# Building a layout from the ground up.



## swimmer_spe (May 3, 2016)

How do you build a layout?

Seriously, once you have a layout figured out, and you have the base, how do you go from that to a finished layout?


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

The usual (and most efficient) order is:
1. Benchwork
2. Subroadbed (the surfaces where the tracks will be laid)
3. Roadbed (usually cork) and track
4. Wiring
5. Scenery and structures

There are relatively inexpensive books from Kalmbach press that cover each of these (benchwork and sub roadbed are in one book).

Do you have any more specific questions?


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## slammin (Mar 25, 2016)

There are many books available that cover step by step construction of a model railroad layout. Many are long out of print but still available at various online sites, usually for $5 or less. One from the 50's "The HO Railroad That Grows" comes to mind. Granted there a lot of newer techniques, but the basics haven't changed. Your local public library may have a selection. Several sights have videos available that cover step by step construction.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

swimmer_spe said:


> How do you build a layout?
> 
> Seriously, once you have a layout figured out, and you have the base, how do you go from that to a finished layout?


I have built multiple layouts over the years and one conclusion that I have come to is that none have ever actually been finished. Yes the track has been laid and scenery etc put in place but there is always something that can be improved on or changed. 

As you go you will learn from experience. Often this will make you want to correct past mistakes. Or you may want to add a building, trees etc.


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## swimmer_spe (May 3, 2016)

tkruger said:


> I have built multiple layouts over the years and one conclusion that I have come to is that none have ever actually been finished. Yes the track has been laid and scenery etc put in place but there is always something that can be improved on or changed.
> 
> As you go you will learn from experience. Often this will make you want to correct past mistakes. Or you may want to add a building, trees etc.


OK, so how do I get from a board and a planned layout, to running trains on tracks by the terrain painted? 

Adding everything else, I can figure out.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

I suppose you are asking for a step by step building
process.

In summary:

With your layout design in mind, you build your
benchwork. This is often made of 1 X 3" or 4" pine lumber
used as the frame. Many of us will use a 1/4" to 3/8"
plywood to top it. You build to accomodate your
track design.

The next thing is to layout the track, turnouts and
crossings to see if your design will work. If it does,
lay the foam or cork roadbed, use glue very sparingly.
The track goes on top of that. As you lay track, solder
power drops every 6 feet or so. They will connect
to a power buss under your table.

You may want to test run a loco as you go.

Once the track is all done and tested, you add
the ballast. 

If you are to have roads, streams, lakes, hills and the
like they would go in next. Plan were you will have
buildings.

The last to go on will be your lawns, fields, bushes and
trees.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I draw a track centerline from my plan using a long steel straight edge and a trammel. If you have a PC generated plan, you can usually print it at 1:1 scale, but personally I think that's a huge waste of time, paper, and ink.

Once the centerline is down, I add foam roadbed. Split it in half (it's pre-cut), and butt each half up to the centerline. Lay track on top of that, centering it on the roadbed. I use a straight edge and flextrack alignment tools from RibbonRail to make sure everything is true. Test and tweak as necessary. If you use adhesive latex caulk to fasten your roadbed and track down, you have a lot of working time before the adhesive stets up.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

CTValleyRR said:


> If you use adhesive latex caulk to fasten your roadbed and track down, you have a lot of working time before the adhesive stets up.


For gluing the roadbed down, I just use the cheapest latex caulk I could get. For gluing the track to the roadbed I like DAP Alex Plus siliconized latex caulk. It goes down white but dries clear. To remove the track (un-ballasted) just slide a thin putty knife between the track and roadbed. The track will come up with minimal damage to the roadbed, which is foam on my layout as well.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

If you don't mind jumping over to another model railroad forum, you can follow this link to my empire.
I started building this in January of 2012 and posted my progress from putting up the framing and drywall to the present day work. This is a full basement empire that runs on Digitrax and has full signaling. 6 1/2 scale miles of double track mainline. Lots of pictures and videos throughout the 800+ posts. Some posts are from other people commenting or providing help.

