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As with all components on a model railroad, the stuff that goes under the tracks is highly important for the functionality and appearance of your layout. From the framework to the sub-roadbed to the ballast, each component serves an essential purpose toward making a realistic and effective railroad. This is especially true for the model railroad roadbed.
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good tips from our president Gerry Leone himself. if the president says we can use it The NMRA recommends it.
For all those new model railroaders avoid woodland scenics as much as possible the money u save can be used on stuff like electric motor points or lighting
foam deteriorates is just a few years it will get mushy and supported structure by it started to lose it stiffness and put your finger into it knuckle deep. USE ONLY GORILLA GLUE..
typical roadbed is what we have been using since day 1 N Scale Sheet Cork
Why is it so difficult to find a video on YouTube that tells us beginners what the road bed is for???? Is it just for sound or what? This video is pretty much useless for a guy like me that is trying to learn about building a train layout for their young child. Ok, so we see the different types of roadbed. Well is it just for aesthetics? For sound deadening? Both? I've watched literally a hundred or so videos to learn the ropes in anticipation of building a layout for my 9yr old who loves trains. I've bought a used lot of trains and track to get started and still it seems even the "so called" beginner or "101" videos lack the basics that beginners are looking for.
I use two layers of overlapping 1/4" plywood glued and clamped together, so there's no seam that causes the trains to "dip" and "wobble" where the track crosses invisible seams in the layout that you see in so many videos. Then I use two layers of overlapping pink insulation as the ground level also clamped and glued together so there's no seam where panels meet. For the actual roadbed, I've used both traditional cork in some place, and foam in other places — both work equally well in my opinion. As he said in the video, foam is a little quieter, but heavy trains compress the foam so it loses it's sound-deadening properties and is no better than cork.
I used Homosote on my very first layout, and it was a disaster. Difficult to work with, and so incredibly heavy it made the layout sag in places even with an under-layer of plywood.
What are your thoughts about laying track directly on extruded foam?
Trains and carpet never ever mix.
California roadbed is no longer out there and I have sent several emails to this Cascade rail with no answer so I will not order from them and don't understand why no response?
jhitt79 on 1: 1 scale railroads the roadbed is used to keep the track above the ground to allow for proper drainage.
A dozen decades? Wow 120 years!