alp1958 Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 I am starting to build a new railway model just D.C not DCC it will be on a 6x4 board ,what is the lightest material i can use for a board last time i used M.D.F and it was to heavy to keep moving about.
walkingthedog Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 Ply is firmer than MDF and needs less framework to support it.
alp1958 Posted November 27, 2014 Author Posted November 27, 2014 Thanks for that i was thinking of usin Styrofoam would that be practical.
walkingthedog Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 Afraid I couldn't comment on that but polystyrene which I believe is a similar product destroys insulation on cables after a time.
96RAF Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 Blue foam is more 'structural' as it is very dense and to the best of my knowledge inert with regard to effect on cable pvc insulation. No sure about pink foam. You could Google the specs to find out.
walkingthedog Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 The stuff they use for insulation can cause problems, I know that from when I fitted out a narrow boat. All the cables had to be wrapped in tape. A right pain.
Gitter Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 A lot of the model rail guys use Sundeala board. But, I don,t know about feasability regarding weight. perhaps some of the other guys can help?
walkingthedog Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 It's pretty heavy, much the same as MDF but softer. Sundeala is best layed on top of ply.
Graskie Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 I use insulation board, which is lighter, but it does need to be braced well with a timber frame underneath, therefore adding to that weight. However I used to carry a 6' x 4' layout around quite easily, but, I must admit, I was a lot younger then.
RDS Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 It's pretty heavy, much the same as MDF but softer. Sundeala is best layed on top of ply. That is exactly what I use. Sundeala on top of 3/4" ply. Whilst I was needing to move my layout about, I used an 8' x 4' sheet of Sundeala on it's own. Did you mean Sundeala was as heavy as MDF? I didn't think it was anywhere near as heavy as MDF but too flexible really to be used without a sturdy backing, hence the plywood now.
walkingthedog Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 I've never compared the weight RDS just remember it was heavier than I thought it would be. I bow to your expert knowledge.
poliss Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 Lots of modellers in the USA use Extruded Polystyrene for baseboards. That's not the same thing as Expanded Polystyrene such as you see in older model railway packaging. The different colours, blue and pink, is because they are made by different manufacturers, pink if Corning or blue if Dow.
96RAF Posted November 27, 2014 Posted November 27, 2014 It's pretty heavy, much the same as MDF but softer. Sundeala is best layed on top of ply. That is exactly what I use. Sundeala on top of 3/4" ply. Whilst I was needing to move my layout about, I used an 8' x 4' sheet of Sundeala on it's own. Did you mean Sundeala was as heavy as MDF? I didn't think it was anywhere near as heavy as MDF but too flexible really to be used without a sturdy backing, hence the plywood now. Beware if using sundeala on its own (braced of course) if you decide to ballast using the time honoured 50% pvc/water mix as the sundeala will warp from the moisture and can cause all sorts of tracking problems. Even 'nailed' down over a more solid substrate it can still warp if wet.
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