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?24509-The-D-amp-J-Railroad-From-Scratch


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## FTWingRiders (Jan 13, 2017)

D&J Railroad said:


> If you don't mind jumping over to another model railroad forum, you can follow this link to my empire.
> I started building this in January of 2012 and posted my progress from putting up the framing and drywall to the present day work. This is a full basement empire that runs on Digitrax and has full signaling. 6 1/2 scale miles of double track mainline. Lots of pictures and videos throughout the 800+ posts. Some posts are from other people commenting or providing help.
> 
> http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?24509-The-D-amp-J-Railroad-From-Scratch


well.. just spent an hour getting the first 7 pages digested.. awesome.. incredible amount of work, but a true labor of love! Wish I had half that space. I'll be stuck sitting down next week after a surgery monday.. I know now what I'll be reading!! :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I like open framework rather than a table. Better still is to make it around the wall rather than a table in the middle. Go over to Model Railroad Hobbiest where they are in the process of building a layout using modules. Its full of great ideas if you're just starting. And do start, best way to discover what you want and don't want. 1x4 frames with some 1x2's and a thin plywood top with 1/2" or better foam for a base and you have a great start. I like milled Homasote for road bed but there are many choices. And a thin layer of Latex caulk makes a great glue to hold the road bed and track. LiquidNails for Projects holds the foam together (the For Projects is important!)


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

swimmer_spe said:


> How do you build a layout?
> 
> Seriously, once you have a layout figured out, and you have the base, how do you go from that to a finished layout?


Myself and several others have documented our build process in threads under the "My Layout" section of this forum. I would suggest reading through some of those threads from front to back. Lots of great examples and inspiration. Most of us generally follow the steps that MtRR75 has laid out, but there's a lot of details in each phase. These threads have been a great help to me.

Mark


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

I heard an interesting perspective today when I had a bunch of guys over to run trains.
Build you modules so they will fit easily into a dumpster.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

swimmer_spe said:


> OK, so how do I get from a board and a planned layout, to running trains on tracks by the terrain painted? Adding everything else, I can figure out.


One way to get started is to post your track plan -- along with your space restriction -- in a new thread in the "My Layout" section of the forum. You will get suggestions for possible alterations to the layout. Also, once we see the track plan, you will get suggestions on the type of benchwork that would work for your situation.

You can also look through other "My Layout" threads. You will see many different ways of building a model railroad there.


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## swimmer_spe (May 3, 2016)

MtRR75 said:


> One way to get started is to post your track plan -- along with your space restriction -- in a new thread in the "My Layout" section of the forum. You will get suggestions for possible alterations to the layout. Also, once we see the track plan, you will get suggestions on the type of benchwork that would work for your situation.
> 
> You can also look through other "My Layout" threads. You will see many different ways of building a model railroad there.


I have. The problem is, everything about it gets shot down. For example, I plan to collect enough track and lust put it together until I am happy with the amount of coverage. I will have an L that is 2 4x8 sheets of plywood.

I have been told how bad these things are.

So, I plan to ignore the naysayers and build what I want. I just don't know how to go from blank board to terrain with track laid out on it.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

You really need some kind of track plan and we need some idea of what you want to build.

Are you going to use foam board or just go with plywood?
Single track mainline or two track mains?
A switching yard or industries?
Grade changes with one track going over another?

We really can't help you unless we have some idea of what you want to do.
You can see what I did by clicking the link in my signature.
My new layout starts about page seven. I started with a blank table there.

We are more than happy to help out a new guy but need information to do so.

Magic


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

As Magic says first try to lay down some basic parameters. You can also factor in some other things like do you want it to be track intensive or more open with plenty of scenery.

As for me I don't have an original idea in my head, I like to find somebody else's plan and use it as it is or adapt it slightly. At least you know it'll work.

I've never used any track planning software for the said reason. I like to do it straight onto the bench work by playing with the trackwork full size, but then all my layouts are small shelf types. You might find you also like working like this. You can download templates of Peco's turnouts from their site http://www.peco-uk.com/page.asp?id=pointplans Just place them on a large piece of paper, maybe wallpaper and try out various plans.

Good luck.


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## swimmer_spe (May 3, 2016)

Bold is my answer



Magic said:


> You really need some kind of track plan and we need some idea of what you want to build.
> 
> Are you going to use foam board or just go with plywood?*Plywood, I have said this many times.*
> Single track mainline or two track mains? *double track*
> ...


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

IMHO, i would reconsider the foam board. I think it makes all aspects of terrain easier. you can layer it for elevation changes, carve it for stone/rock. make tunnel portals, etc.
Even if your going to use plastercloth, it still comes in handy.

and if you haven't already, I would drill holes through your framework for wiring before you put plywood down.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

swimmer, this is my process of building up scenery.



Just scrap wood to support the foam board build up. Shape the foam board to the basic shape that ya want. Lay screen over it and tack it down with nails into the foam board and staple into the plywood. Put a couple or few layers of wall plaster over the screen. The final scenery coating should be textured wall plaster with earth tone color added to it.



