# Trying to decide: roadbed or no roadbed for my small yard



## Walman (Dec 18, 2011)

I am not a "proto fanatic" and just want to end up with a nice looking layout that my kids and I enjoy. I have a small (5 track) yard that I am trying to decide on whether to put roadbed down on or not. I am using cork roadbed on my mainline. I originally thought I would use the cork on all track but reading up it looks like many do not use roadbed under sidings and yards and clearly that would save me a lot of time. I know there is the option of different roadbeds with different thicknesses but again I am not looking to go to that level of detail. So thoughts either way? 

One other question. If I don't use roadbed on the yard and sidings what is the best way to ballast them? I know/understand ballasting on cork roadbed.

Thanks!

Walman


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

I would probably ballast them in a simular way:however, maybe, use card board shims
(used in door frame installation) to raise the rails 1/8" to1/4" that way, a gradual slope is acheived. I ballasted mine to represent cinders(steam era) it's a matter of personal taste,really, your choice. After,installation, weathering, airbrushing may also be applied,until your happy with the results,. In my opinion.
Employing cardboard shims for obtaining a gradual slope is the best bet Enjoy! tr1


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Walman

Most proto yards don't have the raised heavily ballasted neat look of
mainlines....the ties are almost hidden by dirt, ashes, some
ballast and even weeds. If you can, check out a nearby proto yard or
even random industry spurs.

I use the W/S foam roadbed for my mains but found some
paper covered black foam about 1/4" thick that comes in sheets.
I have this under all of my yard tracks.
It's about 97 cents for a poster size sheet in the Walmart
crafts section. Since eventual
ballasting in yards will be mostly dark or weeds and other
unsightly junk the black makes a nice base. The sheets
are also available in white (and PINK )

Don

I haven't yet begun yard ballasting but I expect to use the
same technique used on the foam roadbed. The main difference
would be that the ballast is dirtier and thinner and reaches across
the span between tracks.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Hi Walman. Sounds like you have a good project going and posting a few pictures of it would be great. As for the roadbed, if your using roadbed on your mainlines then use it on the sidings too. The difference in elevation isn't much but it's enough to give you trouble with the trains going up and down the grade. By the time you shim up the grade to make it stay smooth for the trains you would have saved time by just going ahead and installing the cork roadbed.
When it comes to a yard and where track location might need to be changed I have just laid the cork roadbed just as it comes out of the box and side by side to cover the whole yard area. Take one strip and split it for the outside edges and let the rest sit square up to each other. Use just enough glue to keep the cork in place. Then if you want to make any changes you can bring it up with a putty knife and reuse it.
You'll be a lot happier with the cork instead of the table top and it will look better too. . Pete


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I am planning a layout myself. I have wondered about your same question.
I don't have a clue to the correct answer. I am not going to use cork in the yard.
I want the yard a little lower than mainline anyway. I am going to paint yard area black
and after track is down use fine black ballast everywhere in yard. Thin layer of black ballast should do it. It
might work and it may not but that is the plan.


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## lajry (Aug 4, 2011)

Walman
Yards to not normally get *ANY* "roadbed", especially on flat terrain. The track may be put down on ballast but how much depends on how much it rains in the area you're modelling. You can probably get by w/ just a scattering of ballast. I'm modelling the LAJ & their ballast looks more like an "afterthought" rather than how it's done on a class 1 RR.  
For the ballast first wet it w/ 50/50 water/70%alcohol mixture & then set it w/ 50/50 water/white glue mixture.


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## James Stoker (May 19, 2013)

Something that I have not seen mentioned in this thread yet is the fact that railyards were often intentionally made lower than the surrounding through lines when possible. This prevented cars or consists from rolling away as they were trapped in a dish.This also allows for doing marshalling by giving cars a shove and letting them coast, rather than having to escort each car all the way to each consist being formed with the switching engine. In an ideal dish you can give cars a shove and let them coast into the consist without fear that the momentum would launch the entire consist out onto the mainline. I am not 100% sure that modern safety practices allow for doing this anymore though.


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## lajry (Aug 4, 2011)

James
We called it "kicking" cars & it sure saved time! But you're probably right, the RRs may have made it "illegal" now. But you can bet they're yelling at the crews for taking too long. And of course they can't understand why. LOL
But it's very hard to do w/ model RRs.


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## WaltP (Jan 21, 2013)

What I'd do is rather than using roadbed in the yards, find yourself some cork sheets and use that in the yard. It does a few things:
1) cuts the noise you'd get laying the track directly on the "ground"
2) raises the track to almost roadbed level (cork sheets are a little shorter)
3) gives the flat appearance mentioned above
4) less ballast/dirt used when filling in the ground cover.


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

lowes has a underlining that looks like gravel. comes in a roll 36"x ? (forgot).
glue on one side. not to price. you could cut a sheet the size of your yard and it would look like the whole yard has been graveled.


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## Walman (Dec 18, 2011)

Nice idea thanks.


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## Mayhem (Mar 25, 2013)

Different strokes for different folks... I chose the NO CORK or anything track bed...Worked out great for me. But I'm NOT a proto-typical dude either..

Feel free to check my pictures out in my album.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

What is the stuff called Wingnut? Sounds interesting. Pete


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## lajry (Aug 4, 2011)

Saw on another forum a guy put roadbed under everything - mainline, sidings & spurs. Real RRs just don't do that!


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

norgale said:


> What is the stuff called Wingnut? Sounds interesting. Pete


norgale;
i dont remember the name. it was written up in model railroader. 

you will find it in the floor dept. ask, they know it. its used as an under lament.

some one that keeps his MR will find it, abut1 1/2 -2 years ago.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

While I don't have the raised roadbed cork under my yard, I do have the same thickness of cork but in a wide yard sheet. When I ballast the tracks it will look like the flat ballast one would expect in a yard, but with the sound deadening qualities of the cork under the track.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There is a self sticking roll of cock approximately 1/8" thiick that's available
at Home Depot...I think it was in their floor covering
section. It would be good for yard underlament. I cut it, painted it
and used it as an asphalt road.

Don


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

wingnut163 said:


> norgale;
> i dont remember the name. it was written up in model railroader.
> 
> you will find it in the floor dept. ask, they know it. its used as an under lament.
> ...


There is a self sticking roll of cock approximately 1/8" thiick that's available
at Home Depot...I think it was in their floor covering
section. It would be good for yard underlament. I cut it, painted it
and used it as an asphalt road.

Don 

this is what i was talking about, lowes looks like gravel.


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## kix662003 (Mar 8, 2013)

I'm sure your typo gets a lot of laughs Wingnut. You may want to edit if there's still time LOL.


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

kix662003 said:


> I'm sure your typo gets a lot of laughs Wingnut. You may want to edit if there's still time LOL.


no typo in "my" statement.

if you don't like my typing don't read it!!!!


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## kix662003 (Mar 8, 2013)

Sorry. Didn't mean to offend you.


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

people like you dont offend me.

your probable reading don's!


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## kix662003 (Mar 8, 2013)

wingnut163 said:


> people like you dont offend me.
> 
> your probable reading don's!


You're right. I was.


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## James Stoker (May 19, 2013)

"Underlament" is pretty humorous.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Don made the typo but Wingnut quoted him. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Funny. Pete


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Well what can I say now...maybe I was referring to a rooster? 

Sorry guys...it's C O R K.

Don't think you can edit this late in the game can you?

Don


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