Layout Update

[clickaus]

The reason I have chosen to go with foam is price, 65cents a strip for foam or $3.45 a strip of cork. We get ripped off in Australia and to import the cork would have cost me a fortune. Saying that if there is anybody that lives in OZ that know where to get cork for a reasonable price pls pm me. I have agree about the quality of the foam. I bought a box and it does vary alot from piece to piece, some thick some thin and even I have had some with sides missing.

The subroadbed is particle board covered with a layer of 3mm mdf. I will be painting the whole surface hopefully this week. As for moisture,  the layout will hopefully live inside soon HOPEFULLY. Also I have added alot more risers than I needed to prevent any sagging.

[John]

cork is about $12-15 per case here .. do you know if your building supply sells it in sheets?

[clickaus]

cork is about $12-15 per case here .. do you know if your building supply sells it in sheets?

To be honest John I have never really check that, I will give them a ring tomorrow.
Thanks for the tip
How many strips in a case and is that the midwest brand ?

Just out of interest how much do you guys pay for your pink foam over there.
I have just started to get a few prices for it here and the average is about
$63 each for a 50mm x 600mm x 2500mm sheet and I have to buy 8 at a time
I can't even find a place that makes it, every supplier I have rang says it has to be imported

[davefoxx]

To be honest John I have never really check that, I will give them a ring tomorrow.
Thanks for the tip
How many strips in a case and is that the midwest brand ?

Midwest Products is the brand that I generally use, because it's what my LHS stocks.  There's 25 pieces in a carton.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MID%2D3019

Just out of interest how much do you guys pay for your pink foam over there.
I have just started to get a few prices for it here and the average is about
$63 each for a 50mm x 600mm x 2500mm sheet and I have to buy 8 at a time
I can't even find a place that makes it, every supplier I have rang says it has to be imported

Ouch, that's expensive!  We pay less than $14.00 per sheet for 2" x 24" x 96" sheets of foam here in the States:
http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Insulation-Sheathings/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xgyZbaxx/R-100320335/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

DFF

[wm3798]

I go to dumpsters at construction sites for foam...I live in an area where the latest thing is insulated crawl spaces, and they use 2" blue with reckless abandon.  No full sheets, but enough scraps to build all the mountains you want!  Plus less environmental impact at the land fill!

[clickaus]

Midwest Products is the brand that I generally use, because it's what my LHS stocks.  There's 25 pieces in a carton.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MID%2D3019

25 x $3.25 Aus per piece = $81.25 Aus per case converts to $72.75 US

Crazy

I go to dumpsters at construction sites for foam...I live in an area where the latest thing is insulated crawl spaces, and they use 2" blue with reckless abandon.  No full sheets, but enough scraps to build all the mountains you want!  Plus less environmental impact at the land fill!

I don't know why but no uses the foam over here. The only people using it for commercial use is the blue foam they build coolrooms out off (but they won't sell the foam in pieces).

[davefoxx]

Midwest Products is the brand that I generally use, because it's what my LHS stocks.  There's 25 pieces in a carton.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MID%2D3019

25 x $3.25 Aus per piece = $81.25 Aus per case converts to $72.75 US

Crazy

I know nothing about shipping overseas, so I'll ask this: Is it not possible to buy a carton or two of cork from a retailer in the U.S. and have it shipped to Australia?  Obviously, there's the extra charge for shipping to a foreign address, but is there also some sort of customs issue that jacks the price up if a purchase is made this way?

Dave

[conrail98]

Don't forget to look at craft stores that may sell sheets or rolls of cork. You can then use an xacto knife with maybe a straight edge or drywall T to cut the strips yourself,

Phil

[DKS]

I think your most economical alternative is to "roll your own" cork roadbed. Home improvement stores and craft stores should sell sheets or rolls. Then with a sharp knife and a steel ruler, you can cut your own strips. It's more work, but it's sweat equity versus taking out a mortgage to buy the real deal.

EDIT: Simultaneous post with Phil.

(Hope you didn't buy too much of the foam roadbed...)

[NorfolkSouthern9708]

There's a blogger post about this from a trainboard member.

http://csxdixieline.blogspot.com/search/label/Roadbed

It's there if you go down far enough.

[John]

And, I might suggest you check out FeatherRiverTrains (disclaimer - Chuck is one of our moderators and a friend of mine)

http://www.featherrivertrains.com/cgi-bin/webstore/shop.cgi?searchtext=cork&c=search.main.htm&ud=AAEOBQwBDgIEABQUEhARHQ8DBwMGCAEHBAgSEAAA&storeid=1&setSearchBox=searchtext

He ships to Oz all the time ..

[ednadolski]

Don't forget to look at craft stores that may sell sheets or rolls of cork. You can then use an xacto knife with maybe a straight edge or drywall T to cut the strips yourself

When installing cork cut from a roll, be sure to use enough glue, and lay the strips so that the curl faces downward rather than up, since the cut cork strips have a tendency to try to roll back up again.  It helps to cut your strips perpendicular to the direction of the roll, tho it might mean having to install a bunch of short strips.   If you can weight down the cork with something flat/heavy until the glue dries, that helps too.

To make the slopes for the ballast shoulders, I use a lightweight joint compound applied with a putty knife or artists palette knife. This allows me to make a slope that is more gentle than the 45-degree slope that comes on most commercial cork strips.  (A 2:1 slope for mainline track is more prototypical, but it doesn't need to be precise - just do what looks good.)  I also round over the edges of the cut cork with 120-grit sandpaper in a sanding block before applying the joint compound.  Once the compound dries, I knock off any excess with the putty knife, and apply a layer of light tan paint.

HTH,
Ed

[conrail98]

There's a blogger post about this from a trainboard member.

http://csxdixieline.blogspot.com/search/label/Roadbed

It's there if you go down far enough.

That's where I got the idea from!

Edit: Here's the actual post. Jamie's got a bunch of good How-to's on his site.

[clickaus]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys BUT

(Hope you didn't buy too much of the foam roadbed...)

Unfortunately I bought enough to finish the layout and I don't think the minister for War and Finance would approve anymore funds to change. I think I might just have to make do with the foam, probably the first mistake of many to come. It sucks to be new    sometimes

[MichaelWinicki]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys BUT

(Hope you didn't buy too much of the foam roadbed...)

Unfortunately I bought enough to finish the layout and I don't think the minister for War and Finance would approve anymore funds to change. I think I might just have to make do with the foam, probably the first mistake of many to come. It sucks to be new    sometimes

I have a few hundred feet of foam roadbed under my Atlas code 55 and haven't had any problems with it.

For curves simply tear it along the seam between the two halves.  Glue one side down then the other.   I used a white glue, but others have used foam-friendly caulk successfully also. 

For ballasting, I just use the normal method– apply the ballast down the middle, wet with 70% isopropyl alcohol then diluted white glue.

I'd use foam roadbed on my next layout without giving it a second thought.

Not only is the foam very quiet, I like the color.  It serves as a good base color under my ballast.