Budget Model Railroading: Insulation Foam Base.
After choosing a 9x5 Ping Pong table for my layout there was still the decision of whether to use the wood as the base layer or something else. I opted for a thick base of "extruded polystyrene" insulation foam. There's nothing wrong with using the plywood as the base, but a foam layer allows you to easily dig down to make ditches, rivers, trenches, and such. I also decided that I wanted to make two 4.5x5 panels so that the layout could be moved if necessary.
Making 4x8 sheets into removable 4.5x5 panels meant that I would need two layers of foam and two pieces per layer. Insulation foam costs $15-$25 per 4x8 sheet depending on thickness so I was looking at having to put down a fair bit of $ to build the base. However, in the spirit of "Budget Model Railroading" I went to craigslist and found a contractor selling extra foam. All the foam below only cost $30. It looked quite a sight strapped to the top of my minivan!
More than enough to make the panels and to have plenty left for any mountains and hills I might want. A bit dirty and having fair number of chips, cuts and dings, but that's no problem and over half of it came in full 4x8 sheets!
To make each of two 4.5x5' panels I built:
-A layer made from 4'6"x4' and 4'6"x1' pieces
-A layer made from 5'x4' foot and 5'x6"pieces
The layers were oriented cross-ways to each other as shown below, glued together with liquid nails and allowed to dry overnight. In my case I used 2" and 1.5" layers, but one could easily use thinner or thicker layers.
The result is two lightweight panels that can be set on top of my ping pong table. My layout is being set up in my attic, so that's even more reason to make the layout base in easily transportable panels.
A few alternatives for consideration:
-One might do even smaller panels for even easier transportation. However, I have plans for at least one extensive mountain section on one half of the layout, so two larger sections is probably ideal.
-If not using a Ping Pong table as a base, one can simply frame panels of foam and dispense with a wooden base altogether.
-Regardless of the base chosen, if transportability is not an issue then one layer of foam would suffice.
-Insulation foam is quite rigid so If going with the old standby of a 4'x8' layout and no heavy scenery is planned then one piece of 3" foam resting on a couple 2x4's and some saw horses might be all that is necessary. Such a lightweight layout can be easily picked up and set against the wall when not in use.
-The rigidity of the foam means that one could easily build bigger panels than the table they will set on. Looking back I do wonder what might have happened if I'd made the surface 6' rather than 5' wide.
For my purposes I'm very happy with the two double-thick panels. Perhaps a bit over-engineered but they should prove quite sturdy and there is plenty of potential depth for any terrain excavating I may wish to do.
Making 4x8 sheets into removable 4.5x5 panels meant that I would need two layers of foam and two pieces per layer. Insulation foam costs $15-$25 per 4x8 sheet depending on thickness so I was looking at having to put down a fair bit of $ to build the base. However, in the spirit of "Budget Model Railroading" I went to craigslist and found a contractor selling extra foam. All the foam below only cost $30. It looked quite a sight strapped to the top of my minivan!
More than enough to make the panels and to have plenty left for any mountains and hills I might want. A bit dirty and having fair number of chips, cuts and dings, but that's no problem and over half of it came in full 4x8 sheets!
To make each of two 4.5x5' panels I built:
-A layer made from 4'6"x4' and 4'6"x1' pieces
-A layer made from 5'x4' foot and 5'x6"pieces
The layers were oriented cross-ways to each other as shown below, glued together with liquid nails and allowed to dry overnight. In my case I used 2" and 1.5" layers, but one could easily use thinner or thicker layers.
The result is two lightweight panels that can be set on top of my ping pong table. My layout is being set up in my attic, so that's even more reason to make the layout base in easily transportable panels.
A few alternatives for consideration:
-One might do even smaller panels for even easier transportation. However, I have plans for at least one extensive mountain section on one half of the layout, so two larger sections is probably ideal.
-If not using a Ping Pong table as a base, one can simply frame panels of foam and dispense with a wooden base altogether.
-Regardless of the base chosen, if transportability is not an issue then one layer of foam would suffice.
-Insulation foam is quite rigid so If going with the old standby of a 4'x8' layout and no heavy scenery is planned then one piece of 3" foam resting on a couple 2x4's and some saw horses might be all that is necessary. Such a lightweight layout can be easily picked up and set against the wall when not in use.
-The rigidity of the foam means that one could easily build bigger panels than the table they will set on. Looking back I do wonder what might have happened if I'd made the surface 6' rather than 5' wide.
For my purposes I'm very happy with the two double-thick panels. Perhaps a bit over-engineered but they should prove quite sturdy and there is plenty of potential depth for any terrain excavating I may wish to do.
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Chicago Valley Railroad