Cork to foam...track to cork...what's your method of adhesion ?

[Puddington]

Haven't done trackwork in years and never used Atlas code 55... curious as to what the assembled a@@hats are using to adhere their roadbed (cork in this case) to a foam base and what adhesive are you using to adhere the code 55 to the cork..... and what about turnouts...?

Any advice appreciated.

Pud in Peterpatch...........

[Scottl]

I use clear silicone caulking.  If you go that route, the Mono brand held better than the DAP, both available in Cdn Tire, Home Depot, etc. I spread it out into a thin coat and used nails to hold the roadbed or track until it cured overnight.  It is waterproof and you can lift the track easily if you change your plans.

[N_DaveS]

I used Liquid Nails for Projects for gluing the cork roadbed to foam, then clear silicone to lay the C55 flex. For turnouts I put a little bit on the ends and a bit on the ties under the frog, trusting in the connecting tracks to do most of the holding-in-place work. So far, so good.

[JSL]

I use a clear or gray Alex plus Latex caulk or any other for both adhering cork and track. All you need is a little down the middle of the cork. I glue my turnouts down in the frog area to get rid of the hump that some of the code 55 turnouts have.

[MVW]

I'll second the silicone caulk, although I'm a DAP man myself. I use foam roadbed on foam, but I doubt you'd have any trouble with cork.

Whether it's attaching roadbed to foam or track to roadbed, run a narrow bead, smooth it out with a putty knife (or "puddy" knife in this case), and tack it down with some T-pins. Holds securely, and can be pried up a year or more later without harm to the roadbed or track.

Good luck!

Jim

[Pomperaugrr]

I use a clear or gray Alex plus Latex caulk or any other for both adhering cork and track. All you need is a little down the middle of the cork. I glue my turnouts down in the frog area to get rid of the hump that some of the code 55 turnouts have.

+1


Eric

[robert3985]

When I was experimenting with 2" foam as a subroadbed/scenery base, I laid Midwest cork on it using Aileen's Tacky Glue.  It went fast and Aileen's was nice and thin, which made my sanding of the tops of the cork roadbed quicker than with thicker adhesives I'd used before.  I made sure the cork strips were down well by rolling a little linoleum roller on their tops after they'd been glued down.  I also used T-pins to secure them when I felt that was necessary.

Although I don't have these modules any more, they are still in use, and I see them regularly (three times a year) at the three shows I attend with my modular layout. I build 'em over ten years ago, and the roadbed is still well-stuck to the foam.  However, the liquid nails I used to secure the 2" foam to my pine and plywood benchwork has decided to release its grip.  I am now not using Liquid Nails for anything stuck to foam.

As for sticking flex to cork, I use runny CA to stick my ME code 55 and code 40 flex track to my sanded cork roadbed.  I align the flex, using straight edges on the straight sections and follow the centerline of the two pieces of cork, which I've laid carefully to a centerline generated with Cadrail and transferred to the foam to ensure accurate easements.  For curves, I use the old M-1 Eyeball Method for kink detection.  However, with Atlas 55 flex, you shouldn't have a kinking problem.

Since my ME trackage stays put (generally) I usually don't have to pin it.  Sometimes when it does need pinning, and I use T-pins on either side of the rails to hold it in place while I tack it every 6 inches to my sanded cork roadbed.  I also use a block of 1X4 to hold the track down to the cork as I flow the runny CA under the track, then squirt on Accelerator, then blow-dry that spot with an old 1200 watt hair drier set on "hot"...which both cures the CA quickly and evaporates the Accelerator.

After it's tacked, I, once again, use the M-1 Eyeball Method and check it for kinks, which are usually in between the tacks. 

After the tracks are aligned and tacked, I press the in-between spots with my little 1X4 pine block on top of the rails, and I sock the rest of the track down with runny CA, using Accelerator and my old hair-dryer every six inches...then on to the next in-between spot.

For superelevation, I use wedges of masking tape stacked 1 thru 6 layers thick to raise the outside tie edge, and then used watery CA on the inside ties and gap-filling CA on the raised side of the ties, between the 3/8" long masking tape stacks placed every 1" on superelevated sections.

Truth is, the track is really held in place by ballasting, but, the CA works well enough and goes very quickly.  I've got some CA'd sections that have been socked down for nearly 7 years without ballasting...so it's secure enough.

If I need to re-align my trackage for whatever reason, I wet my ballast and let it soak in for a while, then scrape it away from the track, then use CA De-bonder (or Acetone) on the track, which softens the CA, and, using small pallet knives, I pop the track up and scrape the softened CA away.   Not too difficult actually, and I've done this several times in the past two years to accommodate changes on old modules necessitated by new modular standards.

It works well for me.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[mmagliaro]

I use DAP "Aluminum Gray"

I find that I need to lay down a thin coat that extends all the way across the width of the ties, and it needs to have a little thickness... just a touch, so that the track "squishes" into it a little.  If I skim a very flat "almost dry" thin coat, I get problems with areas not adhering well enough and lifting.

The gray is wonderful because if you miss a little with the ballast here or there, nobody will ever see it. 

[Bsklarski]

liquid nails for both here. Once track is painted and ballasted, you will never know what you used to glue it. Also you NEED to use some to keep the hump in the Code 55 turnouts from bowing up. No way around this. I also sometimes use a staple gun to hold track in place for a few hours until things dry. I have a dehumidifier running in the basement so it dries very, very fast.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Also you NEED to use some to keep the hump in the Code 55 turnouts from bowing up. No way around this.

Hump?

What hump?
 

No, I agree.  That's why when I lay down the caulk I bring it all the way to the hinges (from the top of the turnout).
Just don't lay it down between the points and the hinge, in case it squishes up.
T-pins (or Mr. T-Pins) hold everything nicely in place and flat until the caulk cures.

[MVW]

T-pins (or Mr. T-Pins) hold everything nicely in place and flat until the caulk cures.

I pity the poor fool who doesn't use Mr. T-pins.

Jim

[SkipGear]

I'll go a different route here. I use Latex Contact cement to put the cork to foam. Mark your cork centerline, brush on the adhesive to both the foam and the back of the cork. Use a hair dryer to help speed the flash over process of the adhesive. Once it has dried clear, then just put the cork down like it is a piece of tape. It goes very fast and no need to wait overnight for caulk to cure. Same goes for track except I use normal contact cement and sometimes a dot or two of medium CA for some tricky spots that need to be adjusted before gluing.

The contact cement is easy enough to pull up if you need to change things and hold well enough until you get a chance to ballast the track. The ballast will be the true binder when all is done.

[Bob Horn]

Just to be different, I do not use cork, lay the track and pin down. Then ballast with a 1/3 mix of Elmers, water and 70% achohol. Works for me, a spray of water and alcohol will let you change anything you want. Bob

[chuck geiger]

Again the reason switching to foam, you are not building a house.

CORK TO FOAM - Tacky Glue with *T-pins holding foam, tacks are too small.
TRACK TO CORK - Same
FOAM TO PLYWOOD OR DOOR - Liquid Nails (One for foam)
TURNOUTS - A drop of TG on the diverging track left or right
and under first few ties before points and after frogs.

If you need to make changes to tear down the layout, a light scrape and
this all becomes history. Small dabs of Tacky Glue is all that's needed.

*Don't be a sucker like I was when I bought WS FOAM PINS. 5.00 for a pack
when Wally has them for 1.98 for more.

[SkipGear]

Step 1 First Sunday afternoon.
 


Cork down



Step 2 Second Sunday afternoon.