Attaching Roadbed track to foam core.. Type of adhesive?

[mmagliaro]

Glad to hear about gluing directly to the foam.

My thought was to use a trim router to make the roadbed shoulder cutout.



Then the ballast shoulder would be developed using sculptmold or paver sand.

The router doesn't produce that much mess, the particles aren't statically charged.

Harbor Freight has a $30 cheapo.

Harold

If I were laying track that was supposed to depict any significant height to the roadbed (like a mainline), I would have still used cork roadbed.  It would be a lot less work than routing and shaping everything.   But if you glue the roadbed to the foam and then glue the track to the roadbed, the gray adhesive color would still give you that base gray layer to hide any areas where the ballast isn't perfect.  This was really handy under turnouts, where I try to keep a thin ballast layer to avoid fouling the throwbar.

[hminky]

If I were laying track that was supposed to depict any significant height to the roadbed (like a mainline), I would have still used cork roadbed.  It would be a lot less work than routing and shaping everything.   But if you glue the roadbed to the foam and then glue the track to the roadbed, the gray adhesive color would still give you that base gray layer to hide any areas where the ballast isn't perfect.  This was really handy under turnouts, where I try to keep a thin ballast layer to avoid fouling the throwbar.

The routing was originally to develop a better roadbed profile.



The cork layed on foam doesn't do the sub-roadbed of real railroads even if it is a narrow gauge venture.

Harold

[JoeD]

I have used Aleene's Tacky Glue...amazing stuff.  water based and really grabs stuff...stays a bit pliable so shocks won't release the bond. https://www.dickblick.com/products/aleenes-original-tacky-glue/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=23884-1004&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqqS3-bDE5AIVD9vACh25sQY2EAQYASABEgJAFvD_BwE     Great on wood kits or applying any sort of cover or surface on plastic kits.

Joe

[Steveruger45]

This is all good info on sticking track down.  However, the original post was specific to track with a built in roadbed vis-a-vis unitrack and eztrack.

[mmagliaro]

This is all good info on sticking track down.  However, the original post was specific to track with a built in roadbed vis-a-vis unitrack and eztrack.

Fair point, although I assumed that gluing track or roadbed down to foam board would be no different.
For years, I had a sheet of 3/4" thick foam board that I glued an oval of Kato Unitrack to, so I could have some code 80 track for testing engine repairs.  I used the same DAP adhesive that I used on my layout, and it worked well. 

[NorsemanJack]

I have used Aleene's Tacky Glue...amazing stuff.  water based and really grabs stuff...stays a bit pliable so shocks won't release the bond. https://www.dickblick.com/products/aleenes-original-tacky-glue/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=23884-1004&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqqS3-bDE5AIVD9vACh25sQY2EAQYASABEgJAFvD_BwE     Great on wood kits or applying any sort of cover or surface on plastic kits.

Joe

^^^ this.  Aileen's tacky glue is similar to Elmer's white glue with one major advantage; it is flexible when cured.  Otherwise it has the same advantages of being water soluble, which is great when you decide to pull up that Unitrack and resuse it.  The softer consistency will also help with sound insulation.

[mcjaco]

Loctite is a brand name encompassing probably more than 2 dozen adhesives.     Loctite what?

He's referring to David's post. 

Read....

[DKS]

As for Loctite Power Grab, you only need a dab at or near each track joint, with no worries that water, alcohol, or other ballast/scenery work will loosen the track. If you need to remove the track, a packing knife slipped under the track near the bonds will make short work of the task. And it's an almost instantaneous bond, which means you don't have to wait for water-based adhesives (such as Elmer's or Aileen's) to set.

[peteski]

He's referring to David's post. 

Read....

Sorry to annoy you, but I guess my mind doesn't twork like that. 

Bryan's post didn't quote anything.  Just stated "Loctite"- period, and DKS' post was not immediately preceding it (but 2 posts up).   What can I say - you are intelligent enough to connect those separate posts - I guess I'm not.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

^^^ this.  Aileen's tacky glue is similar to Elmer's white glue with one major advantage; it is flexible when cured.  Otherwise it has the same advantages of being water soluble, which is great when you decide to pull up that Unitrack and resuse it.  The softer consistency will also help with sound insulation.

On my latest TTRAK stuff I used a bead of it along the outside of the roadbed to secure the track.
It works for me because it all gets covered up.

[NorsemanJack]

As for Loctite Power Grab, you only need a dab at or near each track joint, with no worries that water, alcohol, or other ballast/scenery work will loosen the track. If you need to remove the track, a packing knife slipped under the track near the bonds will make short work of the task. And it's an almost instantaneous bond, which means you don't have to wait for water-based adhesives (such as Elmer's or Aileen's) to set.

A non-instantaneous bond is an advantage, not a disadvantage.   

[CRL]

A non-instantaneous bond is an advantage, not a disadvantage.   

Agree with this... let’s you adjust and then pin the adjustment in place while the adhesive sets.

[DKS]

Well, to be fair, I didn't word my post correctly. Power Grab doesn't bond like Crazy Glue; it's just very aggressively tacky. It will hold an object in place almost immediately, but you can still make adjustments until it finally sets. The point is you don't need weights or other means to hold things until glue sets. But we all have our preferences. I like it because it makes short work of tracklaying, with enough flexibility to get things right, yet allowing me to move on to the next thing almost immediately. That said, I only use it for roadbed track; to attach regular track to foam insulation, I still prefer double-sided foam tape.