Anyone Tried 'Eco Sheet' as Outdoor Baseboard?

[viaEstrecha]

I've tended to use traditional 18mm ply covered by roofing felt to form baseboards for much of my railway and provided there is plenty of bracing and coating with something like Sadolin, they seem to have performed well for quite a few years. However, I wondered if anyone has tried using recycled plastic sheet such as 'Eco Sheet' (http://www.ecosheet.com/products/ )? I've seen those recycled plastic trackbed components at shows and they look impressive, but for what I have in mind, the material in basic sheet form would possibly be ideal. If anyone has tried it, I'd be most interested in their impressions of the material.

 

[andyspencer]

We're about to replace our badly rotted club track with some 18mm recycled plastic sheet. I've had enough of timber not lasting in all our damp...

 

[The Devonian]

I have not, knowingly, encountered this product but I am sure I must have seen it in the past.
I seems to me that it would be an ideal building material: far better than the thin plastics often encountered in the hobby. I think it would stand up to weather and wind quite well. I have, so far, used treated decking timbers for large structures on my railroad which, I know, will outlast me. Jokingly I have mentioned that my grain elevator (over 4ft. tall) would serve as a good headstone.
I will look out for this product when next at a builders or farm stockist.

 

[lgbmad]

Great looking product, albeit a tad expensive at £55 a sheet, but yet again if it is going to last forever that might seem a pretty good price.
Kev

 

[beavercreek]

The trackbed system is Filcris and it works very well as Jerry ('Lone Ranger' amongst many will atest to).
The only thing with big sheets of plastic (recycled or not) is that they will expand and contract quite a bit so it would probably be best to allow for this expansion when fixing track to the sheet. Either using fixings with a 'slip or slide' feature every 3 foot or so will keep the track flat but allow it not to be flexed by the expansion.
Of course track itself will expand/contract with extremes of temperature so to a certain extent one direction of expansion will occur in both track and plastic roadbed. It will be the the 90 degree expansion 'side to side' that will be the one to watch

 

[viaEstrecha]

I did wince at the cost, but I suppose when considered as a long-term investment, it could justify it. I think 'eco' is rather like 'wedding' - it indicates that the goods or service is at a rip-off price but has no shame either.

Interested in the comments regarding expansion. Though I'll probably try a bit in the UK first, I am actually in the earliest stages of planning* a future railway to go on a very exposed and hot roof terrace overlooking the Med and am wondering about laying pieces of this material into a bench arrangement formed of aluminium section.

* i.e. idling in the sun with a beer and daydreaming!

 

[playmofire]

There is an article in the latest Garden Rail in using recycled plastics on layouts, in this case from filcris:

http://www.filcris.co.uk/products/garden-railway-products < Link To http://www.filcris.co.uk/...arden-railway-products

 

[whizzo]

Hi that does look like a great product -apart from the cost -- I have found that soffit board used in double glazing works very well and is quite cheep -- if you go round to your local guys that do double glazing - there are normally a lot of off cuts - which they are happy to sell for a few pennies -as they have to pay to skip them regards Dave

 

[Rosco]

Hi, I've tried recycled plastics for my railway extension but have had to go back to wood. The great summer we've had has caused the plastic to do warp and sag despite pillars every 1 1/2 foot. It was an expensive mistake for me. If your railway is in a shady area you might be alright.
I've had 4 years out of my 18mm sealed exterior plywood before some sections needed replacing but at least it can withstand all weathers.
Ross

 

[HBBahn]

Ross, were you using the ladder system, or just boards with supports?

I'm another one considering using this stuff.

 

[Rosco]

Ross, were you using the ladder system, or just boards with supports?

I'm another one considering using this stuff.

Both. Ladder on corners and boards on the straights.

 

[dunnyrail]

Rosco, how did you construct your boards? I used Filcris for a friends layout and we made an inverted U shape from the Ladder 2x1 in equivalent and pre cut boards. Plenty of movement in length but never any sinking. The bards have always stayed flat. In G so long as you use this method and allow your track to float on the surface then you should not have had any problems.
JonD