Specs

From a vendor website for Midwest Products N scale cork:

1/8" x 1-1/8" x 36" (3mm x 29mm x 914mm) - 25 pair / box

So looks like you would need 1/8" sheet material.

Chris

Target or similar store...

Target or similar store... stationery department ... bulletin board material.... comes in rolls.

Youl'll need to color it!  I've used it in HO for yard roadbed.  Used wood stain for color... do All of the sheet or you'll get mis-matched patches.  Also stain it before applying any glue, or the cork will not absorb the stain.

Hope this helps

Peter

Shouldn't need to stain

Shouldn't need to stain or color the cork if you are going to ballast..

Chris

Thanks Peter

This is what I was looking for... another place to look for this kind of cork. I am trying to avoid the pre-done model railroading stuff as it can be quite expensive... particuarily when you have 700+ ft of track!

Dustin

The cost

Midwest Products are the only manufactuer I know of that make Cork roadbed

and they are also the makers of the rolled up stuff you can buy at target,Mikels, and Lowes

Lumber the "N" scale comes in boxes of 25 strips 1/8 X1-1/8 X 36" and costs aprox $30.00

per box thats 75 feet.

Back when I modeled in "N" scale I would buy HO roadbed and the cost was just a little more

I would then split it on the beveled pre cut made so you can then join the 2 psections and get

the bevel on both sides in HO scale. instead I would use the strips halves to lay down 1/2

of each section strip alone and the "N" gauge trackset on it with a slight over hang. I got 150

feet from a single box of the HO cork and saved alot of money that way.

An auto supply store might

An auto supply store might have cork for cutting out gaskets. If they do, it likely will come in large rolls for a relatively cheap price.

Charlie

Alternate materials- & alternate sources - the list grows...

Don't mention it, Dustin.  Please check my other posts- I listed a few more alternate materials I use in my layout (still U.C.) - but my HO scale stuff won't all translate well to  N scale use.

And yes- the Auto supply gasket material could work, too... but  the higher quality used for a liquid-tight seal may be more pricey, too.  So- whatever's available...  (also- the color differs)

No matter- I like to rethink materials and scour the sources for alternates.  Anyone care to join me?

Anyone try PolyPropylene foam ? (flexible stuff used for footing insulation- generally pink or blue) as a (blue-box) packing material? Seems to work, but my experience is too short-term to confirm inertness.  I don't want to see rolling stock markings damaged because everyone _thinks_  I recommend it- but after 2 years, it seems to be just fine.

And... does left-over makeup work for weathering?  I don't see why it shouldn't.

Regards- all!

MODEL POWER SELLS MODEL RR CORK

Check Standard Supply, they sell Model Power Cork, Comes in Boxes of 25 pieces at about 1/2 of what Midwest cost.  Yes use whole sheet in yards form office supply or anywhere you can get it.  No you do not need to stain if you are going to ballest.  Use white glue on plywood and glue it down make sure you have a lot of weights to hold it down if doing a large area.  IE Bricks.  to place on top another piece of wood.

Sand off the edge before you put your track on it. makes the ballest come out better.

Good luck.

Hey Dustin, here's a link to

Hey Dustin, here's a link to the Model Power cork at Standard Hobby Supply.... http://store.standardhobby.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=cork&osCsid=333ee187e56bb1261602568d32e2191f   Comes in boxes of 25,, 3' strips at $24.99 a box.

Cork Roadbed where to get it

I am building an O scale, (2 rail), railroad for a client and have researched cork suppliers an looked at alternatives. What I have found: Midwest Cork, pre-split is cheaper and better suited to the task than other cork products. A lot of cork is fragile and breaks and crumbles too easily to use for roadbed. You can check out http://www.corkstore.com for a large assortment of cork products. They sell a rubber cork that has Model RR roadbed listed is one use as well as for gaskets, it has nice color is flexible and sturdy, but man it smells bad! It is also very heavy and expensive plus you have to split it into roadbed widths and then split those in half. A lot of time spent that could be used for something more fun. Be aware: their "Quiet Cork" is far too crumbly and fragile to use for roadbed. Vinylbed is another alternative: http://www.vinylbed.com . It is available in several  widths and heights for all scales; Pricey stuff, however.

For my project I am buying 2000 ft. of Midwest cork and laying it on 3/4" subroadbed. We're using Liquid Nails for adhesive. It looks like it will be quite "bullet-proof" and the sound deadening is most satisfactory.

O Scale Cork Roadbed

 One time as I was laying my two-rail O scale track I ran out of cork roadbed and I discovered that I had a box of HO scale cork roadbed. As you know the cork roadbed split right down the middle so that you can put them side-by-side with the slanted cut on the outside, so what I did I used three strips and it fitted perfectly. The regular two strips and the third one from another section in the middle. The width was the same as the regular O scale side.

Walmart

I got mine about 6 months ago at Walmat.  Four 12" x 12" square that are a spot on match to HO Midwest for $4.29.

Steve

Alternative To Cork Roadbed

I discovered a product called 'ClimaShield Heavy Duty Truck Cap Tape'.  It's a self-adhesive foam insulating tape available at major auto parts stores as well as vehicle accessory shops.

The size I use for my HO gauge layout is 3/16" x 1 1/4", which is pretty close to exactly the same as cork roadbed.  A 30-foot roll costs about nine bucks at Canadian Tire.

The tape is flexible (excellent for laying down curves), can be cut with scissors or a hobby knife and TOTALLY isolates the sounds of trains from the resonances that can be heard with cork.

The only drawback I've found is the strength of the adhesive - once applied it takes patience and a 'slow approach' to remove it.

Cambridge, Ontario Distributor

You might want to contact these people......it seems they have a product that works well with MRR's.

http://www.jelinek.com/contact.htm

Good Luck!

Cheers!

Some autoparts stores carry

Some autoparts stores carry cork sheets for making custom gaskets...

Charlie