Polystyrene packaging materials

[Steve Taylor]

Due to the miracles of modern flat pack furniture I have a quantity of polystyrene packaging in block and sheet forms. Now I've seen it used to form the basis of landscaping, but after reading one of Mr Rice's tomes, I got to wondering if the 5mm thick sheets would be useable as underlay for sound deadening and cheapness and dare i say it..... eco purposes...., well I'm not chucking it in landfill then. Has anyone else gone down this path and how did you get on?

['CHARD]

As followers of my layout on the previous version of RMWeb will attest, I started the 2009 realignment using polystyrene as underlay. However, for all manner of reasons, I ditched it eventually in favour of a conventional cork substrate.

 

When trimming, it had a tendency to tear, the individual grains got everywhere, and it was a divil to get ballast to adhere to using the PVA/ washing-up liquid method - mainly because of its lack of absorbency. It also glared at me like a fresh snowfall as a reminder that I hate ballasting with a passion.

 

However, in every other scenic application for generating relief I can't recommend it highly enough, providing you cut it away from the modelling area, preferably outside if you can.

[Steve Taylor]

Cheers Chard for pointing that out. I wonder if it was used as a base with the track being constructed on templates and stuck down with the template along too with something like carpet tape if it might work? Seems a shame to bin it. I guess, I'm now hoist by my own petard or some such nonsense and will be trying to construct the photo diorama this way.

 

Cheers

Steve

[multiprinter]

The only absolute DO NOT with expanded polystyrene is to have it in contact with electric wires, including low voltage, as there can be a chemical reaction which 'melts' the insulation.

[HLT 0109]

Hi Steve,

 

I had the same sort of abundance of polystyrene when I started my layout and have used it extensively for scenery. I have also ussed it as the support for my two, short, elevated sidings and had no trouble with ballasting in the time-honoured manner. I would not however use it as normal underlay because it is almost impossible to make level strips as thin as 3mm and, in my opinion, it is too soft and easily dented. Do you not think 5mm is a bit thick?. For whatever purpose it is used, I always cover it in plaster bandage which sticks well to it, the bandage takes paint and PVA well, and it gives the polystyrene a more durable surface.

 

Harold.

[Donw]

I had a pile of it 1/2inch thick and some peco 0 gauge points and track started puting a quickie together. Using it as a base for the track typically the quickie never got completed but the baseboards and track have survived being stored set up put away again we moved again they were in store and have been set up again still seems ok. I glued the stuff down onto 6mm ply I pinned the track down through the polystyrene. The thing is the 0 gauge track is quite substantial . I would imagine set track would be a goer If you use flexitrack try to curve the rails with your fingers as it may not resist trying to re-straighten. There is a couple of pictures in my thread 'one modeller three layouts' in layout topics

Don

[Dave777]

The only absolute DO NOT with expanded polystyrene is to have it in contact with electric wires, including low voltage, as there can be a chemical reaction which 'melts' the insulation.

 

I think this was discussed some time ago on here with conflicting answers (although a search didn't cough it up when I tried), so that might not be the whole story. I can't remember the specifics though.