Two modular baseboard questions

[Rob K]

Hi 

My SMS modular baseboards arrived today and I did a quick dry fit. File under successes !

Now I have two dilemmas

- do I cover them in cork ?

- do I leave the sides and back off for easier track laying and electrics work ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my first time back for 30 odd years

[AndrueC]

Sides and back add rigidity so I wouldn't leave them off.

 

I think if you're going to use cork just cut it shaped to your track with a bit of extra width for a shoulder. On my first layout I just put the track down on the board and dribbled diluted PVA along the middle. That held it well enough and is easy to loosen if you need to rearrange the track. Then I ballasted it using diluted PVA again. Worked just fine albeit a little bit noisy.

 

For my current layout I've used Gaugemaster foam underlay. That produces much quieter running (so much so that my bubble car's whiney motor is too loud, lol). It's now my preferred technique but £25 for 5 metres is not cheap.

Edited January 17, 2023 by AndrueC

[ISW]

6 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

For my current layout I've used Gaugemaster foam underlay. [snip]. It's now my preferred technique but £25 for 5 metres is not cheap.

You can get basically the same stuff in rolls of 10m2 for ~£40 (mine was about £35 a few years back) from Homebase (other reputable DIY stores are available).

 

I worked perfectly well on my layout.

 

Ian

[DCMarvel]

Cork is highly over rated and old hat. It's used like mod roc for landscaping because it always has been 'the way to do it', but there is much better cheaper ways to achieve the same thing. It does nothing to damp noise, it's expensive, it's wasteful and it's hard work all just to achieve a 'shoulder' in the ballast.

Have a look at Tracklay self adhesive foam if you like spending a lot but want speed and less mess. Or as already posted look at B&Q.

[Harlequin]

41 minutes ago, ISW said:

You can get basically the same stuff in rolls of 10m2 for ~£40 (mine was about £35 a few years back) from Homebase (other reputable DIY stores are available).

 

I worked perfectly well on my layout.

 

Ian

 

Hi Ian,

 

How do you fix the track to the underlay? Is it rigid enough to hold a curve in flexitrack tightly so that kinks don't appear at joints?

 

[ISW]

43 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

 

Hi Ian,

 

How do you fix the track to the underlay? Is it rigid enough to hold a curve in flexitrack tightly so that kinks don't appear at joints?

 

Phil,

 

I just use neat PVA to glue the track to the underlay. Any kinks are simply a result of my poor tracklaying skills, and tend to appear at fishplated joints. The only ways I know to overcome this are:

1. Stagger the fishplated joints by ~15mm or so.
2. Pre-bend the ends of the rails at the joint before installing fishplates.
3. Be 'really' careful with the alignment at the fishplated joint during tracklaying, and ensure there are plenty of temporary fixings (pins, nails, etc into the baseboard) to retain the alignment while the glue dries. This does work, as my 'later' tracklaying was much improved compared to the first ones!

Ian

 

[AndrueC]

1 hour ago, ISW said:

You can get basically the same stuff in rolls of 10m2 for ~£40 (mine was about £35 a few years back) from Homebase (other reputable DIY stores are available).

 

I worked perfectly well on my layout.

 

Ian

The Gaugemaster stuff has slots cut in for sleepers and looks like ballast though.

 

The slots mean it holds the track well on curves and of course needs no further work if you're happy with the colour of the ballast.

Edited January 17, 2023 by AndrueC

[jollysmart]

3 hours ago, Rob K said:

Hi 

My SMS modular baseboards arrived today and I did a quick dry fit. File under successes !

Now I have two dilemmas

- do I cover them in cork ?

- do I leave the sides and back off for easier track laying and electrics work ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my first time back for 30 odd years

 

I've found that with the SMS boards to aid rigidity I have fitted a supporting length of timber for the full length of the boards under the edges where the surface extends over the sides. I used a timber slightly deeper than the sides and slightly wider than the overhang and glued it to the sides, it takes the strain off the bolted joints between the boards to prevent bowing.

[Rob K]

43 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

The Gaugemaster stuff has slots cut in for sleepers and looks like ballast though.

 

The slots mean it holds the track well on curves and of course needs no further work if you're happy with the colour of the ballast.

Thanks. It is going to be 009 with Peco track so I’m happy to go down ballasting , weathering etc ( but will be asking some questions about this )

[AndrueC]

16 minutes ago, Rob K said:

Thanks. It is going to be 009 with Peco track so I’m happy to go down ballasting , weathering etc ( but will be asking some questions about this )

If it was 009 or OO I'd go with ballasting as well - though probably would research something other than PVA for it because it sets solid which transmits sound straight into the baseboard and hence the noise.

 

But I model in N and in my experience correct sized ballast is just too fiddly. Even if you carefully spray it with wet water first you can't stop at least some of it floating around when the glue is applied. The result has an nasty 'maggoty' look about it until you've taken the time to clean it up with a knife.

 

The process of laying the ballast I found to be quite relaxing. I could just zone out and do a metre or two in one go. But finishing it off was annoying.

[RobinofLoxley]

There are a variety of materials that are thin, durable, and noise reducing due to having foam properties. Examples include neoprene foams which are available in rolls and sheets, or Vitrex, or a similar but 2mm product I got from Globe Packaging (no relation). I have never been able to understand the attraction of cork in an era where more useful materials are available. It is however, not plastic.

[Rob K]

On 17/01/2023 at 15:56, AndrueC said:

Sides and back add rigidity so I wouldn't leave them off.

 

I think if you're going to use cork just cut it shaped to your track with a bit of extra width for a shoulder. On my first layout I just put the track down on the board and dribbled diluted PVA along the middle. That held it well enough and is easy to loosen if you need to rearrange the track. Then I ballasted it using diluted PVA again. Worked just fine albeit a little bit noisy.

 

For my current layout I've used Gaugemaster foam underlay. That produces much quieter running (so much so that my bubble car's whiney motor is too loud, lol). It's now my preferred technique but £25 for 5 metres is not cheap.

i have not decided where the track will be yet...so an overall covering quite appeals. Might still try cork

I built the three modular boards today and gave them a primer coat on the inside ( white)

Also cleared the shelving where thay are going to be situated...they fitted !

[Nick C]

I've just started a layout with three SMS boards as well. I've covered the base in 2mm cork, mostly because I already had it...

 

As mine aren't going to need to come apart for storage, I glued a length of stripwood along the top-rear of the backscene, to give it more rigidity. I've also screwed a length of Aluminium angle along the bottom of the back, as where it lives the middle is unsupported, and I didn't want it bowing - the angle rests on solid supports both ends and effectively acts as a shelf itself.

[Rob K]

Thanks for the advice given so far.

I now have three smart baseboards, second coat of paint tomorrow. 
I may put a bit of strengthening wood at the back.

I now need to decide what to do with them. 
I will ask the question in another thread, hopefully I will get more good advice.