Real homosote is not hard to come by here in Michigan but the real stuff is
fire resistive and can be close to $75 a 4 x 8 sheet and no advantage for RR
use. Pseudo homosote (light grey color as is the other) is about $32 last
pricing.
But as others said the )(@*#$*)@#*$*( dust is a PAIN.
My last layout, tho HO, used more or less modules with 1" rigid styrofoam
insulation as the base. Over that was built scenery, etc., also of foam.
Flex track was secured using waterbase floor tile adhesive, which dries
somewhat resilient vs. hard like some glues do. Time will eventually harden
the adhesive too.
Ballast was simply dusted on and tapped in place to embed, vacuumed off a day
later and recycled. Note there is a solvent based adhesive which smells and
may be black and may attack plastic foam.
I know its costly but no mention has been made of the rubber roadbed or
gargraves- do not the wood ties on gargraves provide 'some' sound deadening?
And as others have stated, fastening most any track into a hard substrate
(plywood, chipboard, etc) will telegraph your sound into the base material and
it acts more or less like a giant speaker to amplify the noise.
Solution? In physics? How does one deaden sound? Two basic ways- mass or
reduce diaphramatic(SP) action as occurs in a speaker. In other words U gotta
add mass to the baseboard (means WEIGHT, not just bond some styrofoam to it)
or
minimise said action (which your resilient roadbed does UNTIL its secured in
place by nails or an adhesive that dries hard).
In my case using the full styrofoam board base there was some increase in
noise level- the floor tile adhesive helped dampen that. As I ramble, I think
one might want to try using the cork or homosote type roadbed but adhered to
the substrate with the tile adhesive. Best of both worlds- a resilient
adhesive and a resilient roadbed!!!!!
And NO I would not use any nails, screws, or whatever. At turnouts, is it
possible to use the 3 adjacent runs of track to hold them in place and NOT to
use any adhesive?
Dont think they are going anywhere- the switches that is.
Rotsa Ruck!
L.
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