# Sinking Track and Carpet



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi Guys,
After taking down my MM track, I laid out a new Mattel layout. I have some carpet left over from when I did the basement and figured I'd use it as sound deadening for the track. It will cover the entire 7' x 5'5" board. However, I think I'd also like to sink the track into 1/4 plywood so I wouldn't need turn aprons or guardrail.

It seems that if I decide to lay down the carpet, then lay out the track, I would then need to cut out the the plywood and put it on top of the carpet so it's level with the track. Therefore, there would be no carpet visable.

I'm not missing something, am I?

Thanks...Joe


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## fastlap (Nov 11, 2007)

I like that idea. But!! Wouldn't there be some sound transfer from the track to the plywood if the wood is butted up against the track? Just thinking out loud from personal experience. 

If you are considering enclosing the layout with plywood (i used particle board) don't make the mistake I did. I tried to make templates from cardboard then transfer that to the particle board. I ended up with all types of gaps. Someone suggested I lay the rack on the board first to get my layout, then trace the outside of the track to the board before cutting. I disassembled the track to reassemble it back on the board, did this, and it fit like a glove. BTW, I ended up using that very thin white styrofoam<sp> type stuff used for wrapping glass to deaden the track. It did a decent job, but that was 15 years ago.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Hi Guys,
> After taking down my MM track, I laid out a new Mattel layout. I have some carpet left over from when I did the basement and figured I'd use it as sound deadening for the track. It will cover the entire 7' x 5'5" board. However, I think I'd also like to sink the track into 1/4 plywood so I wouldn't need turn aprons or guardrail.
> 
> It seems that if I decide to lay down the carpet, then lay out the track, I would then need to cut out the the plywood and put it on top of the carpet so it's level with the track. Therefore, there would be no carpet visable.
> ...


Sounds like you are envisioning the carpet not only being under the track for sound deadening, but also seeing it as your infield. You can do that, if when you cut out the plywood you make an additional cut around your track a couple inches away, to be your borders.

Here's a link to a track I made. 

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=168267&highlight=rich

Instead of carpet, I used flooring underlayment, which is covered completly by the MDF infield. To have the underlayment show, you would just need to make an additional cutout in the infield areas.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Grandcheapskate said:


> It seems that if I decide to lay down the carpet, then lay out the track, I would then need to cut out the the plywood and put it on top of the carpet so it's level with the track. Therefore, there would be no carpet visable.
> I'm not missing something, am I?


Sounds right to me. They can't _both_ be on top.

Unlesssss . . . 
First, you decide absolutely on the final track plan you want. 

Then, lay down the plywood temporarily on the layout tabletop, with the carpet on top of it. Build your layout on the carpet as accurately as you can and tack it down every third piece or so with long wire brads(nails), going thru the carpet into the plywood. Don't hammer the brad-heads all the way down onto the track.

Sharpen your box cutter and cut thru the carpet an inch out from the track, all around the course. Pull out the islands of carpet that do not have track on them. The plywood is now exposed in between the carpet edges.

Now get a green marker and trace the edge of the carpet onto the exposed plywood. Then remove the nails, pull out the carpet, and lightly tack the track down to the plywood, using the original nail holes to get the track back in exactly the same place. Trace around the track with a black marker onto the plywood.

With your saber saw, cut the plywood along the black lines and discard the piece that was under the track. Clear the table.

Lay the carpet piece that was under the track onto the table top and nail or glue it in place. Lay the plywood pieces on top of the carpet. They will be supported all around the edges by an inch of carpet. If there are unsupported areas of plywood large enough to worry about sagging, support them with small carpet scraps or cardboard in the center.

Lay the track back down on the carpet pieces and adjust the plywood until it forms aprons against the track. Tack down the plywood and fasten down the track (see note below about tacking the track). Now you have track flush with the plywood, both sitting on carpet.

Take the remaining islands of carpet, and place them on top of the plywood, using the green marks as guide lines. They should leave an inch of plywood exposed on each side of the track. The carpet's your ground-level, a bit higher than the track and aprons.

That's the easy way. 
For the deluxe version, you could have cut the plywood at the black _and the green marks_. Drop the plywood islands down into the spaces between the carpet track supports, then drop the carpet islands into the spaces between the plywood aprons. You now have carpet ground surface at the same level as the aprons and track. It's a pile of work, but if you want both surfaces showing, it's do-able, with some trimming, a lot of filling, and probably a few outbursts of non-family-friendly language.

It seems a lot of effort just to avoid using aprons.

NOTE ON SOUND DEADENING -- Model Railroaders have laid stuff (mostly cork roadbed) under the track since the 1940s, and they say you have to tack the cork to the table, but any _track_ nails should go into the cork only. If they go _through_ the cork into the table, the sound vibrations will travel down the nails directly to the table, and you get little or no noise deadening.

Since carpet won't hold nails, I doubt it will deaden the track sound unless the track is simply glued to the carpet, not nailed or screwed down. If I had to have sound-deadening, I think I'd try a blob of silicone seal under each track piece. The slow drying time should give you a chance to fiddle the track into final position.

It all sounds like more trouble than it's worth. With HO, I've never found track noise to be a problem, anyway. Don't know about the larger scales. I'd just choose whatever surface I liked the look of, tack or screw down the track, and use HO cork roadbed for aprons.

Good luck, whichever route you take, Joe.

-- D


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

*Clean cut*

Here's a little tip on cutting the 1/4" wood inlays;
Get yourself a reverse tooth blade for the saber saw (panelling blade). This allows a smooth cut from the top and your edge to meet the track won't be chewed up. Normally you flip your work piece when cutting wood so the top raw edge is unseen.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Slott V said:


> Here's a little tip on cutting the 1/4" wood inlays;
> Get yourself a reverse tooth blade for the saber saw (panelling blade). This allows a smooth cut from the top and your edge to meet the track won't be chewed up. Normally you flip your work piece when cutting wood so the top raw edge is unseen.


Now I remember why, when I built my first track, I assembled my layout in reverse of the way I wanted it when tracing it on the mdf inlay piece. It was because I didn't have the reverse tooth blade for my saw. After I made my cuts, I flipped all the pieces over, and my rough edge was on the bottom. 

I knew there had to be a reason why I had did that, but recently when I thinking about it, I couldn't recall why.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

D,
You're right, that is way too much work. Kinda what I was thinking about having to do. I just remember a few weeks back putting a temporary layout on the living room carpet and hearing the difference in the noise level.

Also, very interesting point on nails going through to the wood tabletop. If the nails would carry the noise all the way through, then using the carpet may be a moot point.

And Firstlap, definitely I will trace the track onto the plywood if I do this. No cardboard transfer.

Thanks...Joe


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