Greater Raleigh Railroad has begun
- Thread starter screwysquirrel
- Start date
Where to get foam
You can get it at Hardware stores, and from 'Home improvement' stores, such as Home Depot ands Lowe's. I don't know what the Dutch versions of those stores might be, though. the foam I'm using is the styrofoam insulation that comes in blue, pink, or neon-green
You can get it at Hardware stores, and from 'Home improvement' stores, such as Home Depot ands Lowe's. I don't know what the Dutch versions of those stores might be, though. the foam I'm using is the styrofoam insulation that comes in blue, pink, or neon-green
Around here they use the "beaded" foam for stucco underlayment so the "extruded" stuff is hard to find. I had to call around to many lumber yards in the Phoenix area before I found someone that carried the stuff. I finally found one Lowe's store that had it. The rest of them, and all the Home Depots did not, they all had the beaded stuff.
Believe me, the quest was worth it.
Don
Believe me, the quest was worth it.
Don
Thanks, I guess a shopping trip is on the horizon this weekend then.
Don, beaded and extruded - what should I be looking for?
Thanks again
Stu
Don, beaded and extruded - what should I be looking for?
Thanks again
Stu
How to tell the difference
well, 'beaded' styrofoam looks like the white stuff you see making up coolers, paper cups, cushioning in shipping boxes, and the like. Tends to make a squeeking noise badly affects people with sensitive hearing.
The Extruded foam is used as insulation in walls, and has a much finer 'grain' than the beaded stuff.
a couple pics
Here is the white, 'beaded' styrofoam
extruded styrofoam is the pink stuff you've seen all along in my layout. It can also come in blue and green
Its comes in 4' x 8' sheets, from 1/2" to 2" thick
well, 'beaded' styrofoam looks like the white stuff you see making up coolers, paper cups, cushioning in shipping boxes, and the like. Tends to make a squeeking noise badly affects people with sensitive hearing.
The Extruded foam is used as insulation in walls, and has a much finer 'grain' than the beaded stuff.
a couple pics
Here is the white, 'beaded' styrofoam
extruded styrofoam is the pink stuff you've seen all along in my layout. It can also come in blue and green
Its comes in 4' x 8' sheets, from 1/2" to 2" thick
It is interesting to read about foam. I have never used anything other than the beaded foam. It comes in white and the size that fits into my car and is cheap. It cuts well with a sharp knife and there isn't a whole lot of cleanup to be done. I have never even considered using the extruded stuff. To each his own.
the Extruded is also easy to cut with a knife (I've been using 30-year old, worn out kitchen knives to cut mine)
However, as it doesn't flake as easily as the white foam, it makes a better base
I find it looks like a real rock cut when you carve it with a knife, paint it, and glue some sand on it, then paint it again.
It's fun when you finally get trains running on the layout! Good pictures, keep them coming! I like the Great Northern Switcher too!
