# Question on installing cork bed for a staging track



## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

I’m finally back to work out on my layout and traced the centerline yesterday and it came out about as well as one can expect for a first timer. My plan is to lay the cork bed all around with pins and make sure it all lays out correctly and make any corrections before I glue it. 

My question has to do with my small staging area (not sure if thats the technical term) near where the train station is going. I’m trying to figure out the best way to lay the cork bed. In the picture, you can see how it‘s sticking out therefore I’m guessing that I’ll need to trim the bevel off to fit it in? Is that right?

I appreciate your help.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Have you set passenger cars on those center lines to make sure theres enough clearance? It looks pretty tight. giggity

I wouldn’t trim the bevel. I’d start at the track closest to the station, and butt the next one to it and so on. I think a gap of 1/16th or 1/8th between them would be better looking, and safer.


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## kilowatt62 (Aug 18, 2019)

If you must stay with the lines you have, take the piece 2nd from the right and flip it over. So it’s bevel mates with the piece to its left. Or, don’t peel some sections apart, use as shipped. Just a thought. (shrugs)
I do agree though that, probably better to have a bit wider spacing of things. As OilValley mentioned.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

As was mentioned for narrow spacing use the pieces as-is out of the box. Just use the bevel edge on the first snd last track. After it's ballasted you'll never see the cork.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Burbs

I 'read' your mention of 'staging' area as actually a yard.
Yards are usually laid out on a flat plain...most don't use
a standard 'roadbed', such as your cork.
On my layout the yard tracks went
directly onto the benchwork foam surface. I used roadbed only for
'main' lines. Check the real rail yards in your area. You'll see
that they often are messy...many weeds...ashes from
the steam era...misc. rails, ties, odd car pieces and the
like strewn about. 

Don


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## lovin it (Nov 21, 2012)

On my layout I used rolled cork that was the thickness of the cork roadbed. I think it might be less expensive then buying the roadbed.


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## kilowatt62 (Aug 18, 2019)

lovin it said:


> On my layout I used rolled cork that was the thickness of the cork roadbed. I think it might be less expensive then buying the roadbed.



Where did you get that at? I might like that idea. Custom cuts and all that.


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

DonR said:


> Burbs
> 
> I 'read' your mention of 'staging' area as actually a yard.
> Yards are usually laid out on a flat plain...most don't use
> ...


I figured I was using the wrong terminology…🙈


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

I appreciate all the advice on this.


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

OilValleyRy said:


> Have you set passenger cars on those center lines to make sure theres enough clearance? It looks pretty tight. giggity
> 
> I wouldn’t trim the bevel. I’d start at the track closest to the station, and butt the next one to it and so on. I think a gap of 1/16th or 1/8th between them would be better looking, and safer.


Sinice this is a hobby I’ve moved very slow on, I actually don’t have any rolling stock right now. I’m in the midst of researching it and in a previous post I had, couplers were very important therefore I’m trying to wrap my head around all of this.


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## lovin it (Nov 21, 2012)

If you have a hobby lobby or Michael's store near you they should have it. Just make sure that you check the thickness before you buy. Might also try Home Depot or Menards.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Assuming that is a passenger station, I would keep the track centers about 3 inches from each other.


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

OilValleyRy said:


> Assuming that is a passenger station, I would keep the track centers about 3 inches from each other.


It will be a passenger station.


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

lovin it said:


> If you have a hobby lobby or Michael's store near you they should have it. Just make sure that you check the thickness before you buy. Might also try Home Depot or Menards.


For what I will need it for this will be perfect.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Since the cork roadbed fits in the area, you may have acceptable track spacing. However, I would check the NMRA standards for clearances before you make anything permanent.






NMRA Standards and Recommended Practices


The NMRA uses five types of Technical Documents to present information. The NMRA, in its standards and recommended practices, addresses only the specific standards and recommended practices for model railroads. These standards and recommended practices do not address any legal requirements. It...




www.nmra.org





You'll want to check out RP7.


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

lovin it said:


> On my layout I used rolled cork that was the thickness of the cork roadbed. I think it might be less expensive then buying the roadbed.


I think they call this sheet cork. Here’s one source. It comes in various sizes and should be the same thickness as the roadbed strips.








