What are good screws for track

I like the Gargraves track screw but I don't thing they make them as long as you need them.

I read somewhere long ago that screws can transmit vibrations through the foam to the board and so increase the noise of the layout.  Given that, zip ties were recommended....drill holes through the board and table where the track/item is to be fastened and insert one zip tie through the track and the drilled hole.  The head of one zip tie holds the track (or accessory) in place and install a second zip tie on the first under the table to hold things in place.

A #2 or #4 screw.  Length as you see fit.    An assortment of screws.   As pictured, #6 drywall screw top, #4 screws middle, #2 screws bottom.  The black flat head screw is Ross/or Gargraves issue.   Black screw  bottom is an Atlas track screw.  Track installed on plywood, right in picture, using cork road bed.   Pre-drilling track ties is a good idea.  Flat head screws you may want to use a counter sink to flush the screw head with the track tie.    All but the Atlas track screw, can be had from a local hardware store.

First question I have is what brand of track? Reason is Fasttrack and Realtrax have a hollow fake ballast coal base and are harder to secure to foam without screws. BUT I have used screws and screwed them into the foam NOT THE PLYWOOD UNDERNEATH. You just have to make sure to not over tighten. On my Atlas track, and also Gargraves and Ross, I found carpet tape is the best. I have used it for Realtrax and Fasttrack also but it is great on the others. I put track down and trace outside tie ends with a pencil or marker, then lift and cut and put down carpet tape. reinstall track ONE END FIRST THEN LOWER pushing together as you lower. Ballast and will never ever move. I waited three years to ballast some and it never moved. If you decide to move, warm water thru a mist bottle wetting down ballast and putty knife will release from foam without damaging foam. If you did not ballast use a hairdryer but not needed as putty knife will release it.

Curtis

I'm using the Gargraves screws, they secure the track to the foam roadbed and then to the Homasote underlayment.  So far, so good, about 100 feet or so of track down.

I am using Fastrack that sits on a 1/8 inch layer of neoprene rubber. The cross-section of Fastrack is almost 3/4 inches high because of the molded-in roadbed. A #4 x 1 inch stainless steel screw is long enough to go through the Fastrack (which has factory holes for #4 sized screws), through the neoprene, and still get a decent "bite" in the plywood roadbed. I recommend pre-drilling down into the plywood, as it's easy to strip the head of a #4 screw. As noted by others, be careful not to overtighten. The neat thing about using screws with Fastrack is that you can make tiny adjustments by tightening or loosening screws to get your track pieces nice and level.

I’m using mth Scaletrax. I really appreciate all the suggestions you all have made! Many thanks

In my opinion, glueing the track down to the roadbed, whichever brand you use, is by far the best method. Use whatever screws required to hold curves in place, until the glue is set, then remove the screws and reuse them someplace else. On our layout, we used Titebond Professional wood glue, and the track system (Atlas solid nickel silver glued to Hobby Innovations vinyl roadbed) was nice and quiet. After everything was glued, I removed any remaining screws.

I have had good success with #1 square drive drywall trim screws.  They come in various lengths and fit well into the pre-drilled holes in the Fastrack roadbed.

@Hot Water posted:

In my opinion, glueing the track down to the roadbed, whichever brand you use, is by far the best method. Use whatever screws required to hold curves in place, until the glue is set, then remove the screws and reuse them someplace else. On our layout, we used Titebond Professional wood glue, and the track system (Atlas solid nickel silver glued to Hobby Innovations vinyl roadbed) was nice and quiet. After everything was glued, I removed any remaining screws.

I was wondering about using glue. Since you had great results, I think I will try that. My layout is tiny anyway, just a small oval

One thing about glue.  It's more of a PITA if you want to take the track up for some reason.

Ditto with Mike CT. I have Homasote glued on top of plywood and used 3/4" #4 black flat screws and pre-drilled with a countersink bite.

