New benchtop material


T

traingeek344

Member
I'm planning to build benchwork for a new HO layout. I'm planning to use 1/2" plywood on a 1x4 frame on 16" centers. I've read several articles where some suggest using 1/2" homasote and some recommend using foam board. I have been told that track must be glued down making later modifications difficult. The homasote will hold track nails which can be easily removed. What would you suggest?
 
Oh no.....don't glue down your track. Atleast not with actual glue anyways. I learned this the hard way on my last layout. At least choose a product that is easier to work with. I've heard and seen the use of caulk. I haven't tried that approach. Think the trick is to keep it really thin. I use nails for my track and staples for my roadbed.

Justin
 
I've used both caulk, and white Elmer's glue. as Justin stated with the caulk is to use a thin bead, and spread it out, but use sparingly. if you want to take it up, run a thin putty knife under it and peel it up. Same with white glue, just use a water soluble glue. If you want to take it up than mist it with water to soften the glue. I found both ways worked just as well.
 
if you're planning on using nails, I highly recommend the homasote. The nails will not only hold, but they can actually be put in (vs. the 1/2" ply which will bend every other nail you try to drive).
 
KB02 said:
if you're planning on using nails, I highly recommend the homasote. The nails will not only hold, but they can actually be put in (vs. the 1/2" ply which will bend every other nail you try to drive).
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All to right! I'm pretty sure I've lost more than I've used. Even with drilling pilot holes.

Justin
 
My bench work is 1x4's 16" on center. I used a product called Homabed which is a roadbed material made from Homasote to about the same contours as cork roadbed. I love it. My track is a combination of either hand laid track or Shinohara flex track and turnouts. The half inch plywood gives a lot of strength and the homabed is so easy to spike into and the spikes hold extremely well. The company that makes this product has changed hands a number of times since I started my layout, but being that it is such a good product, it is still being made.

homabed%201%20001[1].jpg


If you are interested, here's a link to the Homabed. https://cascaderailsupply.com/collections/ho-scale-30-degree-beveled-roadbed

Parts of my layout have been in place for over 30 years and I have had no probems at all with the homasote at all. It easily accepts ballast and is extremely easy to work with.
 
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Kevin - Actually, I used Elmers glue for the Homabed. Tacked the strips in a few places to keep curves consistant and stright pieces straight.
 
I also use Elmers (well, actually, Titebond) to attach the Homasote to the plywood. I use "adhesive latex caulk" to attach the track to the Homasote. I use pushpins to hold the track in place until the caulk sets. Then ballast with thinned matte medium or white glue, whichever I have on hand.
 
I actually spiked all of the track to the roadbed. I had a Kadee spike gun when I started the layout, but unfortunately, it died for about the sixth time and was beyond repair. That's when I started using the Shinohara track and turnouts. The Shinohara flex track and turnouts all have tiny holes pre drilled for spikes and track laying moved right along. I had tried some Micro Engineering code 70 flex track, but even though it really looks great, I found it a lot harder to work with. The Shinohara flex track easily let one rail slide through the cast on spikes making curves extremely easy to keep smooth but the ME track both rails were firmly into the ties and keeping a smooth curve was difficult. Ended up using the ME track in straight sections in a yard. Also, the ties has to be drilled in order to spike them down.
 
I used 1/2 inch plywood Sub Road Bed and Cork Road Bed. All my track is held in place with track nails. I never glued a single piece of track to anything. Yes, I did use pilot holes maybe a 1/4th inch deep and bent very few nails. Finally when the track was ballasted and the ballast glued down, the track became glued in place. I did use Homasote for yards and again, I used nails to hold in place until ballasted and glued in place.
 
Homabed is really easy to make, too, if you have a table saw and a well ventilated area. With a standard blade, figure about 1/4 of your bulk product is going up in dust.
 
1/2" ply on your 1 X 4 frame with 16" centers for the cross members is fine. I used that (or similar) for my HO and added 1" extruded foam board on top of it for scenery and to allow some "depth" to be created.

As for how to apply road bed (cork or foam) and your track well I use Hard as Nails "Project" caulk. As has been said though, apply a line of the caulk (or any water based caulk) along the center of the road bed and track then spread it out across the width of both. You'd then need to "clamp" both things until the caulk has cured. Curing for me has only taken a half hour give or take. If you use a water based caulk and need to remove (for example) the track it is only a matter of wetting the area down and use a paint scraper or dry wall compound applicator to lift the track up, something I have had to do a few times with my layouts.

Using "track nails" has its own issues, namely (over time) the nails tend to "lift" and will then catch on the trucks/axles of your engines and rolling stock. No need to go into the issue that will cause I don't think. The other issue with them is what they are being "nailed into". They will go into homosote and foam easily BUT the afore mentioned issue will occur quicker and more often. Trying to hammer them into ply is a "hit and miss" experience. Some will go in okay BUT others will bend and not go in flush causing potential problems. Track Nails are not all that strong, so bending them is not a difficult thing to do no matter what you use to "try to put them in". Once again, the issues with track nails is from experience.

If I were you, I'd go with the water based or acrylic caulk - quick, easy, strong and reliable.
 
wombat457 said:
Using "track nails" has its own issues, namely (over time) the nails tend to "lift" and will then catch on the trucks/axles of your engines and rolling stock. No need to go into the issue that will cause I don't think. The other issue with them is what they are being "nailed into". They will go into homosote and foam easily BUT the afore mentioned issue will occur quicker and more often. Trying to hammer them into ply is a "hit and miss" experience. Some will go in okay BUT others will bend and not go in flush causing potential problems. Track Nails are not all that strong, so bending them is not a difficult thing to do no matter what you use to "try to put them in". Once again, the issues with track nails is from experience.

If I were you, I'd go with the water based or acrylic caulk - quick, easy, strong and reliable.
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From my experience: I never had a single track nail lift out of the plywood/Cork road bed, of the 500+ nails I used to hold my track in place! Not using foam under the road bed probably helped in this matter as there isn't much holding "TOOTH" to foam. I liked the fact that I could run trains and determine if where the track was laid was where I wanted it permanently and if not, pull the nails and move, however needed. The secret: Don't drill the pilot holes for the nails as deep; or, deeper than the nail length. I used masking tape on the drill bit as a depth marker. The last 1/8th inch; or, so the nail must be driven in by the tip of your needle nose, into the plywood. The Homasote holds nails wonderfully and needs no pilot holes.

I understand that there are many different ways of building a model railroad and we all use a system that we have become comfortable with. When I started my layout back in 1988, a book I paid particular attention to was: Building a Model Railroad with Personality By John Olson. In essence I laid track the way John Olson did. This method seems to have been obsoleted by newer methods. That's O.K. with me; however, were I to start over again, I would use this method, as I am comfortable with it!
 
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