sound of silence ....

I don't blame you one bit, Bill. Even on top of Homasote , FasTrack has a scraping, grating sound I just don't like.

Add me to the list of those who don't like Fastrack's noise.  Even on a carpet floor layout, it's too much for me- that's why I sold most of it.  I can set up two loops of tubular on the floor and it's still quieter than one train running on Fastrack.

And honestly, it's not even so much the level of noise, it's the "pitch" of the noise that bothers me.  

Fastrack is hollow underneath isn't it ?   The hollow space is like a speaker, amplifying the sound.  If you could fill this void with something like expanding foam, not sure if you would really want to do that, it should deaden the sound.  I don't know much about Fastback, but if you could do something like I mentioned, it would just be finding the best material to do it with.  

Of course you can always sell your fastback and buy tubular.   

Dan Padova posted:

Of course you can always sell your fastback and buy tubular.   

That's how I quieted my Fastrack! 

Seriously though- you're right about the hollow plastic roadbed acting as a speaker.  I think several people on the forum have experimented with various ways of filling/coating the underside, not sure how much success they've had.  

In all honesty, Fastrack is a great idea and if you don't mind the noise, it's a good product.  I just couldn't stand the racket and personally, I like tubular better overall.  It's what I grew up with.

I read somewhere that weed wacker line was inserted in 0 or 027 track & it toned down the noise.

tubular track for me

Bob C.

If weed wacker line muffles the sound, would pipe cleaners also?     John

I thought that was Neil Youngs guitar string....seriously,

Might have been for better power runs, and the quiet was a bonus.

Anything to stop vibration should help, but I think the stiffness of the wire wanting to stay straight and causing a constant tension against the tracks curve, would do a better job that just light fuzz here. (like dampening a bell, too stiff or loose it may ring anyhow).

Worth a try, I'd like to hear about it if you try it

First thing I did back in early '08 after testing "my first O gauge" P.E. set on the dining room table was buy some classic O-31 tube track.  Fastrack noise is horrible.  I might could stand the volume if it wasn't so dang shrill.

Pete

Pennvalley RR posted:

I read somewhere that weed wacker line was inserted in 0 or 027 track & it toned down the noise.

Do you mean threading the line through each rail ?   I suspect I'd have to see it up close and personal to believe it.  

   I'm pretty sure that's what he means Dan.

    I really had to think about the guitar string line too. But finding no apparent flaw in the logic, I thought "I'd like to believe it". I had thought about welding wire when I was out of Super O pins once, but only had flux core left in the cabinet. (I used vintage brass tack head nails, clipped, lol)

    My own minor questions/ doubts aside about the plastic vs a wrapped metal guitar string (or solid music wire, or who knows what's laying around "that guys" music shop) with other sound proofing already done, that little bit (plastic)would  likely have a much greater impact than when 1st considered singly as the only reduction. (a 5 db decrease from 85 to 80db isn't much (4%ish) , but -5db from 40db range is an 8% drop.

  Too bad "Myth-busters" aren't still searching for ideas .

 Anyone building a weekend loop soon? Use a phone, or computer recording / e.q. etc., for a DB and/or frequency test. Don't forget starting with ambient readings, and not  moving the device, and not moving non-test items around including yourself (changes ambience boring, but does ).

 Hey, seems the wrapped guitar string also in a drills chuck, might scrub loose any rust or crud when powered up. It would need a collar at the end to stop pull through and becoming a dangerous 10" whip, but contained and slowly, the wraps "flutes" would help move crud out too.

I don't care for the FT sound, its like there is non-directional white noise.

 My own brother loves it, and hates tubular....

No real winner, just tastes and opinion. We would need a coin to flipped to put this to an end, but it's fun trying!

At one point, I had built a 6 x 10 layout with two loops of Fastrack in my garage.  Between the two trains running on FT and the echo chamber created by the concrete walls and floor, the noise was nearly unbearable.  You couldn't have a conversation and the sound could be clearly heard upstairs, with the door closed.

I also gave up on using it around the Christmas tree- though it was "somewhat" better on the floor, it was still obnoxious and I couldn't run the trains much.

I, too, have a love/hate relationship with Fastrack.   It's very smooth, goes together easily, and the switches are wonderful.

However, after awhile the noise gets to me.   As someone else mentioned, for me  it's not so much the volume, but rather the frequency/pitch of the sound.     Again, for me, the sound become grating.   When I have two trains runing the loops, even at slower speeds, I get annoyed.

That never happened with tubular or Atlas O.

That all being said, I did an experiment once to see about quieting the track.\What I found is while the concave underside does contribute to the "noise", it is really just amplifying the noise created by the hollow rails on the plastic roadbed.

One night while really bored, I took a loop off the table, and then bent open the rail tabs and removed the rails from each section of track.

I have a ton of RTV sealant in my garage that I use with my car projects, so I grabbed a few tubes.

I then went about filling each rail with RTV, and smoothing it out to be level with the bottoms of the rail.

Once all the rails were filled, I then reattached the rails to the roadbed.

I reassembled the loop on the train table, which is also covered with green indoor/outdoor carpet.

Now I had a loop of quasi-solid Fastrack.   To my ears it made a HUGE difference.

Granted, it was a long process to fill each rail, but it worked.

Just an idea for everyone.

FYI: I have since gone back to tubular with newly manufactured Lionel switches.

Here is a You-Tube video comparing the noise of MTH RealTrax vs Lionel FasTrack on a hard table. They seem about the same for noise. I'd be interested to see a comparison with weed-wacker line inserted in the running rails, and comparisons with the track on softer surfaces or perhaps with foam weatherstrip tape on the underside of the plastic roadbed, to see if that cuts the noise.

I run a lot of old tubular track, some on carpet and some on hard tables, and the noise isn't an issue for me.

Atlas track on cork road bed on 3/4 in maple laminate = wheels and rollers on rails sound quality that I never get tired of listening to. One of the few choices I made when I started the layout that turned out right.

Scott, that is a great combination!     If I weren't running so many post war locos with magnetraction I'd probably invest in Atlas at this time.

Why not use a spray on sound deadener on the back of the fast track. There are many products made for the car audio industry.

FT isn't impervious to chemicals. Better test it and wait a few days, or even months really.

Example- Don't try cleaning it with simple green, it will slowly melt after your done.. Search  the old posts, you'll see.