Tubular Track - Carpet or Ballast

Over the years I've had to pick carpet fibers / fuzz out of a fair number of locomotives. If you use carpet, get something that won't generate that stuff.
Over the years I've tried ballast and cork roadbed.
My current layout is small, it doesn't have anything under the track.

Agree with C.W. about the carpet. My layout is small also as it changes about once a year, so haven't  used ballast or cork. 

What I do use is a very tightly woven blanket over the plywood. Cuts down on noise and provides a background color. Easy to clean and any wires can be poked through with little effort.

John

I've used the indoor/outdoor green carpet on more than one occasion without issue, and was once considering something along the lines of what Fritz von Tagen used when he rebuilt his layout a few years back.  However, for the next layout I'm thinking of using track directly on stained wood.  Sure, it'll make a racket, but then that's what some may refer to as "original proto sound"  

Deep shag carpet.

:-)

Actually, though I run traditional O-27, not tinplate, I had originally planned to get a tight indoor/outdoor carpet, but ended up using green felt. I like the look and it does help to dampen the sound significantly over bare OSB particle board or plywood. We used felt for my dad's postwar AF, too.

Indoor / outdoor carpet with a gray paint "roadbed". Sort of like Lionel's sales displays.

I think the SGMA folks use a base of very low cut green outdoor carpet and roadbed of a similar carpet in gray

I have had good results using grey carpet with about 1/2" or less nap.  No problems with fibers in running gears - I evaluate the remnant pile at carpet dealers carefully for fibers that stay tight.  The biggest challenge is cutting and fitting - metal shears are effective.  I chose carpet after comparing noise of cork+ballast vs. carpet and the carpet was quieter.

I had been thinking ballast as I wanted to build a Tom Snyder themed layout. 👍😁

Joe Gozzo

For me, the track laid directly on Homasote, which is on top of 1 3/8" hollow core doors.  I may or may not paint the Homasote.  Probably not, come to think about it.  Since I am running a post-war type layout with numerous operating accessories, I have found that a reasonably hard surface works best.  

The Homasote is reasonably hard yet still cushions some of the sound.  I have found with operating accessories from the post -war period, a more rigid surface is key to getting those vibrator motors to cooperate.  

Thanks, all good points Dan!

Trainlover160 posted:

I had been thinking ballast as I wanted to build a Tom Snyder themed layout. 👍😁

Joe Gozzo

Joe,

I looked at the photos of Tom's layout that I could find in my storage. It was scenic'd. What level of detail do you want to take your version?

If close to Tom's, I would take the Hi-Rail approach, 3/4" ply deck with cork or vinyl roadbed. Deck painted in base colors. turf and ballast applied.

If a loose interpretation, the carpet would fine. The outdoor carpet with a reasonably think rubber base would work. If in a green color, you can still put down ballast. It really doesn't have to be glued. Attached is a photo of a friends layout with a carpet base. I like the shade of green. Steve 'PaPa" Eastman uses the gray color for his tinplate layouts.

I use indoor/outdoor carpet. It's green and adds to the "toy" feel of the layout.

 

Joe,

I agree with PaPa Steve, if you are using Conventional Tin Plate Track.  However I do no use Conventional on any kind of Carpet any more.

Purchase an oval of FasTrack if you are doing a carpet central.

PCRR/Dave

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I think the SGMA folks use a base of very low cut green outdoor carpet and roadbed of a similar carpet in gray.

Steve,

You are correct!   In keeping with the history of Standard Gauge trains, SGMA members decided to follow the classic tradition of setting up our Standard Gauge layouts on top of carpeted floors, i.e., picture Standard Gauge trains running on top of a Persian rug in a Victorian home.  Green carpet was selected to simulate "grass" and grey carpet was chosen to simulate the "ballast" under the track.  Specifically, 4" wide strips of gray carpet ballast were laid down over the green carpet grass with the latter glued directly to the wooden tops of our modules.  To reduce the fuzz inherent in cut-pile carpet, club members selected "uncut" tightly looped indoor/outdoor carpets for the club's standards.  Over the years these carpets have proven themselves time and time again at every show.  Not only do they look great but they also act as a sound dampener and require minimal maintenance, i.e., just a quick vacuuming before each show.  

Bob Nelson

Papa Eastman wrote "a base of very low cut green outdoor carpet"

Does this mean that in addition to my home's real grass I have to mow my layout's fake grass too?

For standard gauge: Johnson repro Lionel rubber roadbed: great for temporary or permanent layouts. Helps deaden tinplate sound and adheres to smooth surfaces. No longer being made, but can still be found!

NNJ Railfan posted:

Papa Eastman wrote "a base of very low cut green outdoor carpet"

Does this mean that in addition to my home's real grass I have to mow my layout's fake grass too?

You don't already?

 

 

TinPlate Art,

Ok  I do agree the Johnson Repro Lionel Rubber Roadbed would be the way to go for Conventional layouts not the floor.  Purchasing enough of it today, to have a nice size layout is pretty tough most times.

PCRR/Dave

Hello all 

 

Toy trains were temporarily set up on the wood floors during Christmas ....  you  rarely saw a "permanent" layout till the early 30's ..( yes there were a few exceptions..but very few) ...... 

Lionel displayed their trains on the floor in the catalogs till 1932 ...when they show a layout in a basement with father and son working together on ....trying to bridge the generation gap ..and bring trains to a year round hobby . 

For my early layouts I wanted the hard wood floor look .....so I decked the table with wood floor ... of course it's loud ..that 's the goal ....

please see link to some loud early Lionel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_U_IE2SrU

Cheers Carey

 

   

 

Carey Williams posted:

Hello all 

 

Toy trains were temporarily set up on the wood floors during Christmas ....  you  rarely saw a "permanent" layout till the early 30's ..( yes there were a few exceptions..but very few) ...... 

Lionel displayed their trains on the floor in the catalogs till 1932 ...when they show a layout in a basement with father and son working together on ....trying to bridge the generation gap ..and bring trains to a year round hobby . 

For my early layouts I wanted the hard wood floor look .....so I decked the table with wood floor ... of course it's loud ..that 's the goal ....

please see link to some loud early Lionel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_U_IE2SrU

Cheers Carey

 

   

 

Not to get off topic but I love these old advertisements Carey!  OK I’m back; If i were to do it again I would probably go with a tight nap carpet and maybe get away from sometimes messy scenery.   As cool and traditional as tubular track looks on the floor Fastrak or a similar track would make more sense especially for a temporary set up. 

Does anyone still use cork under and ballast ?

I just run my trains on the floor, but I've always liked the look of the painted on roads/ballast of some of the earlier layouts. I think it gives it a really nice, clean appearance that fits with tinplate well.

I used the cheapest carpet I could find at the home improvement store.  Kind of a brownish/gray. With all the color of the trains and tin buildings, I don't really think much about the surface they run on.

I used fleece blanket throw for ground cover on my hollow core door based layout with a couple of layers of laminate flooring underlay foam between the blanket and door. Took some looking, but found an olive color that looks pretty good. Painted hardboard (a.k.a. Masonite) was used for the track roadbed. Roads are construction paper. After years of fighting ballast and ground foam, I didn't want anything "messy" to have to deal with.

I'm with Tim...inexpensive gray indoor/outdoor carpet. PD