Wanting your opinions on track bed materials. I am considering cork or black foam. What are the differences between the two? Im leaning toward the black foam because of cost but dont want to regret it later. My layout is a wall layout that will be on a 1x12 pine board. Thanks Ken
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I use the black foam because of ease of installation and sound deadening, very happy with it
This may not exactly go with your question but we have used foam on our modular layout and have been having to go back and replace it with cork because it has been smashed down and at module connections some very serious bumps.
If your looking for something different I like flexxbed may not be what you want but just as another option
Zachariah is right, Flexxbed is great !
My last Layout was 40’ x 50’ . Used it with Atlas Track. Great combination ! Good Sound Barrier & Looks !!
Fredstrains
Thanks for the input on the Flexxbed. Seems a bit pricey to me but Im not going to rule it out yet.
Trackbed selection: IMO, Homabed is the best, vinyl flexbed is fine, cork is on my own layout. However foam.........my only comment is that I sold a carton of it on the OGR sell/trade board for twenty five cents but guilt got the best of me so I just let him have it for free when he came to pick it up.
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Woodland Scenics Vinyl roadbed, very easy to use and it can be placed on homasote or plywood.
Regarding Homabed: it was originally made by a disabled gentleman named Bill Oehler in Kingston, NY; when it became too much for Bill his son took over for a short period; the name and drawings were then sold to a west coast company called California Roadbed; after a few years they were sold again to another west coast company called Cascade Rail Supply which is no longer in business. It is my opinion that shipping costs from the west coast to the east (where most model railroaders are clustered) made the product expensive compared to its competitors. Presently I am helping a friend build his HO model railroad and he is making his own Homasote roadbed in his workshop. We buy 4' x 8' sheets of Homasote from local independent (not big box) lumber yards.