Best underlayment base material to dampen track noise?

[SlotCat]

I've just finished my new track table (currently 6x12') but going to have bolt on sections to extend to 6x14' with an added 2x8' pop out bolted on to the right front side of the table! Super excited, primed the wood yesterday with Zinser123 water based primer. Want something that does not shed lint and thin as possible but durable, looked at Home Depot indoor/outdoor carpeting but their all still kinda thicker than I want. Couple pictures of the build attached, need to get one of fully painted.

What do you use/recommend?

[Billy boy]

Maybe rolled rubber roofing in white,the kind used on flat roofs ? Just a thought.

[Pappy]

Good idea, I like it.

[RichD]

For my HO track I used green foam backed carpet runner from Home Depot. As a bonus that looks like grass, so I did not have to paint the table top.

[Mitch58]

My entire track is raised above the table, the lowest parts are filled with spray foam and the higher parts are filled with wadded up newspaper, the infield/landscsped areas are blue foam. It made the track much quieter.

[4424ever]

I used very cheap low pile carpet and even turned it upside down the backing looks like dirt because it’s a tan coloured carpet. Works great

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I was daydreaming about this a couple of times, and I think (barring a huge cost I don't know about), that the sound dampening material used in cars might really work great. When I collected and restored VWs, there were some models that had inherently loud engine noise inside. By ling the engine bay with this material, you could make the steel echo chamber of a VW sound like the engine was a purring cat. In British sports cars, you put it under the carpet stuck to the floorboards, and it works great there, too. It is a gummy black stuff with a metal foil layer on top. You cut the shape of the area you want to cover then peel off the backing and stick it in place. I did two VW busses and a Triumph Spitfire this way. I'm sure they still make it, but I was doing this 30 years ago. It came in sheets about 18"X24", stacked in a box. Seams are thumb smoothed or rolled and solid, no gaps.

[SlotCat]

Thanks for the great ideas, going to look again at very low pile indoor/outdoor carpet. Staple it down at back of table, give it a little stretch, staple here and there, roll it over front of table edges and staple underneath.

[mattb]

There is a self stick insulation/sound deadening material available in the hot rod world to put under carpets and on firewalls. I think I have a roll somewhere and it might be a good solution.