# Track noise pretty loud



## ran007 (Jul 15, 2011)

Howdy all,
New guy here. I'm doing one of those 'wall/ceiling' shelf tracks to go in my 4 year old's room. I notice that the track noise is very loud. Before I screw down the Fastrack, is there something that I can do to make the noise, less, er, noisy? Insulation? Convert the trucks to plastic? thoughts?

thanks!


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Four year olds like noise. You are not suppose to run it when they nap.

MDF is a better base than plywood. You can use modern cars with plastic trucks and a modern engine that runs on a DC can motor. The postwar work horses love to make noise.


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## ran007 (Jul 15, 2011)

T-Man, would putting a strip of carpet in between the fastrack and shelf be helpful? I like the idea of the plastic trucks too.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

Putting a foam or carpet under the track should absorb SOME of the noise but not much. My fastrack (I run a carpet central on my bedroom floor) is loud even though the floor is carpeted. If you don't want a lot of noise, the old style tubular track is a better choice.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Carpet might throw off too much lint ... not good for the loco gears, etc.

You might try a layer of underlayment foam that's used when putting down a floating (laminate style) floor ... Pergo and the like. You can buy rolls of the stuff at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. ... various types. Easily cut with a scissors. Made specifically to cushion and dampen noise.

TJ


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## ran007 (Jul 15, 2011)

tjcruiser - that seems like the most reasonable way to go. I think a combo of using plastic trucks and a foam bottom that dampens that hollow sound by the fastrack will help.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Ran,

First, welcome to the forum! I'd like to offer an observation. With a wall train running on a shelf near the ceiling, you have a sort of three-sided chamber that drives sound out into the room: the shelf, the wall, and the ceiling are all reflective surfaces. If I could offer a suggestion, you need something to dissipate the sound instead. A thin layer of foam, carpet, etc under the track will help, but you still have sound being eminated in three other directions: toward the room, toward the wall, and toward the ceiling. If you can line the shelf and also line the wall behind the train with a sound-absorbing material, you should eliminate 50% or more of the noise. The thin sheets of soft foam sold for packaging would work well if cut to a few inches high and mounted against the wall---here's an example:
http://compare.ebay.com/like/230462472180?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

If the dimensions make it feasible, you could even unroll it into long strips and bend them into right-angled strips, like angle-iron....the flat surface going flat on the shelf and then bending to go up the wall.


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## ran007 (Jul 15, 2011)

Reckers, thanks for the thoughtful insight. Your idea led me to choose a roll of felt from the fabric store. That way I can make it appear a little more scenic. I have a feeling that fastrack didn't have much forethought when it came to noise dampening. That plastic seems to amplify the noise, much like how a guitar uses that hollow area to amplify the strings.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

Fastrack is nice in many ways, but noise isn't one of them. I've learned to put up with it. In fact, the modular layout club I'm a member of uses fastrack on the layout and it is pretty loud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tniSDq5VnS8


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, real trains on real tracks are pretty loud too. 

I'm currently trying to amass Fastrack to do part of my layout with it. The killer financially are the switches!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Well, real trains on real tracks are pretty loud too.
> 
> I'm currently trying to amass Fastrack to do part of my layout with it. The killer financially are the switches!



I was just thinking that too John.

TRAINS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE NOISY!

Get a good whistle tender to make more noise. you need some kind of bell sounds too...... ding,ding,ding.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The sound is amplified by the ceiling and wall. Foam on the wall may work better. Something under the track will help too. What noisy engine are you using ? My 6181 has a quiet DC motor and plastic gears. 

I do have some plastic tire cars and they are quieter.


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## jgvols (Sep 6, 2011)

I just converted to Fastrack. My layout is build with a wood base and 3/4" plywood for the layout. I placed 1/2" blacl insulation board on top of that and a layer of felt over the black board. It runs reasonably quite - I am satisfied.

James


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## Badwolf & Arizona RR (Jun 17, 2011)

GunRunnerJohn is quite correct when he states that FasTrack Switches can be deal-breakers.

A new O72 switch will run you over $100.00 retail. This (I believe) is the MAJOR stumbling block to FasTrack as a rail system.

Noise can always be defeated. JGVols is well on his way to doing that.

I'll be looking at doing a layout with FasTrack, and I don't need it to be whisper quiet, but unnecessary noise is something I despise. I still have to work on benchwork (which will probably wind up being the ping-pong table this year). I'll likely go with the blue Dow rigid insulation and then that fake-snow-type fiber batting.