@McRabbet posted:

I have had good success with #1 square drive drywall trim screws.  They come in various lengths and fit well into the pre-drilled holes in the Fastrack roadbed.

This is what I've been using too! The square drive tops look so much better than phillips head screws.

I am almost done laying track  (insert fireworks here!). It's 3-rail, O gauge Gargraves flex and sectional mixed with Ross turnouts and some very few gargraves turnouts. My max target radius was 054 and my max grade was 5%. As the layout has gone up, I am in the ballpark with those.

The layout is a roughly 18x17 island in a U-shape. The arms of the "U" are 8 feet wide--so by subtraction you can see that the bottom of the U is only 2 feet wide. The "benchwork" is a steel frame that outlines the U shape. The platform is made of a sandwich of 2 inch foam sheets with 3/8 inch plywood in between (see pic). My goal was to create a platform thickness and density that simply could not resonate nor act like a "sound board".  Will it work? Time will tell and I'm not there yet.

Where grades go up and down, they travel on 1/8 inch thick Luan plywood. supported by blocks of 2 inch thick foam glued in as necessary using Gorilla Glue. (see pic). If the Luan doens't feel solid as a rock, I glue in another foam block. For ALL my grades, Midwest cork goes under the track on top of the Luan. to deaden sound and create a pleasing mainline roadbed shape for the ballast.

I DO NOT glue the cork to the Luan nor the track to the cork. Instead, I use the #8 sheet metal screws through the Gargraves or Ross ties, then through the cork and finally through the Luan. This is the process for ALL MY GRADES. To start and end grades, I sometimes use wooden cedar shake roof shingles (see pic) which are cut to a taper  that runs from zero to maybe 0.5%. The shingles vary, so you have to look at their profiles to find one that fits each grade you are starting and ending. I cut the cedar shingles to fit the spot, Gorilla Glue them to the Luan (on a grade) or to the 2 inch foam (on flat land) and screw into them after the glue dries.

On flat land, the top of the platform is 2 inch foam instead of luan!. So how do you get sheet metal screws to hold tight in styrofoam? I found the answer on a UK modeler's railroad on Youtube. Here is my version of what he does.

When track is being laid directly on styrofoam, I position  my track and turnouts until I get the layout flowing as desired. Then I use my cordless drill to make TINY holes through the flex or sectional track ties (I use both flex and sections interchangeably) every so often--through the ties and into the foam. These holes can later be VERY hard to find. So I mark each hole with a bright sharpie and lift up the track (I keep it as close as possible in case I need to recheck the fit). Now I put a "dot" of Gorilla Glue over each hole and press a number 8 wall plug into that hole (see pic for the label on the exact ones I used).

I push the #8 wall plug down just a bit deeper into the foam using a scrap piece of wood, and I wipe off any excess glue with a rag or paper towel. Then I lay the track loosely back in place and I put 1/8 inch pilot holes in the ties over the original tiny hole. Then I take my #6 or #8 black metal screws and I run them halfway into the wall plug in the platform foam. Now I let the whole thing sit overnight.

A note about working on the Luan grades....working with the Luan and cedar shingles under the track, and also gluing the foam riser blocks under the Luan to make the grade, I tend to use too much Gorilla Glue. That glue expands as it dries. So I put 5-10 pound weights on the track to prevent the glue from pushing up on the Luan. The next morning the weights can be removed.

Soooooooooo......the answer to your question is that for me, for screwing in to either wood or styrofoam (after gluing in #8 wall plugs), either number 6 or number 8, philips-head sheet metal screws have been working great. DISCLAIMERS: I don't use fastrack, scaletrax or even lionel tubular track. MORE DISCLAIMERS: This is my first and last layout. I've read mountains of materials--both modeling and prototype. But "readin' ain't doin'".  So harsh reality is always just up ahead, around the super-elevated horse-shoe curve of life....or at least, that has been my experience!

Good luck with your layout!

Don Merz