using foamboard as a baseboard

[peterjohn]

I am planning my first N gauge railway. The base size is 59in x 26in, just big enough to fit on one side of my 'L' shaper desk. Has anyone used 'FOAMBOARD' as the base either with or without thin plywood between the foamboard and the supporting framework?

Peter H

[Sprintex]

Welcome in Peter

Haven't tried it myself but I know a few people on here have, hopefully they'll be along to advise you better fairly soon


Paul

[upnick]

Hi  Peter   

Welcome to the forum   

Like Sprintex  i havnt tried  Foamboard on it's own  but would add a light  frame underneath  from  thin  ply  &  a  light softwood frame  to   ensure rigidity  not only  for it''s use  initially but if you add to it  or want to store  the layout at a later date  anything that  has been  added  weight wise  wont  distort the base.

Also   if you do it this way  when  wiring you can  cut  channels for the wiring to sit in  saving them  being on the underside of the board.

[silly moo]

Hello,

Welcome. I suggest you do a search on the forum for Black Sheep Lane, Elvinley's superb industrial layout. He has used lightweight materials to great effect although it's not as big as what you are planning. I agree with the others and think you will need plywood or something similar for a bit more rigidity.

I look forward to seeing your progress as my next layout will be a lightweight one.

Regards

Veronica

[Pengi]

I used 50mm spaceboard (which is foam) as my 'baseboard' and do not use any wood (apart from the IKEA trestles it rests on). It is fine for a permanent location for the layout. I have used this same boards three times now, for two OO layouts that have been scraped off and now for my N layout.

Here is a link to stuff I posted about it earlier - you may find more if you search

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=2725.msg29215#msg29215

[woodbury22uk]

I have two layouts with a foamboard surface.

The first is a tiny Faller Car System double oval which is an A3 sheet of foamboard with a one inch stripwood perimeter to protect the edges, and a half inch square ledge inside the perimeter on which the board sits. There are no intermediate supports and the whole thing has worked brilliantly since about 2005.

The second is my main layout under construction which 3.05 metres x 0.594 metres. The latter dimension coincides with one of the standard sheet sizes for the 5mm foamboard. The foamboard is supported on a frame of 44mm x 12mm timber with intermediate supports at 304mm/290mm centres.  The foamboard was then topped with cork floor tiles to reduce the noise level. This is a layout in a fixed position and is generally wired from above. However it is light and can be lifted and turned on its side for access to the underside if needs be. I have taken care to keep solvents and water away from the foamboard but so far have not done much of the scenic work. Playing trains seems more attractive than doing the scenery! The timber frame is glued and screwed, otherwise No More Nails and double sided carpet tape have been used to hold everything together and this seems to be working. As my wife keeps reminding me "the board has been built for nearly 4 years and still the layout is not finished".

However fixing things to the foamboard needs planning. So for example a point motor not fixed to the point would need a piece of ply or similar to be fixed to the foamboard to which the motor could be screwed. On the plus side embedding things like my Fleischmann point motors is easy because the foamboard is so easy to cut.  I have just started another scenic sub-board which will carry the grain unloading terminal. This will also be foamboard with a half inch timber frame this time, with a Peco inspection pit embedded in the surface for the under-rail discharge hopper. It is only being made as a separate board so that I can work on it away from the main layout, and make me complete the scenery more quickly! Once installed it will probably never be moved again.

Mike

[colprit]

Hi All I have used 50 mm foam board on 2x2 bearers about 500mm apart with no ply backing for my n gauge layout. It is a fixed layout and is in my back bedroom, this stuff is very strong and i could possibly stand on it but have yet to do that, but it has taken my full weight once when I needed to lean across to do some painting. I think it is great  to use and is very versatile I make rocks and mountains from it and also I have all my inclines made from it. I will try and post some photos of it but the layout is still in progress.
Colin

[Neil of Longbeck]

I'm planning to use foamcore boards for my layout and I'd suggest that you try and get hold of a copy of the Railway Modeller for January 2000 in which Keith Harcourt discusses the use of Kappaboard (foamcore boards) for baseboards. It's probably the most comprehensive article I've ever come across on the use of this material. It's a shame that the supermarkets no longer use this stuff for their internal signage; going to have to buy mine from Hobbycraft or somewhere similar.

A couple of websites that might be of interest are:
http://festiveroad.net/wealden2mmblog/archives/25
http://www.shake-the-box.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=38&Itemid=66&limitstart=9

However, these are not as detailed in how to do it but do have good pictures. The first of these 2 uses 2x1 timber as the ends of each board to allow connection to other boards. The second gives some sources of materials.

[Bealman]

Welcome to the NGF Peter and Neil... as you can see, lots of help here!

[E Pinniger]

If you're making a portable layout and weight is important, foamboard can work very well as a baseboard material if it's on a rigid wooden framework - it's also useful for making the "foundation" for scenic backdrops, retaining walls etc. as it weighs next to nothing, can be cut easily + neatly with a modelling knife, and glued with PVA.

Its main disadvantage is that it won't retain track pins, so you either need to glue a layer of thin ply where the track's going to go, or simply glue the track in place.

[Pengi]

My experiences with foam baseboards are in this thread

[Newportnobby]

Welcome aboard the NGF, Neil of Longbeck