I wish Christmas season would hurry up and get here already.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Try the 1/8" foam padding that is used for wood replacement floors, it does a nice job.


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## Badwolf & Arizona RR (Jun 17, 2011)

I think that might work, considering I won't be doing any "carving." I'll have to see what the relative prices (per square foot) and "workability" show me.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Looks pretty cheap, here it is at Home Depot


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

Have you compared the fastrack to 0 or 027? 

I run all 027 and am amazed at the noise fastrack puts off.

You can buy 027 and switches used at a reasonable price.

Have fun with the 4 year old and the train.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I don't recommend O27 for one simple reason. Although the track is cheap, the switches are crap. If you're going tubular, step up to O31, it's not that much more expensive, and the switches are far more reliable.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

Arrrrrr, yer not changin me mind captin.

I likes me 027 and I ain't changin for nuttin.



Seriously, I've run my layout for several hours without a malfunction. If I do, I remind myself, its a toy.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Freedom of choice, you gotta' love it.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I don't recommend O27 for one simple reason. Although the track is cheap, the switches are crap. If you're going tubular, step up to O31, it's not that much more expensive, and the switches are far more reliable.



Your absolutely right, just look at how my crappy, cheap, junk, garbage, O/27 switches mess up all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSG72ljq6To

(Ed's Crummy video #4)


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

Nice video!

It demonstrates the sounds made by the old style track. I love the sounds.

I like the paint and grass look.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

(Ed's Crummy video #4) 

You need some more remote switches!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Dave Sams said:


> Nice video!
> 
> It demonstrates the sounds made by the old style track. I love the sounds.
> 
> I like the paint and grass look.



The paint and grass you see, most of it is in the beginning stage. It is not done yet. Around the roundhouse is mostly done, got some ballast in there too. That too needs a little more work.




















Dave Sams said:


> (Ed's Crummy video #4)
> 
> You need some more remote switches!



I leave them manual because I can easily reach them.
Besides it make me feel important.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Hey Ed,
Your crummy video is very cool and the combinations are ENDLESS :appl::appl:
It was fun to watch!
Bob


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Ed, very nice video.


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## stevetil (Sep 6, 2011)

Oh dear! Seems I screwed up. I'm old, so I thought I wanted regular O-gauge track
like I used to have and I've bought quite a bit of it, mostly O-72 including the switches.
I thought it was the noisiest, but now I read several places that Fastrack is noisier.
I like noise! That why I love old Lionel trains, they are noisy! Nothing going yet, but
I do hope to be able to run 5 or 6 trains simultaneously and I hope the noise is huge!


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## ran007 (Jul 15, 2011)

you'll enjoy that noise alright with Fastrack. =)


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, if you put that tubular track right onto a plywood base, it'll be PLENTY noisy for you, not to worry. :laugh:


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## stevetil (Sep 6, 2011)

big ed said:


> Your absolutely right, just look at how my crappy, cheap, junk, garbage, O/27 switches mess up all the time.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSG72ljq6To
> 
> (Ed's Crummy video #4)


OK I am planning on using regular O mostly O-72 curves for the main lines,
and O-27 with the 6-65167 or 6-65168 O-42 switches for the branch line
and yard, also O-42 curves, I won't have any O-27 or O-31 curves
anywhere on my layout.

Anyone have experience with the what Lionel calls O-27 42" path switches?
I haven't bought any yet, I was hoping they would be ok. I have had good
luck with the big O-gauge O-72 switches so far.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm personally not enamored with any of the O27 switches, but Big Ed will disagree.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm personally not enamored with any of the O27 switches, but Big Ed will disagree.


Enamored!:laugh:

I agree with you John, if I did it all over I would go with O. But as you can see they work quite well on my layout.

Not all trains work that good though, I am limited with what I can run through them. Long flat cars derail, as with some of the engines. But on the outside main line, just running the trains straight over them I have no problem.

With O your good for all. I think my extension might be all O with a couple of O/72 switches. I would just have to tie them into my O/27, with the O/72 switches to get to the other side of the basement. The height difference will be easy to adjust as I can drop the extension to get the proper height.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'll admit, when you find a locomotive that runs over the O27 switches, they generally work fine. However, there were just too many that wouldn't go over them. I'd say probably only 25% of my TMCC equipped locomotives handle the O27 switches, most either derail or short out and stop the presses.


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