[Gwent rail]

Well Graham, they do say that one man's meat is another man's poison. This is obviously true when you and Sundeala come together.

Personally, after building layouts for over 45 years, including private, club and exhibition layouts, I have recently started a new layout in a spare bedroom at home. Having in the past built layouts using a flush boarded door, Plywood, MDF and most other materials known to man, I have for the first time ever used Sundeala board.
I have to say that I have found it to be the best surface I've ever used. I wish that I had opened my eyes to it's advantages a long time ago and saved myself a lot of hassle.

Having said that, if you think differently so be it, just don't knock it in a post to a newcomer without giving your reasons. With a reasoned argument, an informed decision can be made by anyone reading your post, not a snap decision made on a dismissive statement.

At the end of the day, we all think differently and are never all going to agree on the best way to do anything,

PS I agree about the way track pins look, but for ease of track laying, I pin, ballast and then remove the pins before painting. Probably the best way for an inexperienced modeller to proceed.

 

[Gwent rail]

Thanks for the reply Graham, you clarify a number of points with which I would not argue.

As with most things, a little knowledge is often dangerous. I too have seen other layouts where the use of Sundeala has caused a problem. I would say that these have been caused by ignoring one of three guidelines that are necessary to use the material with success.
1) If your layout is subject to frequent atmospheric changes, don't use it, the changes in humidity will cause it to distort.
2) Follow the instructions included with every pack of "Sundeala Hobbyboard" (as supplied by model railway outlets) and condition the surface before use.
3) Prime the surface of the board with a non-waterbased sealer or paint before using plaster or wallpaper paste on it.

In my case, my layout is a permanent one, in a spare bedroom, where the conditions do not vary significantly. I am also careful to prime any scenic areas, rather than building on top of the untreated board, thereby avoiding any possible absorption of water.
If my layout were intended for exhibition, or even to be housed in an outbuilding that is not kept at constant temperature, I would totally agree with your preferred option i.e. 12mm Ply.

As for the magazine mentioned, I does amaze me that they advocate the use of Sundeala without giving proper guidelines on it's use and even claim to use it themselves, without clearly giving preparation details.
If you and I are talking about the same people, they even sell a booklet on building baseboards without mentioning how to properly condition the surface.

Thanks for giving a clear reasoning behind your dislike of Sundeala, I hope that reading our posts will be of help to someone thinking of trying it for the first time.