hinged track


I had a hinged bridge in an old layout , but have a lift out in my new layout. I found that I could make a liftout that was much tighter in tolerance then the hinged bridge so my track lines up a lot better on a repeatable basis . Just something to consider.
 
I currently have a "gateway" that swings out, for access to the layout. There will be 2 bridges on it, at two different levels. One bridge will be a timber trestle, and the other will be a double girder bridge. Both bridges are curved. So a lift-up, or drop down won't work. I'm beginning to think that the gateway swingout won't give me enough of a tight connection to ensure proper contact with the ends of the rails. Edit; While using the swingout, with temporary track across the opening, the rail ends of both the swingout section and the permanent track, would always get damaged and have to be straightened out. With the lift-out, the only exposed rails would be on the liftout section.

The scene will be a creek/river with 2 rail lines going over it.

I'm probably going to change it to a lift out, with the rail ends sitting in screw slots to insure electrical connectivity. But I'm worried about the total weight of the section, once all the scenery and the bridges are installed. It will have to sit on a piece of plywood that won't sag across the opening.

What would you guys do. Keep the swingout, or go with the lift out?
 
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logandsawman said:
There are some lift outs in our forum as well, check this thread for a couple examples, also a build thread going on where he is swinging out sideways rather than the drop down hinge, can't remember who's, though...

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?32267-lift-outs&highlight=

I have seen them on you tube as well, however some of that needs a grain of salt along with it
Click to expand...
ya i like the lift out idea, im thinking wires that plug in and out for connections
 
Now if you want to go prototypical, how about 1 of these

[YOUTUBE]NNovpMsAP40[/YOUTUBE]
 
tootnkumin said:
Now if you want to go prototypical, how about 1 of these

[YOUTUBE]NNovpMsAP40[/YOUTUBE]
Click to expand...

You know, depending on the distance to be bridged, that might actually work... Assuming you had your bridge going across empty space, and could find a kit or builder...

I'm also imagining a push-button 'elevator' that lifts your entire scenic-ed section vertically, then returns to the original position like a dumbwaiter. That would be cool. :D
 
paper-tiger said:
You know, depending on the distance to be bridged, that might actually work... Assuming you had your bridge going across empty space, and could find a kit or builder...

I'm also imagining a push-button 'elevator' that lifts your entire scenic-ed section vertically, then returns to the original position like a dumbwaiter. That would be cool. :D
Click to expand...
i have 2 of the arched bridges in the back of the video i can use
 
Two of the vertical lift kits, kitbashed together would probably do a doorway. Would sure make a grand entrance to a layout room.
 
Ah! Shoot, well all the construction photos are still on a hard drive in a much older computer along with many others that will be recovered some day. Here are a couple salvaged from a forgotten Photo bucket site
108-0837_IMG.jpg


Note the size of the hinges as the gate was very heavy and it swung outward. This unit worked very well. If the gate was open no train could approach from either side of the bridges. There were no derailments and the cuts through the track were on an angle, thus there was always a solid piece of track for the wheel sets (no derailments because of misaligned gaps in a piece of track. The wooden part of the bridge is still down stairs but won't be for long so I can still get the cut angles if anyone is interested. Anything else would have to be from memory.

Gate.JPG

Cheers from frozen Willie
 

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If you are going to have a swing gate, the rails must be cut at the same angle as the gate. If you cut the rails straight across, the rail ends will hit each other and knock themselves out of alignment.
 
Right, if the angles (both sides of the gate), then there is only one wheel on the truck passing over a cut in the rail at any time, so 3 wheels of a two axle truck are always on solid track. The track itself is also cut at an angle. That was one place I never had any trouble.
Willis
 
That was what I had done as well, but the opening was some what restrictive in size, and while the vast majority of my friends could go throught it with no problems, the track would still get snagged by that one person slightly bigger than the rest of us. That's why I was contemplating a change to just a lift out.
 
Cjcrescent said:
That was what I had done as well, but the opening was some what restrictive in size, and while the vast majority of my friends could go throught it with no problems, the track would still get snagged by that one person slightly bigger than the rest of us. That's why I was contemplating a change to just a lift out.
Click to expand...

I see. You're suffering from that middle aged affliction know as "Furniture Disease."
That's when your chest falls into your drawers. Greetings, fellow sufferer!
 
Not me! In fact I'm down in weight to 180. Health reasons, and I'm next to smallest in our group. I'll admit though that I have suffered from it in the past.
 
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