Track layout for beginners

I can tell you that using 1” rigid foam without plywood underneath is noisy. Rigid foam is an insulator, not a sound deadener. It’s strong enough to hold accessories, but not to lean on with too much force, depending on support structure. I used a 12” 1x interlocked grid, so I had no problems with strength, but the noise was unbearable, even in an open garage. Skirting helped, but not enough to run trains for long periods.  2” foam will be stronger and maybe not as noisy.

I don’t believe Homasote is strong enough without plywood either, but I have never used it.

A lot of folks use 2x4s for framing, but a lot use 1x4s or 1x3s. Some cut 3x4” plywood into 3” strips and use it, much more light weight than 2x4s.

At any rate, cork or vinyl roadbed is used both for noise abatement (arguably) and appearance. It raises the track just like real railroads and ballast fills the space between ties. If you’re not that interested in realism, there are plenty railroads with track laid directly on plywood, some with painted “roadbed”. Others use carpet padding on plywood, acoustic tiles on p,yeood, etc.

How big a layout are you planning?

I would not use today's 2x4s as they tend to warp.  You need to find good clear fir or white pine lumber.  1x3s will work just fine.  Spending extra for good lumber will save you many headaches down the road.

Jan

@Jan posted:

I would not use today's 2x4s as they tend to warp.  You need to find good clear fir or white pine lumber.  1x3s will work just fine.  Spending extra for good lumber will save you many headaches down the road.

Jan

I will keep that in mind.

@DoubleDAZ posted:

I can tell you that using 1” rigid foam without plywood underneath is noisy. Rigid foam is an insulator, not a sound deadener. It’s strong enough to hold accessories, but not to lean on with too much force, depending on support structure. I used a 12” 1x interlocked grid, so I had no problems with strength, but the noise was unbearable, even in an open garage. Skirting helped, but not enough to run trains for long periods.  2” foam will be stronger and maybe not as noisy.

I don’t believe Homasote is strong enough without plywood either, but I have never used it.

A lot of folks use 2x4s for framing, but a lot use 1x4s or 1x3s. Some cut 3x4” plywood into 3” strips and use it, much more light weight than 2x4s.

At any rate, cork or vinyl roadbed is used both for noise abatement (arguably) and appearance. It raises the track just like real railroads and ballast fills the space between ties. If you’re not that interested in realism, there are plenty railroads with track laid directly on plywood, some with painted “roadbed”. Others use carpet padding on plywood, acoustic tiles on p,yeood, etc.

How big a layout are you planning?

THAT'S what I needed to know.  Thank you!

I am looking for as much realism as I can muster.  Which is better, cork or vinyl, and do they make pre-cut curves?  I know I'm probably starting a religious war, but I'd rather talk to others about it so when I go to a show, or the shop, I know what I'm looking at, at the bare minimum.

As far as the framing goes, I'll keep that in mind.  I have done some construction jobs over the years, so I'm not afraid of tools. 

I'm probably going to be making two 40X60 layouts.  One to go under the Christmas tree, so that will require deadening.  I want to use the FastTrack with the Christmas lights underneath it, at least for the side that shows to folks.

The other will go out in the office, I'm looking at two ovals, based on the O31 and O36 radius tracks.  I haven't figured out how to connect them, using SCARM, but I'll look at it more.  My fantasy would be to be able to go from the inner ring to the outer ring and back, but space is the issue.  I could raise the board 6" and get another foot of space, but then I'm looking at a track that is sternum-height, and I don't know as that's the angle I want to view the trains at.

Jim, since they're small layouts using FasTrack, you don't need roadbed unless you want to try dampening noise. If it were me, I use 1x4s for framing, not 2x4s. I'd add a 1x1 strip around the inside low enough to inlay a panel of 1/2" plywood covered with painted or colored carpet or peel&stick carpet tiles. I'd also add crossmembers under the tree stand.

In the 1st photo, the brown edging is the 1x4 frame and crossmembers, the blue is the indented strips, the yellow is a 40"x60" plywood panel and the green is the carpet padding. The track is an in/out folded oval using a 22.5° crossing. I left the plywood and carpet short to show them and the strips. The tracks barely fit the space and I think the plastic roadbed on FasTrack will go over the edges. I would stretch the design so the plywood panel is at least 42"x62", preferably 46"x66", or all the way to 48"x66" to stay within the width of a sheet of plywood.

Anyway, the 2nd photo is self-explanatory.

To download the SCARM file, right-click and select Save As or Save File As.  You'll see different elements are on separate layers that can be turned on/off for viewing.

@DoubleDAZ
Thank you very much!  Sadly, that may become my year-round plan, too, as I would need to find someplace to store the track.

Hmm. Under the guest bed sounds good. 

Jim, if you want to get fancy you could add some switches to connect 2 or more to have some fun.

@DoubleDAZ:  The 40X60 is the space I have for it, in my office.  I don't have any empty space other than that.  Lived here for 30+ years, things have filled in.  Working on that, but it's going to be a while.

I was thinking on saw horses in the garage or on the deck/patio just long enough to run some trains for a couple of hours every so often. Really, just killing time while my watches stuff on TV. 😜

@DoubleDAZ  If I'm going to do that, I'm going to build something larger.    I've been looking at some of the G-Scale and the steam-powered stuff, I have the yard for it. 

G Scale is definitely nice. Of course, we have year round operations here and I’ve thought about getting a battery powered set.

I'm pretty new at all this, but have landed in the white pine camp. That is partly because I had my own timber milled and had enough 4/4 stock to make a sizable O Scale layout that circumnavigates by daughter's old bedroom....including around the bed! I have some fairly long spans, say 7-8 feet, that I screwed spruce strong-backs under. Nothing's fallen down yet...LOL. I have a 2 long sections of pine shiplap siding that has my sidings on it. It seems to be an excellent sound-deadener, but the best part is workability. You can easily drill it easily and easily put screws anywhere you like. I'm still in the "proof-of-concept" phase, so not much in the way of landscaping or buildings.

I will end by simply saying that prior to my pine experience, I tried 3/4" B/C plywood. Found it to be ridiculously heavy, didn't want to lay flat, poor acoustic qualities (transmits sound due to density) and very difficult to introduce small screws into. Good luck, and Happy New Year!