Markysparky4321 Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Hi, can anyone recommend a good underlay material for laying track onto, i've read about cork tiles, closed cell foam, etc.. but its spinning my head and im unsure which material is best to use. also if anyone can recommend a suitable ballast, all i can seem to find is the gaugemaster stuff, but this appears to be quite an expensive way of doing it due to me needing a bucket load of it, so any suggestions on alternative ballast or ballast suppliers. some further information about my layout that may decide the answer. its n gauge, layout is 10ft x 5ft and is located in the garage, i am using peco flexi track, i suppose there must be about 50 yards of track to lay. thank you for your answers in advance, Mark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted July 6, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 6, 2011 Others might disagree but I would use cork tiles cut to suit the trackwork myself.Ballast in 2mm is available from Green Scene in various colours that I'd mix.You don't have to do it all at once if you feel its expensive.Have a look at my layout in the gallery although OO its still the same products used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corax67 Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 My vote is for cork - better to buy a roll of 1.5mm (1/16th") cork underlay from a model shop as you can cut strips from it as well as cutting out more complex shapes as required for pointwork. Glue onto your baseboard with carpenters white wood glue and off you go. One advantage is that when you ballast the track then as the ballast falls from the cork onto the baseboard it forms a natural looking "shoulder" as per prototype. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mc Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I use those rolls of car dashboard anti-slip mats you see in Wilkinsons and Home Bargains. They come in either black or white. A roll costs £1.99 and will cover quite a lot of track. I cut it just wider than the track then pin it all in place. It really does cushion the noise. When pinned in place it is ballasted in the usual way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted July 7, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 7, 2011 There are lots of materials you can use but I suggest you try the cork first. It works well for most people. Regarding ballast again there are lots of material you can use ( even the dried contents of used tea bags) but if you experiment on the whole layout its a bit of a bu**er ripping the whole lot up if it doesn't work. Green scenes do a natty little ballaster I think, makes the job much easier. Don I had a bad experience with a Z gauge layout where the track had been laid on double sided tape and ballasted with dried tea. The problem was the track had moved slightly on the tape during ballasting losing alignment. Make sure that your track is aligned right and fixed before ballasting Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 off the top of my head balast manufacturers are: Javis, woodland scenics green scene gaugemaster expo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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