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Offline 5HorizonsRR  
#1 Posted : 02 April 2020 02:01:03(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has experience with cork roadbed and c track- particularly if screwed through the cork into plywood? I’m curious if it properly muffles sounds, or if resonation from the plywood/screw offsets any genuine sound savings?

I’d normally glue track to the cork and be happy, but it’s not really an option for my modular project.

Thanks in advance for your learnings!
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Offline kimballthurlow  
#2 Posted : 02 April 2020 02:41:11(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,655
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Hi John,
Good to talk to you again.

The screws transmit any noise really effectively, regardless of what lies underneath the C track profile.
I laid my whole layout without fixing anything, and I get no noise apart from the clickety-clack.

Because yours is modular, I would use a minimal number of screws, maybe at each end of a module.
And I would not screw them tight, just enough to hold the track ends.
Connected C tracks hold their integrity faithfully I find.

Kimball
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
Offline 5HorizonsRR  
#3 Posted : 02 April 2020 04:08:35(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Thanks for confirming! I may have a go at your suggestion- just use the bare minimum of screws... Or get creative with an adhesive...
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Offline Chook  
#4 Posted : 02 April 2020 05:43:04(UTC)
Chook

Australia   
Joined: 15/08/2012(UTC)
Posts: 234
Location: Perth, Western Australia.
Would it be possible for you to use screws but screw them into embedded rubber within the wooden base. Something like rubber grommets glued into the wood?

Regards........Chook.
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Offline JohnjeanB  
#5 Posted : 02 April 2020 12:06:38(UTC)
JohnjeanB

France   
Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC)
Posts: 3,084
Location: Paris, France
Hi

IMO, adding a roadbed under C track makes it even higher and more difficult to melt into the landscape.
Adding ballast to C track makes it much nicer, damps the noise and attach it to the base plate. Don't forget to use the vacuum cleaner when finishend to avoid having ballast into gears.
Before installing tracks, painting the rails with a rust color (I use inexpensive water color) adds realism and is much easier than doing it "in situ".
Cheers
Jean
Offline 5HorizonsRR  
#6 Posted : 02 April 2020 17:41:19(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Thanks Jean, a great suggestion but this isn't for anything permanent- just a mat on plywood to test trains :) I also like the cork sheet because anything falling off the track has less change of scratching in the process...

Chook- interesting point

I ordered a sheet, and will use it regardless. My experiment will be attaching the track. I may entertain just a few screws, but then hot glue gun at points in between, trimming away the excess. A little extra (and not permanant!) adhesive.. But I still have more thinking to do
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Offline JohnjeanB  
#7 Posted : 02 April 2020 17:56:22(UTC)
JohnjeanB

France   
Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC)
Posts: 3,084
Location: Paris, France
Hi
The easiest way to avoid scratches on a test train system is to use a grass landscape sheet
Cheers
Jean
Offline Janne75  
#8 Posted : 02 April 2020 18:54:10(UTC)
Janne75

Finland   
Joined: 23/03/2012(UTC)
Posts: 2,550
Location: Finland
Hi

I use cork sheet under my whole upper level of the layout. Not only under all C-tracks but also under everything else. Cork is not so expensive and my layout is not that large so I decided to do like this. This way it does not have any rising effect of C-track roadbed. In my opinion it is a quite nice way to have some kind of sand/small stones looking ”landscape” very easily even for your modular layout. It looks better than plain plywood anyway.

Regards,
Janne
Märklin H0 digital layout. I have analog and digital H0 Collection. Rolling stock mostly from era I, II, III and IV. Märklin 1 gauge beginner.
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Offline Legless  
#9 Posted : 03 April 2020 10:20:13(UTC)
Legless

Australia   
Joined: 20/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 809
Location: Leopold, Victoria
Hi

If you go ahead and use screws to hold down the track.
Line up and mark the screw holes in the cork roadbed, move the track sideways, then drill a hole through the cork and plywood.
Place wall plugs in holes and then screw the track into the wall plug.
The wall plug will baffle the sound vibrations.

