Track bed

[Steamplug]

Hi all I need to raise my track bed about half inch above I’ve my baseboard so it looks more prototypical anyone recommend any good products to get this effect.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

My thoughts would turn immediately to scrap sheet expanded polystyrene packaging which is otherwise bound for landfill. Free, and easy to cut and shape, PVA will hold on it well enough for modelling purposes.

[gismorail]

King-span type insulation board would be the best way to go. It makes a very stable base for track laying and is very ease to shape with a plaster board file type rasp.  The american modellers have been using this for some time .....Have a look at Ken Pattersons 'Whats neat in Model railroads' youtube series  

[Ron Ron Ron]

King-span type insulation board would be the best way to go.........

 

 

Ken Patterson and many US modellers use extruded foam insulation board.

Usually the Pink variety, but sometimes the Blue.

It's great stuff for modelling.

 

Kingspan, Celotex etc, is similar in composition, but the foil surface coating is far from ideal and can't easily be removed without damage, or losing some rigidity.

So not really as useful. Personally I'd avoid these.

Sadly, Pink foam is harder to obtain in the UK than in North America.

 

As for simply raising the trackbed by half an inch; how about ply strip, or layers of Woodlands Scenics trackbed?

 

 

.

[BR60103]

The blue and pink foam are different brands of the same product.

What you should avoid is the foam that is little balls stuck together.

I try to use a hot wire cutter on mine as much as possible. Other choice is a knife with a long blade. Saws and files produce a lot of rubble that gets everywhere and is a headache to pick up.

[ejstubbs]

The blue and pink foam are different brands of the same product.

What you should avoid is the foam that is little balls stuck together.

 

Or yellow?  For example: extruded (*not* expanded) foam insulation board from Jewsons.  Thinnest they do is 20mm, though, so too thick for the OP.

 

(Is it just me or does half an inch sound rather deep for a track bed - unless we're talking about a larger scale than OO, or something other than normal running lines?  I'm planning to use 3mm thick trackbed on my next layout which I'm expecting should give a fairly prototypical ballast profile.  For 7mm that would be 5-6mm, more like ¼" than ½".)

Edited August 3, 2018 by ejstubbs

[DCB]

The alternative is to cut away the baseboard where there are no tracks to allow scenery below track level.   Many miles of railway have a low embankment one side and a cutting the other as they follow a valley side, yet models often go along a flat plain before hurtling straight through the only mountain for miles....

[57xx]

 

Kingspan, Celotex etc, is similar in composition, but the foil surface coating is far from ideal and can't easily be removed without damage, or losing some rigidity.

.

 

As Ron^3 says, Kingspan/Celotex is not stable and I would not recommend it after seeing first hand how it loses rigidity after the foil is removed.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2018 by 57xx

[Steamplug]

Some great advice and certainly started me looking at other products. I’ve come across a prowarm xps pink insulation board on amazon which looks to be good for the price. Some good reviews from fellow modellers against the product too, I’m going to order some and see how it goes.

[BR60103]

One thing I did was trim the right thickness off the end of the 2" thick sheet. This needs some sort og guides for the hot wire: I used 1x2 after selecting for straightness and grain direction. But this gives you 4 or 8 feet dead straight. I used same to make gradients.