Model Railway Forum

Sorry for the basic question.

I’ve been convinced to add cork under the track for more authentic looking ballast. I’ve just starting looking at buying some and am shocked at the price of the pre cut sections. It’s nothing special right, just cork sheet?
Thinking of going for 2 or 3 mm sheets from EBay and cutting it myself, that thickness is fine for OO gauge isn’t it?

Thanks

Hi, why do you need cork. Many of us don’t bother. Expensive and to my mind un necessary, unless you want to reduce noise, which is part of the hobby.

Thanks for the response yelrow,

I’ve been watching YouTube videos and the rails that are lifted from the baseboard by a few mm and ballasted look really nice. Look more like real track. The sound doesn’t bother us so it’s really just to lift the slightly.

Do you guys use something else or just not bother?

Never bothered.

There is no need to buy pre-cut cork……. Very easy to buy rolls from e-bay and then mark out your track profile…….. get a small wooden block and cut two grooves at track width, then decide what overhang you want at either side and cut the block to suit.

Run the block around with the track in the grooves and mark off with a pen where you need to cut the cork - simples.

I would say however, that if you plan to have fixed ballast then the noise benefits of cork generally go out the window.

Thanks guys,

I'm not worried about sound, it really just having the track raised for better ballasting. I guess cork will be easier to cut than board, just bought a roll from 2.4mm Hobbycraft.
I'm am planning to fix the ballast.

Thanks again

Dave

Another solution from the past was to use thin polystyrene that used to be sold to go behind wallpaper as insulation, but to just raise the track a number of materials can be used in theory. Card or thin wood sheet spring to mind as alternatives.
Generally I have not bothered with raising the track though I did think about it. Instead I have worked on the board around the trackbed to make it more scenic and interesting which involved handmilling scenic depressions and indentations to avoid the dead flat look, but raising the track is less time consuming...

Each to their own. most people find once they have laid their track, its not quite as they wanted it, so they tinker with it. Easier without cork, Ballasting it, is fine, once you are certain its what you want. So many of us tinker on a regular basis. I have never ballasted. I would lay it, without cork, run for week or two, make the almost certain, adjustments, then on to next phase. There are many posts on various forums, asking, how to remove ballast, as it is not quite what they envisaged. Then becomes a messy job. Just saying.

Thanks for the responses, I value your input guys.

Though this is likely to work better for me, but I was going to paint my track and my trackbed in grey paint, and it should work ok for me, but my sleepers are not so deep.
In the past many layouts had no actual ballast but just painted grey under the trackbed. It does work if the rest of the layout is of equal consistency. Is where fine detail and coarser standards mix is where it is likely to be an issue.
Is a nice idea to paint trackbed the desired colour anyway if one can.