Sound deadening and simple construction?

[Buelligan]

Hi all, I now need to design the baseboards for my layout, I've got the rough framework sorted, and will be using 9mm or 12mm plywood as the board. But the noise from my kids tracks (using 9mm ply on a 3"x2" framework) is atrocious. I was wondering if I could use these sheets of polystyrene to deaden the sound: https://www.wickes.co.uk/Kay-Metzeler-G ... m/p/210823

I was thinking I'd make the boards and the bracing for it, then cut the polystyrene sheet to fit to the underside of the plywood board, between the framework, to try and stop the amplifying effect. Any opinions on if this would work? Or could cans of expanding foam be used to fill the voids and quieten it down?

And the 2nd part of this, a simplistic way of making the baseboards. The shed I bought is actually a potting shed, so it came with a sturdy bench that goes all along the front. Construction is simple, rectangular frames that are screwed to the floor, and to the wall, and then long lengths that run along the length of the shed. I was planning on mounting the baseboard to the top of this, and copying the construction method on the other side of the shed. Photos attached below to try and show how it is put together (I've not actually screwed all the supports in yet, hence the 1 that's turned round the wrong way).

[mjb1961]

Hi,,,you could use the same construction because when it is all fixed together it will become strong and sturdy
PS ,,,one little thing to mention,,you will need to put something up at the Windows because of the sun ,it will cause all sorts of problems.

[21C1]

I think before you go any further, you need to insulate the walls, roof and the floor, otherwise that shed is going to be very uncomfortable to work in especially in the winter. Double glazing the windows would also be a good idea. Any condensation will ruin any model railway you put in there, so a source of heat - electric - will be necessary.

[Buelligan]

Hi,,,you could use the same construction because when it is all fixed together it will become strong and sturdy
PS ,,,one little thing to mention,,you will need to put something up at the Windows because of the sun ,it will cause all sorts of problems.

Yes I'm going to be putting up venetian blinds, so I can shut the sun out, I might also put antiglare film over the glass too.

I think before you go any further, you need to insulate the walls, roof and the floor, otherwise that shed is going to be very uncomfortable to work in especially in the winter. Double glazing the windows would also be a good idea. Any condensation will ruin any model railway you put in there, so a source of heat - electric - will be necessary.

Insulation is in hand, I'll be putting a couple of layers of carpet down, which worked well in my last garage, and for the walls I've got rolls of bubbly foil type insulation, which again seemed to work well when used on the garage door and roof at the last house. I've got a fan heater, halogen heater, or an oil filled radiator I can use. I can do the insulation once the local tips reopen and I can finally get back in the garage to get to things.

[Buelligan]

Not sure what happened here, seemed to quote my previous post....

[Bufferstop]

Anything you can do to stiffen the board will help with sound deadening. Turn the board upside down glue in a solid block of insulation board (2 or 3 inches thick" then stick down a very thin trackbase where you intend to lay track. Depends how serious you are about stopping the noise.

[Bigmet]

... I've got the rough framework sorted, and will be using 9mm or 12mm plywood as the board. But the noise from my kids tracks (using 9mm ply on a 3"x2" framework) is atrocious. I was wondering if I could use these sheets of polystyrene to deaden the sound...

Trying to damp out sound is to concede defeat. You want to stop the energy causing the sound becoming sound in the first place.

Here's what you need to know. A big sheet of stiff material is like a loudspeaker diaphragm or drumskin. What it does is efficiently couple the tiny vibrations from the model to the air mass which is what you hear as sound - exactly how the old wind up gramophone worked, with a huge loudspeaker horn to make the little scritchy needle vibrations audible.

What you want is the smallest possible area of baseboard with the track on it, and to have the track compliantly mounted on that base, for least possible energy transfer to the smaller baseboard area. Don't tack the track down, glue it using something like copydex, ideally to a soft cork glued to the ply. For me that's enough, you get more of the rumble, less of the graunchy mechanism noise.

[Buelligan]

Ok thanks all. So make it as stiff as I can, and fill any voids. So if I glue the polystyrene insulation to the back of the plywood, then the long lengths of timber glued to the polystyrene, that should be stiff, and no spaces for amplifying noise.

For putting under the track, has anyone tried the rolls of foam underlay as used for laminate flooring?

Shed is all finished now, so next job is insulation and baseboard construction.

[Chuffed]

Bit late coming into this post, my loft layout is a mix of chipboard and ply all topped off with cork sheet. The chipboard is mainly just suspended but the sound deadening is excellent. The 12 x 3 ft of ply is braced centrally and also at 12in intervals along the length and could maybe do with a bit more bracing to reduce noise. I like the idea of the underlay as it's probably dark in colour, just depends what paint it takes if you go down the scenic route.