# Looking for a good HO Sound Barrier wall



## pat_smith1969 (Aug 21, 2016)

I have a section of my layout where my switching yard is right next to my little town. It occurs to me that my little HO dudes (or HO's as I call them) would build one of those cement walls you see along the highway. I looked at a few places but didn't see anything that tickled my fancy. 

I was thinking of making one out of Styrene, paint the main section a light brown, and make support posts, a top plate and bottom plate of a Cement color.. but am not sure I cannot make it look like something other than a styrene wall. 

What have you done for Sound barrier walls?


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Use some Styrene "H" beams as piling and put strip wood in between, that's essentially how there made as the wood seemed to be better at deadening the sound. Probable easier to weather the wood and H beams separately then glue them together.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Use foam sheets scored to represent concrete blocks
between verticals every 15 or 20 feet.

Another way to build the wall is to use balsa or other
material as vertical boards between verticals.

There are various formed styrene sheets of varied design
which also could be used in your wall. Check your local
hobby shop.

Don


----------



## pat_smith1969 (Aug 21, 2016)

In real life they form concrete walls to look like Faux bricks or blocks. So I would be making a Faux wall that uses faux bricks and I am not 100% certain that will come out right.. it might come out looking like a really bad rendition of a brick wall. 

Part of the problem is that I have three different types of retaining walls in my layout already. I built these out of Scale ties and "logs". I want my noise wall to not look like a poor rendition of those walls but rather look more concrete-ish. 

Maybe I am thinking too much into it.


I do like the ideas though, and pictures would be nice.


----------



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Pat,
On the other hand......many, many train tracks run directly behind residential homes with no sound barriers. That's the way it was at my house when I was a kid and there are several neighborhoods here in Flint with tracks right behind the houses.
Perhaps leaving it alone might be the answer? :dunno:


----------



## pat_smith1969 (Aug 21, 2016)

raleets said:


> Pat,
> On the other hand......many, many train tracks run directly behind residential homes with no sound barriers. That's the way it was at my house when I was a kid and there are several neighborhoods here in Flint with tracks right behind the houses.
> Perhaps leaving it alone might be the answer? :dunno:


I could do that.. or I could use a line of trees. In my neighborhood the RR tracks are somewhat obscured by a line of trees and a wire fence overgrown with vines and shrubberies. I think I still like the cement wall idea though, something that says "here be tracks and thar be town!".


----------



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

But, but, but it's SO much easier for the hobo to jump off the train and into your house without that pesky cement fence in the way. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: hwell:


----------



## pat_smith1969 (Aug 21, 2016)

raleets said:


> But, but, but it's SO much easier for the hobo to jump off the train and into your house without that pesky cement fence in the way. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: hwell:


Unfortunately local laws require the sound barrier wall to have a door every some many feet or it won't meet code.. silly HOes.


----------

