I am building a new layout that has the track profile cut out from a plywood sheet. Is there any advantage to using a layer of Homasote between the track and the plywood support? I wonder if the Homasote will add some sound deadening quality better than track laid directly on the plywood. In either case I plan to contour the edges to simulate the roadbed.
I’ve never used it on N scale, but I have used it on my very noisy O-scale. Although it did help a little with my Lionel, I wasn’t very impressed so I decided not use it on my N-scale. It was mainly because of the weight and difficulty in forming it. Foam is so much cleaner and very easy to form with a hot knife.
The best use for Homasote is as a spline roadbed where it is the only material between the track and the risers. A Homasote spline gives the best sound dampening of the inexpensive choices. Plywood is like a sounding board in a piano, and laminating Homasote, cork, or foam to plywood will dampen sound slightly, but the result will still be noisy as Johnny said.
I have used Homosote in N scale. The first time I used it I really fell in love with it. As time has gone by and I have continued to use it. I have discovered some of its faults and advantages. I think the biggest advantage is that when pinning the track down with a spike it stays exactly where you put it. Other materials like cork and particularly plywood. The spike will want to travel the path of least resistance thus causing the track to move slightly from the position you may have intended for it to be. The sound absorbtion is helpful but seems to go away once you add the ballast. Its ability to be shapped is possible but not easy. Sanding it to give it a nice prtotype look can be very messy and problematic. You need to be patient and willing to cleanup a mess.
I appreciate hearing everyone's perspective. I hadn't thought of using just Homasote for the track support. Is it rigid enough? It's not too late for me to skip the plywood and just use the Homasote. I like that it can be formed for the roadbed whereas the plywood I have picked out will need another layer of something between the track and plywood to form the roadbed. Sound absorption is a plus. I built two layouts using pink foam and they worked out okay. At one time I used acetone for track cleaning and now I have several melted spots in the foam. When I noticed it melting the plastic ties I stopped using it. On the other hand I have seen thin foam sheets that might work laminated to the plywood; the plywood supplying the strength and the foam a formable roadbed. I like the easy sculpting aspect, but would also like to get some sound absorption if possible. I will need to think on this some more. I also need to find out where I can get Homasote.
If you have any variance at all with humidity, avoid the stuff like the plague. It expands and contracts differently than plywood, or track, or anything else. If you've fully humidity controlled I don't think it would be so bad. It's worse than Masonite. It used to be 'standard' to used the stuff in HO layout construction. Maybe it was useful in the dark days of noisy N mechanisms, but unless you've got a gear-grindin' old Bachmann or Rapido GP out there it would be hard to justify all the extra work.
Well, that didn't take long. I have decided to try Homasote. Humidity won't be a problem because I have a nice bedroom for the layout. I chose Homasote for it's sound absorption qualities, sculptability, and because it provides a simple one step solution. Even though I have two sheets of plywood on hand I knew I would need something else to go with it. A thin foam board would have done the trick but would have required more work. Now I get to see how my choice plays.
I built my first layout with Homasote (in an uninsulated garage, but not in a humid climate), and I had no complaints with it. According to the old Lynn Wescott book on benchwork I had back in those days, people at first thought the stuff needed to be supported with plywood underneath, then discovered that the plywood often ended up sagging more than the Homasote. I built my layout with no plywood. Worked fine in my case.
Thanks, Ben. I am glad to hear another example of naked homasote for the track support. I discovered another plus for homasote. This morning I was marking the track placement from a 1:1 scale drawing. I used a sharpened awl to mark the limits of turnouts, tangents, curves and spirals. I pierced paper and homasote to a depth of about 1/8". Then I marked the track center line with the awl by piercing the paper and homasote to about 1/16". Finally I marked the field side of the ties with a tracing wheel. The piercings show up very well. When I remove the drawing the homasote needs to clearly shows the track alignment. Maybe someday there will be a way to print the drawing right on the homasote.
I have to agree with Randy. I have my first experience working with Homosote on an HO layout I am helping with. The benchwork was originally used for an O scale table top style layout so when he scrapped the O scale and expanded the table for a larger HO layout, more homosote was used. This has homosote 4x8 sheets screwed and glued to 3/4" plywood so you would think it would be stable. The benchwork is strong enough that I don't think twice about walking around on top of the layout. The layout is in the finished basement of a 4 year old million dollar home with state of the art climate control and even a back up generator. With all this climate control, the homosote will shink and grow a 1/4" between two 4x8 section placed end to end. I have had to make sure there was additional scenery wherever there was a joint in the Homosote. Using it as a roadbed only, this might not be such a big deal but seeing how unstable this stuff is, I would never use it on my own layout. I agree it is easy to spike track into but I don't use track spikes on anything anymore so that's not a big selling point. It is a P.I.T.A. to drill through when running wires. It clogs drill bits and always mushrooms the top edge of the hole making it hard to place buildings back down.
