A little bit about Tracklay Underlay

Tracklay is a high density granite grey coloured foam underlay (1.5mm thick and 35mm wide for OO gauge, 19mm wide for N gauge, 0.8mm thick and 16mm wide for z gauge).

It is coated on one surface with a high grab adhesive.

It is a "closed cell foam", meaning it will not rot or perish over time like so many foam underlays. Once its holding paper is removed it becomes plastic in nature and can be shaped to suit radi.

In use your track is applied to the sticky side, which is then pinned to your layout board in the usual way. A bead of PVA ( rubber based adhesive is reccomended though) or similar adhesive is then run along each edge of the underlay before covering the whole with your chosen ballast and then tamping down well. Once the glue has set the surplus ballast can be brushed off and collected for re-use. I actually use a car vac with new vacuum bag and a modified vacuum nozzle ( to reduce the suction a bit) and suck up the excess ready for the next time.

Alternatively each section of track can be ballasted before being placed on the board and pinning and then the side bead of glue added once all the track is laid. Most modellers will have use a method they prefer to work with.

Because the ballast is only a granule thick it goes much further than with conventional methods of ballasting.
Points and crossings are no problem, just double up the Tracklay and shape with a craft knife after the point/crossing has been pinned down, then ballast.

As the ballast is not coated with glue it will not change colour and remains realistic.

Also unlike the conventional method of coating all your ballast with glue (which sets everything hard and makes your underlay act like a drumskin), you will have much quiter running engines and rolling stock.

Tracklay is an inexpensive underlay and the ease and speed with which you can achieve a superb result must be seen to be believed. 

A trial sample pack is available from the "Sample" heading in the menu bar above, This includes enough underlay and ballast to evaluate the product. Underlay and Ballast chippings are available seperately.