I went to Home Depot and had them mix a gallon bucket of earth tone flat for me. I use about a 1/4 cup of that mixed into about 12 oz of textured wall plaster then add a drop of yellow color base and a few drops of black color base to give it a little darker color.



Just brush it on to cover the white and let it dry.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

swimmer_spe said:


> I have. The problem is, everything about it gets shot down. For example, I plan to collect enough track and lust put it together until I am happy with the amount of coverage. I will have an L that is 2 4x8 sheets of plywood.
> 
> I have been told how bad these things are.
> 
> So, I plan to ignore the naysayers and build what I want. I just don't know how to go from blank board to terrain with track laid out on it.


Let me spin this a little differently for you.

Your last paragraph, phrased differently is the right answer. Simply stated: Your layout, your rules. You do what you want, how you want, and in a timeline that suits you.

That said, no one has said "nay" to you that i have seen.

What i have seen is a lot of people saying, "have you considered this," "doing it that way might cause you some problems", and so on. It's advice. You don't have to take it. On the other hand, if you've already made up your mind, and have no intention of changing it, then why ask for advice? If all you want is for everyone to tell you what a great job you're doing, then just start your own layout thread and show us your progress.

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the father of the nuclear Navy, was fond of saying, "It is essential that you learn from the mistakes of others. You will not have time to make them all yourself." That's all these so-called naysayers are doing: sharing with you what hasn't gone so well for them (or telling you what worked better). But you're perfectly free to do it yourself and either confirm or disprove the applicability of our experience to your own situation. But ask yourself whether it's really wise when you decide to ignore the hundreds of years (yes, really) of collective knowledge and experience that other members of this forum provide.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Good advice there CT. The other thing is doing it the cheapest way possible. Ya go cheap, it will look cheap. May as well leave it as plywood world and save the money.


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## swimmer_spe (May 3, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> Let me spin this a little differently for you.
> 
> Your last paragraph, phrased differently is the right answer. Simply stated: Your layout, your rules. You do what you want, how you want, and in a timeline that suits you.
> 
> ...


What did you do before those fancy computer programs? You did it by hand.

What did you do before foam boards stayed together? You used wood.

These 2 things, people keep telling me no. Instead of "no", why not: Here is how you can do it.

I have gotten some great advice from lots of people on here. I have also gotten people constantly trying to shut it down.

I know what I want for a layout, and no computer will help me effectively lay it out.

I am using plywood for the base. The legs eventually will have wheels on them to move it around.

So, given that, what do I do with the plywood to go from nothing to having the basic terrain on it?


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## swimmer_spe (May 3, 2016)

D&J Railroad said:


> swimmer, this is my process of building up scenery.
> 
> Just scrap wood to support the foam board build up. Shape the foam board to the basic shape that ya want. Lay screen over it and tack it down with nails into the foam board and staple into the plywood. Put a couple or few layers of wall plaster over the screen. The final scenery coating should be textured wall plaster with earth tone color added to it.
> 
> ...


Thank you,

This has been the most helpful so far.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

That's a great illustration of how to go about building your terrain by D&J RR. The only change I'd make is to use BEER instead of BEHR.

Good luck.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Cycleops said:


> That's a great illustration of how to go about building your terrain by D&J RR. The only change I'd make is to use BEER instead of BEHR.
> 
> Good luck.


Ahhhh, good catch there Cy


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

swimmer_spe said:


> What did you do before those fancy computer programs? You did it by hand.
> 
> What did you do before foam boards stayed together? You used wood.
> 
> ...


And what did you do before the automobile? Horse drawn transport. 

If you want to exclude every technique or item developed in the 21st century, you are of course free to do so. But don't berate people for suggesting that your results might be better.

Your original request seemed to be looking for a way to lay your track plan out on your tabletop. I gave you two ways to do so in my post #7. One used nothing but tools that have been around since Jesus was a carpenter (ok, maybe he didn't have a metal straight edge, but he certainly knew the value of one).

It sounded then like you were complaining that people were telling you how to make terrain rather than just lay track. Now it sounds like you want to know how to make basic terrain forms. So here's my take:

My first layout, I used wire window screen covered with plaster. Both of these have been around since tthe 1920's, so that should work for you. However, I found that method messy and fiddly (trying to get the screen to sit just so). It might also be worth noting that this was the layout I tried to build just by throwing pieces of track together trying to make something fit. I nearly gave up in frustration, but you will no doubt have much better luck than I did here.

Next layout was built with plaster cloth over balled up newspaper. I found that easier to work with, but still much sloppier than I wanted. Again, these materials and that method have been around since the hobby's infancy, so that should be sufficently low tech for you as well.