Mike
Legless
Era's 1 to 111,C track,k track
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Offline rhfil  
#10 Posted : 03 April 2020 19:39:47(UTC)
rhfil

United States   
Joined: 05/09/2014(UTC)
Posts: 422
Location: NEW HAMPSHIRE, Somersworth
There is a product available in the U.S. called Homasote which should be available from a local lumber yard. It is made of recycled compressed paper, comes in 4' X 8' sheets 1/2"thick. It is a sound absorber and can be painted. For added strength you can place it on top of something like 5.2mm or 5.4mm lauan or 1/4" plywood or any plywood for that matter.
Offline 5HorizonsRR  
#11 Posted : 03 April 2020 20:00:42(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Originally Posted by: rhfil Go to Quoted Post
There is a product available in the U.S. called Homasote which should be available from a local lumber yard. It is made of recycled compressed paper, comes in 4' X 8' sheets 1/2"thick. It is a sound absorber and can be painted. For added strength you can place it on top of something like 5.2mm or 5.4mm lauan or 1/4" plywood or any plywood for that matter.


I'm a huge fan of Homosote! I love it for permanent layouts, particularly because you can screw into it. I've done I think 3 layouts with it over the years. My experience is it tends to shave/crumble a bit under wear and tear though- which this layout is going to get a lot of... A good sealer-paint might help the decomposition problem on the material, but all good- the cork is en route and paid for anyways.
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Offline Minok  
#12 Posted : 04 April 2020 00:10:37(UTC)
Minok

United States   
Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2,310
Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
One thing I've seen someone use on a YouTube video that did a larger layout in C-track was to use silicone calk as the glue to attach the c-track down to the underlying cork/wood.
Silicone stays soft when it sets up, so continues to dampen vibrations from the track to the underlying base, and as it finishes to a sort of 'rubber' consistency, pulling it up/off later is much less difficult as you can tend to peal of long lengths of the adhesive from the C-track after you pull up the track, getting the C-Track clean again for re-use. I'd use clear silicone caulk, and just run some beads here and there on the baseboard/cork and set the track in it (if you know where the track will be, presumably by laying it out, tracing around the outside of the c-track, then lifting it up and applying caulk along the inside of the line drawn).
Toys of tin and wood rule!
---
My Layout Thread on marklin-users.net: InterCity 1-3-4
My YouTube Channel:
https://youtube.com/@intercity134
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Offline 5HorizonsRR  
#13 Posted : 04 April 2020 18:52:54(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Originally Posted by: Minok Go to Quoted Post
One thing I've seen someone use on a YouTube video that did a larger layout in C-track was to use silicone calk as the glue to attach the c-track down to the underlying cork/wood.
Silicone stays soft when it sets up, so continues to dampen vibrations from the track to the underlying base, and as it finishes to a sort of 'rubber' consistency, pulling it up/off later is much less difficult as you can tend to peal of long lengths of the adhesive from the C-track after you pull up the track, getting the C-Track clean again for re-use. I'd use clear silicone caulk, and just run some beads here and there on the baseboard/cork and set the track in it (if you know where the track will be, presumably by laying it out, tracing around the outside of the c-track, then lifting it up and applying caulk along the inside of the line drawn).


This is brilliant! Really good thinking! Assuming it comes off of course, which to me is a concern with the cost of replacing c track. I'll be testing it once the cork arrives!
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Offline analogmike  
#14 Posted : 05 April 2020 11:57:39(UTC)
analogmike

United States   
Joined: 02/08/2014(UTC)
Posts: 737
Location: NEW JERSEY, USA
Hi, John
I too use clear silicone with great success. Use it sparingly as I found it can be a bit difficult to peel off later on.
Perhaps a cheap version will peel better. Run some test pieces first and let us know.
Mikey
I love the smell of smoke fluid in the morning .
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Offline Drjoe11  
#15 Posted : 05 April 2020 12:52:51(UTC)
Drjoe11

United States   
Joined: 01/01/2018(UTC)
Posts: 50
Location: Florida, Leesburg
I have my C track on top of 1 inch rigid foam insulation board. I tack it down with just a drop of hot glue about every 2 feet. It seems to work AOK.
thanks 2 users liked this useful post by Drjoe11
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