3030 Wide Cork Roadbed (5) HO/O


Each Sheet is 11-3/4" wide - more than twice as wide as standard corksheets - making it perfect for sidings and yards. Constructed from the same material as Mid




www.bpcshobbies.com


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

DonR said:


> Burbs
> 
> I 'read' your mention of 'staging' area as actually a yard.
> Yards are usually laid out on a flat plain...most don't use
> ...


Don 

Thank you for bringing this up as I had no idea and I would have laid the roadbed for yard areas. My question is, how did you transition from the mainline roadbed to the track directly on the foam board?


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

I’m starting to think that I didn’t do the best job of tracing the track and I’m now thinking of redoing it all over. My thought is to fill in the tracing wheel holes with Woodland Scenics Foam putty and then painting over all the foam and redo the layout on the table and trace again. Or my other thought would be to do, what my original plan was, layout all the cork bed with pins and make sure everything lines up. The difference would be, I would have to shift the lines in order to make sure there is adequate spacing between the rails near the passenger station.

One other thought I had would be to either rip off the foam from the benchwork and do new foam, but I used liquid nails, so that would be a nightmare. I could always put a thinner layer on top and go from there. 

My frustration is with making sure it all lines up and I’m starting to see I didn’t do as good a job of tracing as I thought.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I see no need to replace the foam. 
I also see no need to fill in gaps or anything until much later, after you've shaped terrain for hills, creeks, etc.
For track lines etc, it might be easier to create cardboard templates as patterns to make center lines. For example an outline of cardboard for your preferred turnout size, e.g. #6, with center lines marked for alignment. From that you can trace the outline. For radius you could make a full 180 cardboard with the outside diameters being the centerlines. E.g. outside edge = 24” radius, inside edge = 18” radius. You could also mark along the arc 20%, 25%, 33%, 50% etc. for tracing partial curves. 
I would start by doing the mainline center line(s). Then after that is complete, focus on turnout locations (avoiding sharp S curves) and siding/spur tracks.

You’ve got a great start! Just some concern that your track spacing is too narrow. That’s easy to check, and easy to fix at this early stage. Don’t let it frustrate you into thinking you have to start over. A little secret, alterations to track arrangement is something everybody does. 

Technically speaking, yards and staging are interchangeable terms. There is visible staging and hidden staging, full train staging and car only staging. Usually full train staging, which represents points beyond the layout are hidden and no “fiddling” or “building trains” occurs there. Visible staging is more often called yards but it’s semantic. Visible staging might be simply a single track with extra passenger cars stored until needed, or a multi-track car sorting freight yard where cars are sorted and stored until being sent on to the next point towards their destination. Some industries have their own storage yards just for excess freight cars; these too are visible staging or visible storage yards.


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## Burbs (Mar 28, 2014)

OilValleyRy said:


> I see no need to replace the foam.
> I also see no need to fill in gaps or anything until much later, after you've shaped terrain for hills, creeks, etc.
> For track lines etc, it might be easier to create cardboard templates as patterns to make center lines. For example an outline of cardboard for your preferred turnout size, e.g. #6, with center lines marked for alignment. From that you can trace the outline. For radius you could make a full 180 cardboard with the outside diameters being the centerlines. E.g. outside edge = 24” radius, inside edge = 18” radius. You could also mark along the arc 20%, 25%, 33%, 50% etc. for tracing partial curves.
> I would start by doing the mainline center line(s). Then after that is complete, focus on turnout locations (avoiding sharp S curves) and siding/spur tracks.
> ...


I appreciate the feedback and agree.


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## Flyingk129 (Aug 14, 2021)

Check out Amazon. They have cork sheet in multiple sizes and thicknesses.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

You'll overpay on Amazon.

I was there last night looking at cork sheet for my new Swiss station area and I couldn't find anyone that could beat Bangor Cork.

I ordered a 2'x6'x1/8" sheet for $18 and change. If you have free shipping from Amazon then you might save a few bucks but it probably won't ship within 12 hours.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MichaelE said:


> You'll overpay on Amazon.
> 
> I was there last night looking at cork sheet for my new Swiss station area and I couldn't find anyone that could beat Bangor Cork.
> 
> I ordered a 2'x6'x1/8" sheet for $18 and change. If you have free shipping from Amazon then you might save a few bucks but it probably won't ship within 12 hours.


Depends on the vendor. My last half-dozen non-subscription orders from Amazon have shipped within a few hours of me placing the order.


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