Cork heights

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thinking about the NCR some more and I got started thinking about cork needs.

I know the usual trick of using regular cork under the mains and then putting sidings on something else, but... I have a situation I'm trying to replicate and I'm not sure how best to handle it.

I've got three types of track I care about: mains, controlled sidings, and sidings/yard tracks.

My first thought was simply to do what I did before: mains and controlled sidings were both on regular N scale cork, and everything else was on the foam. But I got to wondering how hard it would be to go the extra mile.

How much taller is HO cork than N cork? I was thinking about potentially using a single strip (ie, half the regular width) under the mains, N scale cork under the sidings, and then slamming the sidings to the deck.

What do you guys think?

[Pomperaugrr]

Ed.

I think I would stick with traditional N scale cork roadbed for the mains, as it has a good visual profile, but use thinner 1/16" cork for the controlled sidings.  You can pick that up pretty cheaply in bulk rolls, for gaskets and cork boards.  Other sidings and spurs can be right on the foam.  That would still allow for carving in drainage swales and culverts, if appropriate.  I think HO scale cork may be too high of a profile visually.

Eric

[Philip H]

whats the ballast profile heights in the prototype for the NC?  Use that converted to N scale to get your approximation and go from there.

[C855B]

Yeah, Eric's method is what I've been doing, although none of it ballasted (or "dirted" yet) - reg'lar N 1/8" Midwest on mains, 1/16" bulletin-board cork from the hardware store for "lesser" rails such as sidings and yards, then directly on the foam for spurs and setout tracks. The downside is having to cut strips of bulletin-board cork if I want visible variations from ground level.

Also agree about the HO being too high. It might resemble a 1:1 profile in the end, but in my research half that is graded embankment rather than ballast. You could pull it off, I suppose, with a bit of extra effort.

[Rivet Miscounter]

Numbers from some quick research...

Midwest HO Cork	3/16" (5mm)
Midwest N Cork	1/8" (3mm)
Itty Bitty Z Cork	(2.4mm)
Midwest Project Cork	.031 ~ 1/32"
Generic Natural Cork Rolls 2'x4'	(2.5mm)

The project cork number seems iffy to me, but that was from their site.

[Rivet Miscounter]

I am facing a similar dilemna in Z.   With the introduction of Atlas flex in Z, it would really be nice if Midwest or someone would make some thinner cork roadbed, maybe 2mm or keep it standard with that 2.4/2.5mm range.   I messaged Midwest when the Atlas stuff hit the streets but no response.   Maybe if it was pitched as that 2-2.5mm thickness could work as both Z and (cut differently) as N sidings they might consider it a worthy market.   Dunno...I'm willing to pony up some funds for an initial order if someone has contacts there.

[C855B]

Numbers from some quick research...

...

Midwest Project Cork	.031 ~ 1/32"
Generic Natural Cork Rolls 2'x4'	(2.5mm)

The project cork number seems iffy to me, but that was from their site.

Is "project cork" different from their "yard cork"? The sheets of yard cork are 1/8" like the regular roadbed. But, yes, that ".031" is suspect.

The generic hardware store "gasket cork" or bulletin-board cork has always been 1/16" for me. "2.5 mm" is ~1/10".

[wazzou]

Back in the day when I modeled mainline trackage, I had areas with full HO Cork and N Scale Cork on top of it, that nicely represented the high profile of rural mainline railroad right of way.

[Rivet Miscounter]

I found this with claims to be 2mm. (again, buyer beware on that figure)
https://www.amazon.com/Hygloss-Products-Rolled-Cork-Sheet/dp/B003JO5BOO/ref=sr_1_20?dchild=1&keywords=natural%2Bcork%2Broll&qid=1614878977&sr=8-20&th=1#
Only 1ft x 2ft so not as useful for N but might be good for the 2ft Atlas Z flex.

I've always hated the consistency of these thinner "bulletin board" type cork sheets...clearly different (in a bad way) from the cork roadbed. Can someone explain the difference? Maybe it's not as bad as I think but it doesn't seem to me to have the horizontal flex that cork roadbed does.

[Rivet Miscounter]

Is "project cork" different from their "yard cork"? The sheets of yard cork are 1/8" like the regular roadbed. But, yes, that ".031" is suspect.

The generic hardware store "gasket cork" or bulletin-board cork has always been 1/16" for me. "2.5 mm" is ~1/10".

So the Midwest Products Project Cork is 8-1/2x11 sheets available in different thicknesses...that was just the thinnest one I saw.
https://midwestproducts.com/collections/cork/products/031-x-8-5-x-11-sheets
My thinking is that if this thickness of cork could be made available as a larger sheet/roll, it would be useful for the situations where you want to go direct to foam, but have the slightest covering of cork to dampen sound and have a little more heft to pin to when laying the track (for gluing, or if you nail the track then something that would maybe hold a small nail better?)   I'm not sure how useful that would be versus the extra step though.  Just ideas.

[davefoxx]

How much taller is HO cork than N cork?

If you can wait until I get home tonight, I can answer that question precisely.  I used N scale cork under HO track on a siding on my layout.



DFF

[C855B]

Hmm. Interesting. This is what I've been using: https://www.menards.com/main/grocery-home/office-supplies/dry-erase-cork-boards/quartet-reg-24-x-48-natural-cork-roll/103/p-1444423041877-c-7158.htm

[ednadolski]

Hmm. Interesting. This is what I've been using: https://www.menards.com/main/grocery-home/office-supplies/dry-erase-cork-boards/quartet-reg-24-x-48-natural-cork-roll/103/p-1444423041877-c-7158.htm

How do you get those rolls to stay flat?   My experience with them is no matter how much glue I use they still want to curl up.

I'm also leery of the bulletin-board, craft-level kinds of cork..... do they tend to dry out or otherwise deteriorate over time, any more so than the stuff from Midwest?

Ed

[C855B]

I have little trouble with curl. It might be technique. For these 24x48 inch rolls I cut across the 24" rather than lengthwise for longer pieces. That confines the curl across the 1"-wide slices. I then paste and then pin down with the curl "up" in the center, "arched" in other words. Works like a charm, never a problem. Here's recent work:

[CBQ Fan]

I used Midwest HO for my dual track mainline spaced with half strip of N scale cork in the middle. I am very happy with the look. I used N scale for the rest of my tracks.