track to surface attachement

[tankist]

with the bench still taking shape i'm getting a bit ahead.
the layout is going to sit on 2inch think pink foam that is glued to underlying chip board. should give enough depth to carve waterways if i choose so, although as i'm not sure i'm going to do that at all so i'm tempted to go with just 1inch foam. for some reason i just can't stop thinking about that and going back and forth through 1,1.5 and 2 inch foam thinkness...

how do you usually attach your track to foam? nails? glue (which)?
with sound isolation as i see it not an issue with foam, do you use cork on foam at all to elevate the track? or some cheaper roadbed material?

[T-Man]

Go with a light construcion adhesive. Must be foam friendly. Instead of cork just edge away the foam. Read up on this thread. (http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=1414)
I have used elmers glue with foam and it takes forever to dry. The construction adhesive will hold better and dry faster.

[tworail]

For bonding foam and other stuff I used something called 'Liquid Nails'. I'm sure there are a ton of varieties but as T-Man mentioned just make sure it don't eat foam :)

[tankist]

thanks guys. liquid nails is good. the only thing that bothers me at the moment is how easy it is going to be to remove the track. after all this is a temporary layout that is going to be reworked not much later.
tonight i will experiment how the tiny atlas nails hold in foam (additional retention will be added for storage position). if it turns out unsatisfactory i will nail it down to the board itself (i haven't glued the foam down yet for this reason) and run it like this for week or 2 till i figure out the final layout. i'm not going to do scenery on temp layout for sure. i will also try and see how is it to work with cork.

i hope you not getting tired of my flip-flop'yness yet. :rolleyes:

[T-Man]

For track you can use silicone or an inexpensive latex caulk. Sprinkle grit on top. The liquid nails is not a good idea for track.
I use silicone for electrical projecs where bulbs may need changing.

[tankist]

Instead of cork just edge away the foam. Read up on this thread. (http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=1414)

looked through thread
when you say "edge away" do you mean cut grooves near the tracks like attached?

[T-Man]

Sure, it depends on what you want. You can scupture the whole exposed surface so the track is highest. Leave some flat areas for houses and more foam for a hill. Do a little at a time. Have a slope that turns into a stream. Build a bridge. Tools are available for foam .