Mike Wyatt posted:Just finishing a door layout for my 6 year old Grandson. I used a hollow door- was amazed at the "reinforcement"- corrugated cardboard!! Cheap!! But at $34 I guess you can't expect much. A solid door was 50 lbs. heavier.
Mine is 36 X 72 (3' x 6') after I cut the length to fit under his twin bed. I bought Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer starter set, and also O31 curves to fit the door (the set comes w/ O36 Fastrack).
I added six X 1-5/8:" casters and two handles to the bottom so he could pull it in and out. I also jacked up the bed for clearance to allow him to put on some Plasticville buildings.
Noise reduction: I drilled 3/4" holes through the bottom "veneer" under where the tracks will lay, and used "Great Stuff" foam from a can into the void. Tomorrow, I'll probably buy some foam roadbed for under the track.
Might want to rethink the “great stuff” idea. As it expands, the foam will build up pressure and cause the relatively flat surfaces of the door to buckle, plus it may make the sound issue worse by tying everything together. It could even cause the door panels to open up along the edges!
A friend had a layout built with conventional benchwork that he added a large expansion to using two inch thick extruded styrofoam sheets, thinking it would reduce noise. The new section with the foam was actually a lot louder than the original conventional wood benchwork.
Bill in FtL
