Mounting roadbed & track

jmurphy148

New Member
I have another topic I would like to hear some comment on. I'm building a layout I found on another forum. As suggested, I have a piece of 3/4" insulating foam mounted on a 36" door which I cut down to 60" for a 3 ft by 5 ft bench. Someone suggested using hot glue to mount the roadbed to the foam and to use CA to mount the track on the roadbed. I wonder what folks who know a whole lot more than I do think of this idea.
 

PWRR-2207

Rogue Islander
Attaching stuff..

The hot glue has worked great for me:

- plywood and wood--> foam
- foam --> foam
- cork --> foam

but I would be hesitant about using CA if it cannot get air to dry or if one of the surfaces is too porous for it to get enough of a grip. Plus it is more expensive than the other things I have used.

Besides track nails (or small brads) to attach track, I have successfully used (in order of longest to least working/drying time):

- Carpenters Glue (cork roadbed --> track),
- Elmer's White Glue (cork roadbed --> track),
- Contact Cement, and
- Liquid Nails for Small Projects.

The Contact Cement and Liquid Nails just need clean surfaces (no loose stuff) so they may be a better choice but you need decent ventilation in the room with those two products.
 

steamhead

Active Member
I use Liquid Nails for Projects for gluing foam and latex caulk, the kind that dries transparent, for laying track. You can get both of these at your local HD store.
I would NEVER use CA for anything that requires more than a couple of drops to do the job.

Good Luck on your project..!!
 

Nomad

Active Member
I have not tried this, but I talked to people who use hot glue for the track to. That way if you need to move the track, you can warm the glue with a blow dryer, reposition the track and the glue will harden again.

Loren
 

mummert

New Member
When I glued my track down I used regular white elmers glue diluted with a little bit of water. I used a paint brush to put the glue on the road bed then put the track on it. I used some small pins to hold the track down while it dried. Has held so far with no problems. Plus I figure once the ballast is glued on that will be a little extra holding power.
 

steamhead

Active Member
Mummert...Hopefully when you put your ballast in, the"wet water" that you'll need to soak it won't dissolve the glue holding the track down....With the caulk I use, you can easily remove the track by sliding a spatula underneath and running it down between the track and roadbed.
 

mummert

New Member
I had thought about that myself but I have put down small sections of ballast at some of my tunnels and have not noticed any problems. Although to be honest I havent actually checked to see if the track came loose.
 

nolink5750

New Member
I used the hot glue gun to attach the track to the roadbed. I used liquid nail to lay the roadbed. The hot glue dries very fast and you have to be precise the first time. I haven't tried that hair blower trick yet. That will be nice if it works. Thanks for the tip Nomad.
 

Nomad

Active Member
Remember, the idea is just word of mouth. I don't now for sure it works.
Good luck.

Loren
 

myltlpny

Member
The door is a good idea, it's a very rigid framework.
I used yellow glue to mount my roadbed (in HO) as well as my track. I had read that using yellow or white glue allowed you to reposition the track at a later date if necessary by wetting the glue and letting it soften. I'll be darned if it didn't work like a charm. I had one track that was just a tad too close to another track around a bend. I wet the track, let the glue soften and was able to pry it up and reposition it. Some more white glue to anchor it and away I went.
I didn't use any nails, just the glue and some masking tape to hold the track in place while it dried.
 
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