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The next step in our point-to-point railroad was installing the track on top of the block wall. We wanted to raise the track so it would look more prototypical. We looked at some commercial options for raised roadbed but found them very expensive.

We thought about using wood but did not want to deal with having to seal and to cut the wood on a curve. One of the requirements was that the roadbed could be removed if needed without damage to the block wall. It needed to be permanent, but temporary at the same time.

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We ended up using some rigid foam insulation. We decided to use half-inch foam that had a metallic skin on one side. The foam that we used came in easy to handle two foot by four foot sheets.

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We placed the sheets under the track and traced a line against the track to mark placement on the foam insulation. We were able to get two or three pieces from each panel of insulation.

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We used a ballpoint pen and pressed gently into the foam to make a line.  We would not be cutting on this line but about a half-inch on either side.

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We used a Stanley knife with a brand new blade to cut the foam insulation. Do not try to cut all the way through the foam in one pass. Use several passes of the knife to cut all the way through the board. As always when using sharp tools be very careful.

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