of the train and spot the car(s) in the siding.

So I just made a run at lunch and picked up what I think is all of the lumber needed to complete the bench work.  Still have to order the track, which I should have done a long time ago, but if everything goes as planned the bench work will be done this weekend.  Only problem that I see right now is that nothing ever goes as planned.

this weekend I am going to start putting plywood onto the benchwork.  I've done some reading but I am still confused.  I plan to have a bottom base of plywood with the woodlands scenic foam track bed.  my question is, should I do plywood, then homasote on the plywood and then the foam track bed with track held in place with zip ties or can I eliminate the homasote since i am using the foam track bed?

Vitto, shortly you will have a plethora of advice. For my layout I used plywood and then topped it with foam board. The foam board is for landscaping purposes such as a ravine between the tracks etc. For purposes of sound deadening I use 16” centers with my foundation and then carpet padding under the rails. I would think that if you use homasote you won’t need the foam track bed.

Jay

Finally finished putting down the plywood on the benchwork.  Since the Homasote is outrageous in price, my plan is to put down foam board on all of the plywood then lay the track on woodland scenics foam bed.  I believe when referring to foam board, it is basically the pink insulation.  If so, should I use 1/2 inch or 1 inch?  

It's been a while but I am going to be putting down the foam board this weekend.  If I am looking at the right stuff, it looks like my local Home Depot has two options.

R-Tech

1 in. x 48 in. x 8 ft. R-3.85 Insulating Sheathing

which is $13.48 per piece

OR

Owens Corning

FOAMULAR 150 1 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. R-5 Scored Square Edge Rigid Foam Board Insulation Sheathing

which is $31.32 per piece.

My guess is that the R-Tech is the way to go but can someone confirm for me or point me in a better direction.

Thanks.

So once again, I am thoroughly confused.  I did a bunch of reading on what to put down on the table top surface and I was going to put down a foam top but now I am not so sure.  My benchwork is all done and so far I have the top as plywood with 1/2 inch on some spots and 3/4  inch in others.  My plan was to cover the entire top in 1 inch pink foam and then put the track on woodland scenics roadbed.  I was also going to secure the track with zip ties that went all the way through the plywood.  Now I am afraid of sound and warping of the foam.  I have all day tomorrow to work on it so should I continue with my plan or rethink it?  Please give your comments.  Thanks.

Vitto, I have never tried styrofoam under the track, so I don’t know about sound.  I know of people who have successfully used zip ties to hold down track, but I think that was on harder surfaces than foam.  I can see there could be some warping of the foam if the ties are snugged down too tightly.  I wish I could be more helpful and hope someone else with more knowledge responds.

@Vitto  Check out these forum links which discuss sound. You will have to make your own choice.

sound 1  sound 2   For what its worth, I screw directly into 1/2" baltic birch plywood. I've tried various noise deadening approaches and found they were not worth the bother. Reducing the plywood area (cookie cutter) to minimum does reduce noise but not eliminate. I understand solid rail (sans plastic roadbed) is quieter than rolled/tubular.

@Jeff_the_Coaster_Guy did a study around 2020 with a decibel meter showing results of different roadbed layers. homasote db test data   This is a 2 page post with lots of interesting comments.

I find I use DCS to selectively reduce engine sounds while keeping other sounds at higher levels. Train running noise does not appear to be excessive to my ear, mainly because the engine sounds usually drown it out. 

Jay, that sounds like a great option!  There are so many ways of providing a base for track and scenery!  I first used Homasote in the ‘80s.  To me, it was certainly better than running on bare plywood like I did in my teenage years.  I’d I didn’t have a used 12’x4’ (that isn’t a typo) sheet of Homasote given to me a few years back, I would have been looking at other options for my current layout, because it is hard to find in my area.

Vitto, I think Jay’s idea goes to show you that you can’t go wrong with any method.  I think you have to try options and decide for yourself what you like best.

Thank you to everyone for the comments and insight.  After reading the thread from Jeff the Coaster Guy about the decibel levels, I decided that homasote was the way to go.  My last layout was on plywood and the noise was very loud.  I also took the advice given here and headed to Menards this morning and 4 sheets were enough to cover all areas where the track will not be on an incline/decline.  The stuff was a little messy but after listening to others, I was thankful that I cut it on the driveway.  I still have to either glue or screw the homasote down, but all the cuts are made and the driveway mess is all cleaned up.  All in all, a really good day.  Thanks everyone.

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