Use of Mastic Tape for Sub Roadbed ?

[dharris]

Has anyone seen or used Mastic tape as a subroad bed for track ?
While not inexpensive is seems loke it provides sound deadening, is tacky, and rolls out easily.
I have read people cutting strips of car deadening rubber for roadbed. This would be faster if not cheaper.

Here is the 1.5 inch size. There is also 1 inch.

www.amazon.com/Insulating-Weather-Proofing-Propylene-Flexibility-Non-Conducting/dp/B00UZVUQXA%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-ipad-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00UZVUQXA

[Brakie]

While I'm not concern with a little noise I see another possibility.. Roadbed for a ISL instead of Woodland Scenics 12" x 24" foam roadbed sheets.

It might be worth looking into.

[craigz]

Reminds me a bit of that Instant Roadbed that somebody (AIM?) did years ago. It was probably 1/8th thick or more...might have been repurposed/relabeled mastic product, I dunno.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2017 18:01:30 GMT -8 dharris said:

Has anyone seen or used Mastic tape as a subroad bed for track ?
While not inexpensive is seems loke it provides sound deadening, is tacky, and rolls out easily.
I have read people cutting strips of car deadening rubber for roadbed. This would be faster if not cheaper.

Here is the 1.5 inch size. There is also 1 inch.

www.amazon.com/Insulating-Weather-Proofing-Propylene-Flexibility-Non-Conducting/dp/B00UZVUQXA%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-ipad-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00UZVUQXA

Roadbed, not sub-roadbed. At $2 to $3 per foot that stuff is more expensive than the track it supports.

I've seen gray foam insulation/weatherstripping in rolls for much less. Not sticky, and I don't know how well it would hold up over time (shrinking, disintegration).

[steveturner]

A few thoughts come to mind. Is it thick enough for roadbed .Most products which sound quiet when first put down lose that property once ballasted and sceniced. Ballasting and scenery creates a hard shell and the quiet sound is gone once this rubber stuff or sound deadening material used is covered. Some guys I know used rubber stuff and the track did not lay true and flat as good as they wanted. Myself I stick to Midwest cork and sheet cork which has a fair bit of rubber in it. The properties of Midwest are excellent for our hobby. There are of course other materials and methods of doing roadbed. The rolls of rubberish roadbed I think were faddish but I am sure some folks liked it. The other factor is your benchwork . A flat sheet of plywood will expose sound way more than than say a cookie cutter track plan done out of plywood. With my cookie cutter layout I have little noise with most noise where the track is actually on larger flat surfaces of plywood. For the most part my cookie cutter layout is raised so I can have scenery below or above track grade. Of course some folks use Styrofoam instead of plywood for sound deadening, it also has its pros and cons. I'm old school 1 by 4 construction 16 inch centers 1 by / risers ,3/8 and 1/2 inch plywood and cork sheeting and roadbed. Cork sheeting Midwest is best.Its dense and same thickness as roadbed.Cork sheeting or a roll purchased from builders or staples not so good.Thickness an issue and its course.Anways there are many variables to the sound equation. If you don't like the sound as your loco rolls by , use a sound loco HA! Steve

[gmpullman]

A club I once belonged to used the AMI Instant Roadbed. It was a disaster. This stuff looks like the same product. The AMI would stick tenaciously in some places making slight adjustments to the track alignment impossible. In other places it would not stick at all and the track would be free-floating for several feet. We had to seal all the plywood and even after that the stuff would still not stick. Heat lamps and hair dryers wouldn't help it stick either.
Ultimately, it ALL had to be ripped out. Most of the track, where it DID stick had to be scrapped, there was NO way to pry it out of the mastic.

Normal ballasting techniques would not work. White glue or matte medium would not adhere to it. AMI bragged that you simply "press" the ballast in place. Awful.

Stay Away!  is just my 2¢  Midwest cork is my go-to roadbed.

Another disadvantage is once the roadbed is down you have lost your track center-line. With split cork you can glue one side up to the line so that you still know where your track center is.

Good Luck, Ed

[Brakie]

Ed,On my ISLs I been using Woodland Scenics' 12" x 24" foam roadbed sheets with great success and it does a far better job then spiking the track directly to the pine board.

I never used AMI instant roadbed because of the horror stories I kept hearing about at the hobby shop and the club I was a member of then. IIRC Howard tossed the last five packages he had in stock.

[areibel]

Feb 11, 2017 10:32:33 GMT -8 gmpullman said:

A club I once belonged to used the AMI Instant Roadbed. It was a disaster. This stuff looks like the same product. The AMI would stick tenaciously in some places making slight adjustments to the track alignment impossible. In other places it would not stick at all and the track would be free-floating for several feet. We had to seal all the plywood and even after that the stuff would still not stick. Heat lamps and hair dryers wouldn't help it stick either.
Ultimately, it ALL had to be ripped out. Most of the track, where it DID stick had to be scrapped, there was NO way to pry it out of the mastic.

Normal ballasting techniques would not work. White glue or matte medium would not adhere to it. AMI bragged that you simply "press" the ballast in place. Awful.

Stay Away!  is just my 2¢  Midwest cork is my go-to roadbed.

Another disadvantage is once the roadbed is down you have lost your track center-line. With split cork you can glue one side up to the line so that you still know where your track center is.

Good Luck, Ed

X2- I had the exact same problems with it.  I used it for a small test/display layout, it worked OK for deadening the sound on foam board but if you need to change anything good luck!  I couldn't salvage any of the track or switches, it ripped the rail out of the ties.  And I had problems with ballast sticking as well.  I glued it when I put it together but after a short time it would start popping off chunks. I originally blamed it on rough handling but it sounds like the same issue, the roadbed wasn't giving any grip.
Al

[lvrr325]

if you tack down cork roadbed with short brads you can use it over and over and over and over.

In redoing some of the track on my layout, some care with a putty knife removed heavily ballasted track and removed roadbed strips that have to be 20+ years old. With a little clean-up they're still useable, I wouldn't put mainling track on it again but fine for sidings.

[riogrande]

Feb 11, 2017 16:44:13 GMT -8 lvrr325 said:

if you tack down cork roadbed with short brads you can use it over and over and over and over.

Atlas track nails work well. I've reused some cork that I saved from an old layout more than 15 years ago.

[lvrr325]

I like to use picture hanging nails with flat heads - the heads are easier to find to pull out.

They're also like 1/4 the price of the Atlas nails.