However, I have since graduated to gluing extruded foam panels together, wedding cake fashion, shaping the, with a rasp, and covering them with a thin layer of Scuptamold. But that's a fairly new technique, so I'm sure it won't interest you.

Build your layout however you like, and use whatever techniques seem best to you. I'm not kidding here. No one is telling you HOW you MUST proceed, just giving you ideas that you might find useful. You are free to disregard them. But if people seem insistent, perhaps it is because your replies sound like you don't understand what is being suggested.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

One point about the layered foam. Either use the glue that is specifically made for foam or use layers of plywood between them or the glue might not ever set up. When I say plywood layers I'm saying small scrap pieces a couple inches square. This will allow air to circulate and make the glue dry. Best stuff to use here is liquid nails in a caulk tube.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

swimmer_spe said:


> I am using plywood for the base. The legs eventually will have wheels on them to move it around.
> 
> So, given that, what do I do with the plywood to go from nothing to having the basic terrain on it?


Since this layout will be semi-portable, construct the benchwork with that in mind. Use 1x4's for the basic frame, then put 1/4 or 3/8" plywood on the top. When you build the framework, put on lockable casters from the very start. That way you won't have to try to retrofit them later. Why lockable? So that when you are leaning on the layout trying to do something in the middle it won't roll out from under you and you won't do a face plant on the basement floor.

