Jay - This is the first time I have been working with road bed so it may be just a learning experience.
my experience with the foam road bed and why I am not a fan as yet:
a - the track screws transmit noise into the plywood underlayment so the foam does not seem to help on the noise. looks nice though with ballast
b - I've tried both the roll and straight sections over plywood. If not glued or taped down it has to be held in place with the track and screws. I have to add more screws to keep it in place adding more sound transmission. You would think the foam would compress in curves, but it tends to ridge up so back to laying track on top. That is even when split and for 42 dia curves it is worse, 72 is manageable.
c. I have not figured out a way to lay out the roadbed first and then the track. I suppose double faced tape is a possibility.
d. The roadbed compresses when screwed down, so you have to be precise on how far you drive the screws. On the other hand I am seeing a bit of compression with heavy steamers which is causing some operating issues both at switches and straight runs. My MTH Premier SP4449 is really finicky to the point it runs fine one direction but not the other, especially through turnouts with foam backing.
If anyone has solutions let me know. Many seem to use cork, but not sure of the sound issue since screws are still needed to fasten to something. I am now on the 7th layout change in about 3 years so I prefer to have something I can remove and reconfigure without too much trouble or investment.
As far as the temporary nature - I promised the CEO I would retire and move to another state in a couple of years to get closer to the grandkids. So I knew going in whatever I built, would not last longer than a couple of years. Honestly going through O27 tubular and used Atlas then to mostly used Ross and Gargraves has been a huge learning experience. (I really do like Atlas track and switches except for the price) Whatever I may have thought to be permanent even a year ago has changed with what I have learned through this forum and others. Even though I keep fiddling with the track layout, I consider this a learning experience for my next layout. (If only I knew then what I know now, I would have done things differently) With the move I will get a larger train room. I have no intention of downsizing, but will keep what I want to run, sell what I don't, and minimize the shelf queens.
Best - Jeff
