laying down cork roadbed

[billgiannelli]

when laying down cork roadbed on top of foam board would it be ok to use any type of glue like elmers white glue or wood glue?
thanks
Bill

[Len]

Yes. Use long T-pins, available at most craft shops, to hold it in place until the glue dries.

Len

[billgiannelli]

as always, thanks a lot Len!
Bill

[billgiannelli]

why is the cork roadbed split in two down the middle instead of one piece?
Bill

[Hunt]

Cork roadbed is not laid as it comes out of the box.

Out of the box the cork roadbed strips come slit down the middle at a 45 degree angle. You separate the two halves.  When you lay, the sloping edges go on the outside for ballast slope. What were the outside edges are butted against each other along the centerline of the track.

[billgiannelli]

Hi Hunt,
thanks for the info!
yes I understood that, but why is it that way?
thanks
Bill

[Hunt]

Minimum loss of material and handling from a manufacturing perspective.

[billgiannelli]

ah! ok thanks Hunt!
Bill

[Len]

It also gives a slope to the edge of the ballast, without having to pile it deep along the edge.

Len

[electrical whiz kid]

Len and Hunt;
I have been using the blue adhesive with good results.  Also, I use a length of moulded aluminum as a straight reference atop the cork, and temporarily screw it down lightly; just enough to conform the cork to a near-perfect flat-ness.  I have found that being really fussy with this pays off in big dividends, so I use it whenever I can, particularly on turnouts.  This piece of aluminum is actually a part of a cutting system; I found it on-line at Roeckler tools.

Rich C.

[Len]

How do you get the screws to hold in an extruded foam layout top??

Len

[jbrock27]

bill, push pins, the colored plastic ones, also work for holding the cork down while gluing to the foam board.  T pins work too, but are really too long for what you need.  I have had no problems using them (push pins) or white glue (generic from a place like a Dollar Store).   Just in case the top of the push pins breaks an wants to go through my thumb, I push them in holding the bottom portion of the plastic.  (I feel like I said this, just recently somewhere....)

[electrical whiz kid]

Len;
I do not use foam as the top-I have another approach I had decided to try.  I use 1/4" underlayment hardwood ply.  I use this for a couple of reasons; first it is easier to install tortoise machines under, as well as any other type of control system, such as mechanical (hand).  Also, when I glue down the cork, as I said, I use a piece of extruded aluminum that, once I glue the cork down, I lay this atop the cork, and run screws through it-lightly- to the ply.  This keeps the track plumb and flush.  So far, so good; no wiggle-wobble-waddle.
RIch C. 

[Len]

Rich - Ok, that makes sense. My response was to the OP's question about fastening cork to foam.

Len

[electrical whiz kid]

Wayne,
I use the ply atop the styrofoam.  I like the carving qualities of the foam as per terrain.  It does minimize the hassle with plaster, etc.  To me, this is good for the variations in-say-foundation exposure. This is a nice touch to a building and a lot of guys have done it. 
I have found that just cork atop foam is good as well.  Same procedure:  that blue adhesive (non-solvent) and cork.  Make sure these new guys don't attempt this with that bead board.  Styro is much better, as you probably know.

Rich C.