# Quiet Layout Tips?



## THE TYCO MAN

I;m building an HO layout. Using plywood for the base. I am using the Woodland Scenic's roadbed material. What else will help keep the layout quiet? All my cars except for a few have plastic wheelsets.


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## tjcruiser

Cork.

Homasote.

Pink-stuff insulation foam.


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## New Berlin RR

don't run any trains at all? that will keep it quiet... sorry I just had to....

I agree with what TJ said!!


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## THE TYCO MAN

Talking about that pink foam seen at Home Depot and such? How can it be safely be painted?


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## sawgunner

THE TYCO MAN said:


> Talking about that pink foam seen at Home Depot and such? How can it be safely be painted?



don't use spary paint or liquid nails on that pink stuff!!! ask how i know hehehe

regular latex paint should work fine for painting it


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## tjcruiser

... except that Liquid Nails (and other mfrs) make a "panel and foam" foam-safe adhesive that will work OK.

TJ


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## THE TYCO MAN

How noisy will it be no foam, just plywood and roadbed? I like a decent hum quiet, not a roaring jet!


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## sawgunner

done both.

with foam base and cork roadbed the foam has an echoing tendency

with plywood and cork road bed only a lot quieter

with just plywood under tracks really noisy and bouncy over joints


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## Catwagon

IMHO, Just using track on raw plywood sounds like you just spilled a whole tube of b-b's when an train runs down the track. It's pretty loud...


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## THE TYCO MAN

I have a anwser! Thanks guys! Looks like I'll be using roadbed and that's that.


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## shaygetz

I find the 'off' switch works pretty good...:thumbsup:


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## cabledawg

I have kids. The sounds they make drown out the track clickety clacks.

I dont know, I kinda like the noise. Its when I dont hear it that I know something is amiss.


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## gofisher2

THE TYCO MAN said:


> Talking about that pink foam seen at Home Depot and such? How can it be safely be painted?


Pink foam works very well and you can paint it with laytex paint but nothing with a solvent. It's effective if your goal is a light weight layout. A good example is my personal section of a club modular layout. Sawgunner is correct about the noise; that is the tradeoff you make in exchange for light weight. My 6 ft. club section can be lifted with your pinkie. So hauling around and moving several of these is easy.

If you want a quieter layout, a good quality plywood (for strength) with homasote or cork or both would be best. Do some reasearch, what works best will depend on how you want to construct your layout.

Personally, I prefer the modular method. It allows great versitility, is storable, and the sky is the limit on size. I keep threatening my wife I want to create a layout that snakes through the whole house.:laugh: But seriously, you can do more with a modular set up and, if you move, it's easy to take apart and move with you.


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## mr_x_ite_ment

I am with cable on this one. I have my track just mounted directly on plywood, with a ballast dribbled between the ties. Sure it is loud, but I kind of like the noise. It is located down in my shop. If it was in the house, maybe I wouldn't like the noise as much, but I know that the real train is noisy going down the track too!

Chad


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## stuart

Tyco man, 
If you like noisy trains, then mount it right on the plywood. Mine are mounted the same way and intend to rip it up and put down cork before I continue. My layout is in a finished basement and after a while I cant stand the echoing.


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## fundio

I don't know if anyone has ever tried it but dynomat under the plywood would deaden almost anything it wil keep the wood from resonating


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## 93firebird

Quiet trains belong in a museum!! Go down to the local tracks and listen to the trains roll by.


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## Davidfd85

Just because I didn't see anyone say it, the liquid nails "for projects" does not harm the foam, the pink, blue and even the white BB stuff too.


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## mwpeber

I picked up some 3/16" cork from the hobby store and cut it to size for the track and laid it on top of the plywood under the track. I tried it for some of the layout and honestly couldn't hear any difference. Maybe it wasn't the right cork or O scale trains are just loud in general??? It was a pain to do and I ended up ripping it up and have decided to go without.

Maybe should foam the walls to absorb the sound or install a noise cancelling device


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, heavier trains and rolling stock are going to be noisier than HO or N for obvious reasons, right?


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## billshoff

*Try Quiet Brace*

You should look at *Quiet Brace*. A 4'x8' sheet costs $8 at Home Depot and it goes on top of the plywood. Some people secure it in place with caulk and some just rely on the weight on the product to keep it in place. You could also put sheet rock screws through it but I wouldn't use many because the screws will transfer vibration to the plywood which causes noise. QB can be drilled and cut so your accessories/trees will be easy to mount.
QB isn't available everywhere but you live in Florida and I know the Home Depots in the South carry it.

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/quietbrace-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-sound-deadening-structural-insulating-sheathing-3103308.html


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## wvgca

bare plywood is noisy, homasote or cork are better..some people like foam, the white expanded beadboard type is quieter, but the more rigid blue or green fine density works better... i tried six foot lenghts of track with various underlays, the 1/8 elmers foam sheets from walmart were pretty good, a little better was that kind of waffle sheet that people use in campers to keep dishes from sliding around, my final choice was a closed cell 3/16 packing foam from staples, big roll, maybe a foot wide ... very quiet, best that i have tried..
and deadener works better when attached with a 'softens' bond glue, dap or silicone. and type of glue used to hold down ballast makes a difference also..i prefer aileens ?? tacky glue, it doesnt set up real hard like ordinary white glue..


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## wjacob

I'm running 1 inch foam on top of 3/4 fiber board. I honestly think its very quiet. I actually have been thinking about not using cork when I glue down track. I would just shape the foam around the track to give the illusion of a raised grade level then ballast the track. 

I have noticed that in my area on the NS line, even when a track is level to surrounding grade, there is an area cut down around the ballast then built back up. If I use cork everywhere to raise track, it would be too high for surrounding areas. 

Foam and ply seems to be good for sound.


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## Carl

You want little noise leaving the train room? I installed a solid-core door.


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## joed2323

Im not quite sure why everyone doesnt want to hear there trains running down the track's?
Go stand next to the real thing, and tell me how quiet a freight train is rolling down the tracks...

Yes i used 1 1/2 foam and foam roadbed but not for trying to eliminate any noise around my layout. I even have spots where its just plywood and foam roadbed.

I like hearing noise coming from my layout otherwise get a pair of earplugs and tell me how enjoying is it seeing your train running but hearing complete silence.


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## broox

Noise is good, Joed. But we want the 1:87 scale noise of cork roadbed, not the 1:1 noise of track straight on plyboard gives. haha.


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## aircooled

Thanks folks! I've been struggling with this decision for awhile.
This is the post I've been looking for!


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## wjacob

i kinda like the sound the metal wheels make when going over a rail joint. sounds old timey to me. like the clickity clack.

i have noticed that foam over fiberboard is pretty quite for me. i have built hidden staging with using only 2 inch foam and brackets on the wall and its very noisy. Im not sure why but it is.


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## feldon30

Some day there will be little sound chips/speaker combos for $25 that we can throw in a few cars of our rolling stock that go klah-klank based on the speed of the train.


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## trashman

Just turn up the music


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