If Homasote shrinks 1/4" between sheets, that would be 1/8" per sheet. I plan to glue the track to the Homasote. I will be finding out how the track and Homasote play together. I plan to seal the Homasote, except for the edges, with paint, and glue the track with a thin coat of Aleene's Tack Glue; a thick type of water soluble white glue. I am thinking that if I ever need to take up the track I can wet the area to soften the glue to make removing the track easier. On my second layout I ballasted the track using gelatin. I mixed dry gelatin with the ballast granules and spread the mixture over the roadbed. Then I sprayed the roadbed with a water/alcohol/soap mixture. The ballast dried rock hard. I have tried to find a powder glue to substitute for the gelatin because I am not sure how the gelatin will hold up over time. The layout is about 3 years old and so far the gelatin has worked well. Given folk's mixed experience with Homasote I can see that I am incurring some risk using non-standard techniques. My base frame is made from metal framing rivet together. That part, I am quite sure, will endure.
Here is a link to some pictures of my new layout and both legacy layouts: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cr-users/photos/album/1929056563/pic/list
aaarrrggghhh! I see the link only works for group members. :thumbs_down: I like posting photos at the group because their software automatically resizes the images, vs having to manually resize each image.
The Homasote Road This weekend I finished installing and trimming the track risers, and laying the Homasote roadbed in place. Overall the roadbed aligned well with the risers with only minor adjustments. After I verify that the grade and elevation, I will glue the Homasote to the risers and seal the Homasote with paint. I plan to attach the track with white glue.
Your choice in using a metal frame to secure your risers to, along with gluing the homasote to the risers should minimize any expansion / contraction issues. I think you will be very pleased with this construction method. BTW nice job on cutting out the homasote! Jerry
Have used homosote on my HOn3 layout. This was laid on ½" plywood cut to 2" wide for all track except the yards. Have had no problems with uneven expansion. This layout is built in an unheated garage in western Sydney where the temperature varies from +104 to -1 each year. Homosote does hold track spikes very well. Forget about any sound deading properties. When you add ballast and secure it with dilute white glue the track is then bonded rigidly to the plywood with the dried glue. My HOn3 is not noisy. As soon as you get two or three guys the conversation kills any running noise. Gary
Just keep in mind some of us are allergic to homasote. Not that it's likely I will be able to visit your layout. I'm sure there are others out there with the same affliction and I'm not alone. You will like the way your layout turns out.
Homasote I am on about my 8th layout now, and this one is probably my last permanent one. On prior layouts I used plywood risers, cork roadbed and flextrak with some degree of success. Now my layout is in my living room, climate controlled 24/7, and I started with 1x2 under-braces, 3/8" plywood, and homasote, then Unitrak. Until I purchased all of my Unitrak, I erected a temporary cork/flextrak loop to satisfy the needs to run trains. Talk about quiet....... Now I run Kato Unitrak 100% and it is still quieter than my old layouts without homasote. Homasote is hard to find down here, but luckily there is a family run hardware and lumber in Deerfield that stocks plenty of it. I find it is rigid to maintain level integrity, easily tacked and glued to keep the track in place, and easy to scenic over. I swear by the stuff, but I am "old school" I guess. I see you are using homasote and wish you all the luck I have had with this on my layout. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
Thanks, folks, for your feedback. So far I am pleased with the Homasote track base. I have built layouts on plywood and pink foam with mixed results such that neither medium appealed to me for a repeat performance. Rick, thanks for the heads up regarding Homasote allergies. Before gluing the Homasote to the risers I am adding the roadbed contour. What a mess of dust! I estimate I will spend about a week doing this task and will be glad when it is done. Nancy Jean
I finished contouring the roadbed last weekend. I used a variety of tools: skil saw, air grinder with a cutoff disk, and a 1/2" belt sander. Yes and yes to being patient and willing to clean up a mess! I like the results. This weekend I sealed the back side of the Homasote with brown latex paint. I believe I am ready to start gluing the Homasote to the risers. At each attachment I measure the rise with a digital micrometer and verify the grade with a digital angle gauge. Every layout I built before this one suffered from irregular grades; I am taking no chances with this one! The angle gauge can verify that the roadbed cross level is parallel with the table and has the correct grade.