On top of the plywood, put on 2" extruded foam. Since you live in Ontario, I am sure you will be able to find it at your friendly home improvement center. In the USA we have Menard's, Home Depot, and Lowe's as the big three. Do not use expanded foam, or bead-board as it is sometimes called. This is the white stuff made of billions of little foam beads. When you try to cut it you will have electrosatically charged foam beads all over everywhere and you will be finding them for the rest of your life. Extruded foam looks more solid and can be either pink, blue, or green depending on the manufacturer. It's all basically the same stuff, though. One word of caution: Many adhesives will eat the foam. Make sure that any adhesive you use is foam safe. Liquid Nails *For Projects* is foam safe, while standard Liquid Nails will eat the foam, belch, and ask for some more.
The reason for the foam is that it will be much easier to add features such as ravines, ditches, pond or rivers later on. You simply cut into the foam and there you are.
Once the foam is in place, paint it with a brown latex paint. Now put down your roadbed. The three most common choices are cork, foam, and Homasote. Homasote roadbed can be purchased either pre-cut (expensive https://cascaderailsupply.com/pages/frontpage) or you can get a 4x8 sheet at your home improvement store and cut it yourself (time consuming and messy). If they don't stock it they can probably order you some. Cork and foam are the two most common choices. There are those who swear by or at either one. I myself prefer foam. It's lightweight and easy to work with. The choice is yours, however. 
Draw the centerline of your track plan on the layout, then put down the roadbed. Both cork and foam are made with a 45 degree cut down the center of the strip. Separate it at the cut, and lay the vertical side of the strip down the centerline of your track. For gluing down the roadbed I use the cheapest latex caulk I can find. Run a thin line and spread it out to where the side of the roadbed will be. Put the roadbed in place and pin it in position until the caulk dries. I usually leave it overnight. You can install the other side while the first side is drying. When you go around a curve, the inside piece of roadbed will become "longer" than the outside piece, because it has a shorter distance to go. This is a good thing. You will now have staggered joints. These will help hold alignment and will hide the seams better. For turnouts, simply lay the roadbed for the diverging route, and where it crosses the straight route just cut into the existing roadbed. That will preserve the sloped shoulders of the roadbed.
Once you have the roadbed down, go back and do the same thing with your track. For gluing the track down, I like to use DAP Alex Plus siliconized latex caulk. It goes down white but dries clear, and the track can be easily removed with a putty knife if needed with minimal damage to the roadbed. 
Now you have the track and roadbed laid. It's time to wire the track. There are two principal wire assemblies for your layout: the bus and the feeders. The bus is a pair heavier gauge wires run along the perimeter of the layout underneath your benchwork. I used 16 gauge solid wire for my bus, others have used 14 gauge. There is really no reason to use anything heavier than 14 gauge for the bus. And remember, with wire the lower the gauge number the thicker the wire, so 14 gauge is thicker than 16 gauge.
You can use any two colors you like, just be sure to be consistent with your color code. I use red and white. I base mine on the direction of the locomotive in forward travel. When the loco is facing forward, the *R*ight rail is always powered with a *R*ed wire, for both the bus and feeders. Run the bus all around the perimeter of the layout. Do not connect the two ends of the bus together to make continuous loop. It is a good idea to twist the two wires around each other once or twice per foot. This helps eliminate electrical "noise".
Now for the feeders. Your feeders should be a length of lighter gauge (say 20 or 22) wire about 12-18" long. These will be soldered to the OUTSIDE of your track ever 3-4 feet. Some like to run them more often, some every 6 feet. Wire is cheap and more frequent feeder drops will help ensure electrical reliability.
When you run your feeders. maintain the same color code you used with your bus, and make sure you *NEVER* connect one color feeder wire to the opposite color bus wire! Really bad things can happen if you do! 
Now that the layout is built and wired it's time for scenery. Step one is to determine what structures you will have and where they are to be placed. You do not have to have the actual structures at this point. They can be represented by cardboard squares, pieces of wood or foam, etc. Decide where the structures are going to be and put something there to represent it. The actual structure is great if you have it. 
Now decide where any hills, mountains, ravines (good thing you have that 2" foam layer, huh?), ponds, rivers, etc. will be. Carve out anything that will be below grade level (you may have to take up some track and roadbed to do this, but we've all been there, done that) so that you won't have to be reaching over hills and mountains to make a river. There are a lot of good videos on YouTube on doing this, so won't go into any specific techniques here. Grab a big bowl of popcorn or potato chips and go YouTube for a while! I'll be here when you get back.
Welcome back!
Now that you have your below grade areas done, it's time to do some above grade work. You know that extruded foam you used earlier? It make great lightweight hills and mountains. Decide where these will be and use some pieces of foam stacked like layers of a wedding cake to create the basic structure and outline. Now you can either cut and carve the foam into the shape you desire, or you can use screen and drywall compound, as was dome on the D&J empire. Another option is to use wadded up newspaper taped to the mountain to make the shape, then covered with plaster cloth, such as Woodland Scenic's (among others) makes. Or just use the plaster cloth without the newspapers. Given that this is to be a movable layout, though, my recommendation is to carve the foam and paint it. The plain plaster cloth would be second, followed by screen and drywall compound, simply based on the weight factor. Also the drywall compound could crack due to being moved around. Ken does not need to worry about that, though.
No matter which method you pick, you will need to paint the mountain with latex paint, the shade being up to you. While the paint is still wet, apply your ground cover. Again, there are many different techniques for doing this, so I'm going to send you back to YouTube again. The advantage of applying ground cover over wet paint is that the paint will act as a glue. If you don't use wet paint for this, you will need to apply a thin layer of glue. My personal choice is a 50/50 mix of white glue and water. For securing the ground cover after the initial paint or glue has dried, use some wet water (water with a few drops of dish soap or isopropyl alcohol added) and apply it in fine mist to wet the area down. The wet water will destroy the surface tension of the glue mix you are about to apply so that it really soaks into the ground cover. My personal choice for gluing down ground cover is a 50/50 mix of matte medium and water. Matte medium can be found at a craft store, Michael's has it in the fine arts section. Mist the area down until the ground cover is wet, but not drowning. Now apply the matte medium I like to use an eye dropper with an angled tip. This lets me see exactly where it's going to go, but a regular eye dropper would work well also.
This is pretty much the order to follow to go from bare wood to a sceniced layout. I haven't gone into detail regarding individual steps, because for most of them there is not any one _right_ way to do things.
I have tried to give you some tips for doing things in a lightweight manner since the layout has to be movable.
My layout build log is here: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...nion-Pacific-Soggy-Bottoms-Division-(HO-scale)
I put Homasote over the foam because the original plan was to nail the track down, and Homasote holds track nails quite well.

I hope this has helped you. Don't get stuck in the overthinking it phase. If you know you are going to have 2 4x8 sheets of plywood for your benchwork, get to building that benchwork, son! 
When that's done, put down the plywood and foam. Then draw out your track plan. Then.....
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
As Dolly Parton said in the Movie "Straight Talk": Sooner or later ya gotta tinkle or get off the potty.
Knowhutimean, Vern?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

D&J Railroad said:


> One point about the layered foam. Either use the glue that is specifically made for foam or use layers of plywood between them or the glue might not ever set up. When I say plywood layers I'm saying small scrap pieces a couple inches square. This will allow air to circulate and make the glue dry. Best stuff to use here is liquid nails in a caulk tube.


When gluing ANY impermeable substance, lay your adhesive in an S pattern, so that no area of it is completely enclosed by adhesive. It can cure from the edges in.

Liquid Nails or Dap adhesive caulk works best for me.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Here's a video where she tests a number of things to glue extruded foam together. The winner? Glidden Gripper primer paint. I may have to get some of that stuff!


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