Peel-n-stick roadbed

Although track can be laid directly onto a plywood tabletop, there are a few reasons why it is best to add a layer of roadbed first.  The two main ones are noise and drainage.

Noise:

Track laid directly on a hard surface is very noisy, while a layer of soft sound-deadening material below it helps to reduce the unwanted noise (nothing will eliminate it completely) and allow the desired sounds from our sound-equipped locomotives to be heard.

Drainage:

Model railroads don’t actually need drainage in the way that the prototypes do, but our goal is to build models that are as close to the prototype as we can make them.  Thus, we need to copy the practice of raising the tracks above the surrounding terrain.  Narrow strips of material placed under the track is an easy way to achieve this, without the need to carve away the plywood below.

Over the years, many materials have been used for roadbed, some more successfully than others.  Homasote fiber board was used for many years before cork became popular.  Now, there is something better.

I’m not the first person to suggest foam rubber.  Many people have experimented with various similar materials for many years, although I might be the first to offer peel-n-stick foam strips.  Now, the quietest roadbed material is now by far the simplest to install.

My roadbed material comes in strips approximately 54” long for about the same cost as a yard of cork strip.  It is available in both 1/8” and ¼” thicknesses.  For most situations, 1/8” roadbed works well, but ¼” is great for adding a little extra height for main lines, perfectly representing prototype practice.  Just be sure to shim the transition smoothly to avoid bumps in the track.  Being far more flexible, it goes down in a single full-width strip instead of two half-width strips.  It also doesn’t require any glue, nor pins to hold it in place while the glue dries.  Simply peal off the backing, press the foam down in place, and you’re ready to lay track on it – no mess, no fuss, no waiting.  The single full-width strip does require a slightly different method of marking out track locations – an edge line rather than a center line – but this quickly becomes second-nature after marking out a few yards.

I’ve been using this product for several layouts and I cannot see myself ever switching to anything else.  If you’re not convinced, try just a few pieces.  What have you got to lose?