Whats your choice of roadbed?

Resurrection of my 1951 Lionel 027 gauge owned since received Xmas 1951. Roadbed material is roofing material trimmed to fit. Comes with sticky backing and peel off strip before application to grass carpeting over plywood. To compensate for Lionel ties deficiency purchased rubber wood looking surface ties for 027 track. 

Since my layout is in the style of a postwar display, I use green indoor/outdoor carpet with a "roadbed" of grey paint. Works for me, and you can't beat the price.

When I had my layout, I used Johnson's rubber roadbed. It worked great. It deadened the sound of the trains running and gave the board a finished look.

If someone would make the tubular roadbed in gray with black ties, I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

I used cork roadbed all my life until I discovered Johnson's Rubber Roadbed. It was amazing at the amount of noise it cuts down. I went on a mission last year and found enough rubber roadbed to do all of my tracks.

It is not cheap and hard to find, but it  is durable and reusable. I now buy it whenever I see it.

So, got my addon complete with foam this time. Hard to tell difference between the cork. Curves little bit of a pain since it's not slit down middle like cork, but lays nicely and stays in place so far. 

I used all Gargraves track, and Ross Custom switches. I like the choice a lot! As for ballasting I did not choose to use a roadbed form. Rather I used fine Chick Grit, a nice granite used as a starter grit for baby chicks. I then poured it over the Gargraves track and let if fall (flow) and it formed it's own roadbed profile, just not as drastic. Pictures taken back in 2017.

So, after some run time on the foam, I can't tell a difference. Both are about the same really.  Higher speeds, cork is a bit louder on my shelf, but I never run it full speed like I did when I was a kid. 

Keep it slow and steady.

May be a diff story when I get a heavier steam loco...  I will find out soon

Back on the first page I posted some photos of my anti-fatigue matting roadbed.  Since then, I've spray painted some of that textured stone paint onto the beveled sides to simulate ballast:

If I wasn't so lazy I would take all the track up and spray the entire roadbed with the textured paint!

I masked off the track and plywood so I wouldn't get overspray on it.  If you take the time and mask off all the things you don't want paint on, you could possibly spray an entire railroad in an hour or two, let it dry overnight and presto...Faux Ballast!

Woodland Scenics foam rubber roadbed.

Very interesting thread, lots of great tips and information on all the different types of roadbed.  Lots of food for thought, will probably give me a headache when I'm ready to start thinking about that type of stuff.

Jim McGehee posted:

I used cork roadbed all my life until I discovered Johnson's Rubber Roadbed. It was amazing at the amount of noise it cuts down. I went on a mission last year and found enough rubber roadbed to do all of my tracks.

It is not cheap and hard to find, but it  is durable and reusable. I now buy it whenever I see it.

 

Similar.  

We tested those from all major brands for our decision. Criteria included: ease of use, noise reduction, reusability, price, and one that was forgiving when laying on on inclines and curves. We chose Flexbed. It's a vinyl composition, reusable, comes in a few sizes, super quiet and easy to use. And, while not cheap, it's not the priciest - and when you consider value, it was a bargain. Plus, the folks who run the company are great. 

I looked at samples of Woodland Scenics, Flexbed, and this guy on eBay.  After examining the samples of all three, I went with the eBay guy, great prices and the product is so similar to the others that I can't see paying double the price.  The seller is sparks00033 on eBay, and he has an assortment of choices, and will send you a free sample if you ask.

eBay: 202054737123 is for 180 feet of 1/4" thick O-gauge roadbed, $98.95 shipped.

Tugboat15: Woodland Scenics foam roadbed IS split down the middle just like traditional cork. On curves you separate the sections and it lays flat without issue.

I used the foam bed from the eBay vendor Sparks00033. I sprayed it with Rustoleum textured finish paint to simulate ballast. The bed works well and is flexible even with the paint on it.