Picking the Best Model Railroad Roadbed for Your Layout

[@farmerdave7965]

My first layout, the Brass And Plywood Central, never used roadbed. The plywood held the track nails very nicely and I never had any trouble with my brass track on fiber ties. Now days I use code 83 nickel silver track on plastic ties and generally use cork roadbed. Homasote is great but it's labor intensive and really messy to cut since it is made of paper. You can buy it in strips at home centers sold as concrete joint material.

[@HungryGuyStories]

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.

[@RogerPerkins1939]

Another options for roadbed which I have used on an n-scale home railroad is a dense foam product called either Funky Foam or Silly Wink. It comes in 3mm and 2mm thick sheets. It is much sturdier than other foam roadbed material; it can be painted with acrylic paints. It is relatively easy to cut to give a beveled edge by using a matt knife. The sheets are nice to use in a yard or under the track on a multi-track siding area. It is also more economical than other foam options in the USA that I have evaluated.

[@markfrench8892]

Thank you for pronouncing the name Kato correctly. I use cork on foam and handlay my track ties, rail, handmade stub, switches and individual spikes.

[@tracycarifa5740]

Well it doesn’t matter how people pronounce Kato it’s just how they say it!

[@mulletover3832]

What a helpful video. Thank you

[@elleryparsons5766]

I think the the top 3 things I would use cork styafoam and flex foam.

[@OscarTaylor4536]

I do it strait to a ballast mat and use the same colour ballast to spill over the sleepers :) 👍👍👍

[@hudson8865]

Thank you.

[@charleswalsh9895]

Our railroad club layout has used homasoat for 50 years with no problems. We have O scale and HO scale layouts.

[@elieselane3235]

HOMASOTE is a brand name associated with the product generically known as cellulose based fiber wall board

[@jegas6796]

excellent and thorough.... thank you

[@geomodelrailroader]

typical roadbed is what we have been using since day 1 N Scale Sheet Cork

[@MyFingerLakesRailwayLayout]

A dozen decades? Wow 120 years!

[@matthewlastrapes8104]

road bed is great it works well

[@vrajeshshah5992]

Which scale will be preferable for indoor model rail road and which scale will be money efficient and easy to get? HO scale or small scale will be preferable?

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

Hello! The most popular scale is HO. That scale has more products available, and is an optimum size for a typical train room. Douglas Model Railroad Academy

[@Shadow0fd3ath24]

you can find seperate lots of 40-50 trains and 200 pieces of track for a totalunder $350 shipped...my titanic model was $500 so i find HO to be one heck of a cheap value to start out with, in fact im ordering a bunch of lots now to get a HUGE collection and pick and choose my favorites and move the rest on to the next guy.

[@mjtunstall1976]

nothing about trackbrite? its another foam underlay for train roadbed

[@DONALD1951]

I’m working on a small layout for my grandson.. it an O scale John Deere Lionel.. I hav a 4x8 sheet of plywood and bought a think green carpet to lay on top so it will represent grass.. any ideas are really appreciated.. I don’t know much about this at all.. should I glue or tack the green carpet to the plywood? I know foam is better but at this point I just want to get it up and running and add things as we go along.. should I buy a track bed like one of the types this nice gentleman is talking about? Thank you. Anyone

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

I think you’re doing fine to get started. I’d say to tack the carpet down so that you can pull it up later if you desire. P.S. You can buy a “grass mat” at your local hobby dealer that might be easier for you to work with than carpet. Let me know how it goes.

[@dennisbrowder6316]

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?

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

I wish I could help you there. I heard a rumor that homabed may be revived again.

[@Pikamon101]

Hi! :) I was wondering if you could give me a link to where I can buy that HO Cork Roadbed. I would sincerely appreciate it!

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

Hi, Sure, I’d say most any hobby shop, or Walthers. Douglas Model Railroad Academy

[@Pikamon101]

@@ModelRailroadAcademy Hi Douglas! What do you think about this HO Cork Roadbed? www.micromark.com/Midwest-Products-HO-Cork-Roadbed-25-Pieces?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2ey-rZ_u4QIVBr7ACh3IRgPCEAQYASABEgI7ZfD_BwE

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

Hi, Cork roadbed has been popular for decades. My only recommendation is to seal it after installation to prevent it from drying out. Your ballast glue will do the job. Douglas Model Railroad Academy

[@railcar123]

Does the Homasote going just under the track, or the whole benchwork?

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

You could use Homasote either way. It makes a good base to work from.

