I’m preparing to setup my seasonal layout- tubular track (o gauge and standard gauge) on hardwood floor and tile- I’m looking for someway to deaden the sound and mostly to prevent it from slipping and scratching the floor. Any recs? I’ve considered plastidip the bottton of the ties? Moondog rubber ties or something like that?
Mmm, I'd hesitate before placing tubular track directly on hardwood or tile. First, unless you use some sort of glue or adhesive, the track will inevitably try to 'walk' with every use, especially with slick surfaces, and the sections will tend to disconnect and the ties will scratch the floor. If you *do* use some sort of adhesive or other "grippy" material to hold it in place, you'll have to deal with unsticking and removing that adhesive from the track and/or the floor later.
I think a better alternative might be to unroll a layer of some sort of sound-absorbing material before assembling the track. Inexpensive indoor-outdoor carpet might do, especially in green (or white, for winter scenes). Carpet underlayment might be another good option, if you can get something that will match, color-wise. Try to find something that does not have a lot of loose fiber, unless you want to spend some time picking it out of your rolling stock later.
Another option might be a layer of foam board insulation. It comes in 4 by 8 foot sheets and in thicknesses from a half inch to an inch or more, and you can paint or cover it with fabric as desired, or even go ahead and fully landscape and/or semi-permanently add track and accessories -- it should be light enough to easily lift and carry, and you can store it vertically and/or in sections for use in subsequent years.
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