Track underlay

[cruiseaholic]

Has anyone experience of using wooden floor green underlay 5mm thick sheets for track support and noise deadening.

 

I am currently building a new N gauge layout 2.4M by 0.7M and the baseboard is 6mm MDF.

 

Regards

 

Chris

[RAF96]

Chris,

I used it on a previous layout, on top of an MDF baseboard.

Its not strong enough to act as a baseboard without serious suuort.

First you have to choose which side to have up. Mine had one side just like the back of regular hardboard and the other side more undulating, which I thought was better as a scenic base.

Sound deadening was good and the track easy to lay onto it using regular track pins.

Problems - when ballasting it soaks up diluted PVA like a sponge and can warp effecting track flatness. I had initially screwed the underlay down but wished I had no-nails-ed it instead.

After the track ballast was set then the noise deadening became ineffective as usual.

My new layout has the track pinned direct to the plywood baseboard and I put up with the noise.

Rob

[lmsforever]

Chris,

I used it on a previous layout, on top of an MDF baseboard.

Its not strong enough to act as a baseboard without serious suuort.

First you have to choose which side to have up. Mine had one side just like the back of regular hardboard and the other side more undulating, which I thought was better as a scenic base.

Sound deadening was good and the track easy to lay onto it using regular track pins.

Problems - when ballasting it soaks up diluted PVA like a sponge and can warp effecting track flatness. I had initially screwed the underlay down but wished I had no-nails-ed it instead.

After the track ballast was set then the noise deadening became ineffective as usual.

My new layout has the track pinned direct to the plywood baseboard and I put up with the noise.

Rob

 

cork is best for track underlay buy it in sheets its very econimical and deadons sound very well,stick it down with PVA diluted with water leave 24hrs and its ready for track laying.

chris.

[Donw]

If you are worried about noise use cork or foam and set the ballast with copydex or similar PVA set too hard.

Don

[steve22]

Hi Chris,

 

I'm using it presently on a layout I'm constructing in the shed. Boards are 2" x 1" and surface is 4mm ply. I came across 3mm thick underlay sheets (17 in a pack for approx £25 in Focus) and recognised it as Depron. This sheeting was smooth both sides, not the type that Rob mentions which I've also seen. I decided this was a lifetime's supply for use as model buildings, but then thought I'd also try it as underlay, a sort of suck it and see approach. The layout isn't operational yet but the sheetings have been shaped and been under some of the track for a while, including the very damp winter months. They're not fixed down as yet, but still seem OK, even when one sheet got quite wet due to a leaky roof I didn't realise I had! No warping at all, the water just remained on the surface, not soaking through.

Yes, it does deaden sound, though I can only go by other people's experience that it will be less effective in aiding quiet running once ballasted. I've recently fixed one point down on a piece cut to just over the size of the point, again just to try it. I used PVA neat, and scattered some ballast over the point at the same time. The result was quite pleasing for a first effort. I'll try with Copydex next time as a further experiment.

Just to add, I also had a go at making a short platform with the sheeting. I scribed the platform paving and stone edges. I glued it together with small dabs of Deluxe Materials Foam to Foam. I was very impressed even if my scribing was a bit overscale.

Steve.