[@howiemann282]

What are your thoughts about laying track directly on extruded foam?

[@ModelRailroadAcademy]

You can certainly do that. Drainage ditches may be easily carved Into the foam. I like to elevate the main line on a slightly higher level however and I like matte medium for gluing it all down.

[@cdjhyoung]

Howard: you may find that the noise level from track laid directly on foam is too much for your tastes. You'll need to glue the track down, and with that much full contact area, you will hear a distinct drumming sound when the trains run. If you don't want to use a layer of cork or Woodland Scenic's foam roadbed. look to the craft storms for the hobby foam sheets they offer. These are relatively cheap, $1 for a 12 inch by 18 inch sheet, but this material works really well to stifle sound transmission. It does entail cutting your own strips of road bed.

[@geomodelrailroader]

good tips from our president Gerry Leone himself. if the president says we can use it The NMRA recommends it.

[@toadjam12000]

You forgot spline roadbed

[@bradhamrick4657]

Ho N O America Flyer Mark's Train

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

very nice layout you got there .Thumbs up for you .Hope you like mine diesel dave's

[@charlesking3456]

Urbana

[@davidbarrera308]

Trains and carpet never ever mix.

[@carltrotter7622]

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

[@williambartholomew5680]

Homasote is for ceilings not roofs. Anyhow it's not at all nice to work with and a genuinely terrible material for mobile layouts as it is awfully heavy.But on permanent flat-layouts they're great base being they absorb sound very well, however nails don't work on it, everything must be glued.... Foam roadbed is terrible, has to be glued, track has to be glued, tears easy, and compresses easy so any glued ballast will try to flake off. Cork or nothing!

[@jhitt79]

Why is it so difficult to find a video on KZbin 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.

[@andrewweldy7508]

One of the functions of the roadbed which is mentioned in this video is that it is a noise reducing material so that the unwanted vibration noise from the models running on the layout is reduced as well as it helps to create a more prototypical appearance for the track. Everyone has their own particular way of creating a layout but the use of roadbed material is pretty much standard and done by all. Simply put it is two part one for added realism and secondly it is functional. There isn't much to explain other than that regarding roadbed it is simply as the man in this video said a matter of choice on what to use. If you are just starting out and want to make something simple for your child I would suggest looking into any of the brands that market track with attached roadbed(like what was shown in video). That said it is ultimately up to you what route you want to go and how much money you are wanting to spend. Also another suggestion is if you have a model train club in your area check them out and see if they can give you some advice and suggestions. There are also plenty of online forums and websites for model railroading where you can get information. Good luck have fun and I hope this has helped you a little.

[@jhitt79]

Andrew Weldy thank you for the insight.

[@andrewweldy7508]

Your welcome I am glad to help. Also one other point which was kind of mentioned but not real well that is important is that the roadbed also helps to support the track as when building a layout you may have spots on the plywood that are uneven either due to imperfections of the wood or due to screws that have been used to fasten the pieces of wood together. There are also besides websites and forums a number of books that have been written for people who are just getting into the hobby. I recommend looking into the books written by Model Railroader they have some good information in them. They have books on track work, wiring, scenery etc.

[@mjbirdClavdivs]

Yes, the roadbed is to reduce vibration, which also reduces noise. It's also allows you to put in brads or nails without having to hammer hard enough to pierce the plywood. When we're just starting out, we make a LOT of mistakes and need to do-over (and over and over! :-) ). Having a soft roadbed makes it fairly painless to pull your fastener, adjust, and re-fasten. One thing you should know: most of the videos, books, magazines, etc. that tell you the "how-to" also "recommend" products. These products are usually excellent, and are often made specifically for the hobby. Unfortunately, this also usually means it's priced for a retired, successful hobbiest whose kids are gone and he has the dosh to indulge. So look around for cheaper alternatives. Homosote is great, and the pre-cut strips are easy to use and won't make a dusty mess of your shop, but rigid foam insulation is usually easier to cut up and is almost as good. Especially for beginners. Visit a beauty supply storefront and get emery boards in various grits; this works well for sanding boards (although scrap wood with sandpaper glued is even cheaper.) You want to balance time against money, since you want the layout up before your kid gets interested in sex. :-) Good luck!

[@crockett11000]

Master Model Railroader??? Is that a self appointed title sir? We model railroaders of over 60+ years in the hobby would love to know? Also many of us do not and will not subscribe to the NMRA or many other corupt organizations in this hobby or country. So did you have to take some kind of tests to get this BS phoney certification?.. If so, I should have a doctorate degree!