Train Room Progress - VI - Swing Gate


GrandpaCoyote

GrandpaCoyote

Wiley Old Dog
Hello again Gang;

Well I got a wild hair last night and I decided to try and make the swing gate for the layout on my own - so I dug up some scrap lumber (from when I tried to test build a piece of bench work back near the beginning of last year), salvaged up a good hinge of of one of the closet doors I took down from the Train room, checked my measurements and set to work.

I first had to clean and ready the hinge to make sure it was in good working order since it was an original Hinge from when the house was built about 30 years ago. I cleaned and fixed it up, lacking any good graphite lubricant I improvised and used a freshly sharpened pencil to line the inside of the pivot and the pin.

Then I took the old test piece of bench work apart and cut all the pieces to size, lacking proper power tools I used a small hand saw to do this.

Leveled the whole thing out, screwed it all together and hung it up after making and screwing in "docking station" shelves to the bench work for the gate to sit n when closed and when open.

It all seemed to come out pretty well and I admit that even though it's probably not the best, prettiest or most professional job, but I'm pretty proud of it.

Tell me what you all think - this is my first attempt at something like this and any advice is helpful and gratefully accepted. :)

I apologize in advance for there being so many pics - Enjoy

View attachment 5306 View attachment 5307
As viewed from the outside

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End on view- viewing the inner end
 
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Look great GC. No ducking for you. (bet you hardly use it except during construction.) You'll be down and under so quick it'll ruin all the excuses you give the OL for not doing the honey-dos.
 
SpaceMouse said:
Look great GC. No ducking for you. (bet you hardly use it except during construction.) You'll be down and under so quick it'll ruin all the excuses you give the OL for not doing the honey-dos.
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:D Actually what is going to get me on the Honey-do list is that now I've ruined my amateur standing - I can just hear it now "Honey can you fix so and so?" - "Baby I have no idea how to do something like that" - "But honey, you built that great gate on the layout all b yourself, I'm sure you can do lil ol' this *bats lashes* "

Yes I am indeed doomed! :eek:

Peace.

Coyote
 
From one gate building fan to another, WELL done!! very nice looks like you've been building them for years.

Ken.
 
I built a life-gate of nearly the same dimensions, but this looks better. A lift-gate is heavy, so this will be easier to operate and will also not destroy the scenery when it is opened. A life-gate means the scenery must be glued down really well.

Any thoughts as to how you are going to disguise it?

Bill
 
No need to apologize for the pics they will be most helpful for anyone comtemplating such a gate (like me for instance :) ).

Nice workmanship to boot.I think I'm gonna download your pics (if you don't mind) and save them to a project folder for reference.
 
Excellent work Coyote! I wish I had the patience to do things "professionally" like you've been doing throughout your project. I'm always in such a rush (mostly because of my limited free time, kids still living at home) that I do whatever I can to make my trains run reliably, without much regard for aesthetics.

My "gates" are simply removable planks with safety power-cutoff wiring.
 
Grandpa,
Very nice work. I have a similar issue on my horizon. I will have the track pass in front of my door on it's way to the upper level. It will be about eye level or a little lower. I was thinking of just ducking under, but now, thanks to you :), I might consider a swing gate. My problem is that the track will be on a grade. This seem like it would make the construction a bit more complicated... or I'm just over-thinking it.

In my plan you can see that the gate would only need to be about four inches wide and three to four feet long. This would eliminate any weight issues... now I just have to focus on the grade. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Again, nice job on your gate.
Dave

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Thanks Willis,
I'll take a longer look at the link you provided.

Yeah, I have already come to terms with the access areas... thankfully, I built my benchwork at a fairly comfortable height, so the ducking's not as bad as it could be. Dave
 
Another Duckunder

Nice job, Coyote. :) I like the "Docking Station" idea. I just built a duckunder bridge as the entrance to my new layout recently. I used a heavy laminated bookshelf-type board and mounted it on a large hinge so it can drop down. When raised up a sliding latch slides into a hole on the opposite side facia board. Two sets of track across the duckunder bridge allow for a twice around run in a smaller room (8' X 11'). Railjoiners keep things lined up but make me want to just leave it there and duck underneath. I've banged my head a few times so far :(

JimmyG in Des Moines
modeling the Marquette, Froelich, and Monona RR in NE Iowa
 
GatorDave said:
Thanks Willis,
I'll take a longer look at the link you provided.

Yeah, I have already come to terms with the access areas... thankfully, I built my benchwork at a fairly comfortable height, so the ducking's not as bad as it could be. Dave
Click to expand...

Dave these might help you. They are of my narrow gate across the room doorway. Two levels and on a grade.

Ken.
 
Coyote

Great work, i love to see a gate on a MR, the work has to be good or you end up with trouble, by the look of your's you won't get any,

Thanks for sharing:D
 
Not fair!!!! yours has scenery!!
Click to expand...
Well not too much of it yet. I used bridges because of their light weight. However Later I realized I had to use a lot more plywood to support it all.(can't win for losing :rolleyes: ) A word of caution, scenery is heavy. I'm using 2 large hinges to support the gate while it's open and the gate itself should have a lot of support built in to prevent any kind of a sag over time.
I didn't have much luck trying to get a good closure of the track at the hinged end until I cut the roadbed there at an angle also. I also find, to hide the opening while closed, so that it doesn't bind during opening and closing, that scenery is going to be a bit of a challenge at that end. Whenever I get the creative urge (not too often now days) I have a go at it.

Cheers Willis
 
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