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Track Liftout Sections
Bill has a question for readers:
“When building an HO layout that has a section that will need to be lifted out with track on it how do you maintain the needed alignment of the rails everytime the section is removed then replaced?”
Comment below.
3 Responses to Track Liftout Sections
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Bill,
One method people use to align lift out sections is to install a common 3″ door hinge on the underside of each side of the lift out ‘seam’. Mount the hinge so that the hinge pivot is exactly centered and parallel to the lift out seam with one hinge half secured to the fixed side of the break and the other on the lift out section. The hinge pin, which acts as an alignment pin, is removed when the lift out section is to be taken out and slid back into place when the lift out section is replaced. You would have one hinge mounted at each end of the lift out area.
A method similar to the above is to leave one of the hinges permanent (mounted on the table’s surface) so that you can raise the section out of the way like a drawbridge. The down side to this method is that you’ll probably end up with a fairly wide gap in the table side to accommodate the pivoting end of the ‘bridge’. Operationally this isn’t really a problem but cosmetically it is hard to disguise.
Another type of lift out section construction to consider is to construct your table so that each side of the lift out OPENING has a 3/4″ to 1″ lip. The lift out SECTION has a similar overhang of 3/4″ to 1″ on each end that would rest on the table lips described earlier. Clamp the lift out section securely into position and then drill straight down through the lift out section’s overhang into the table lip beneath. Drill a total of four holes, two on each end. Then insert a dowel that is the same diameter as the holes you drilled so that it sits into the bottom table lip but is flush with the lift out’s surface. The dowels act as an alignment keys for the lift out section. Once you are satisfied with the fit & section placement, put glue on the top half of the alignment dowels ONLY. Next, put them into place making sure you don’t get any of the glue on the table’s bottom lip or into its dowel’s hole. If you do, you won’t be able to lift out the removable section.
When the lift out construction is finished and you are satisfied that you can insert and remove it without any problems, lay your track so that you have a 6″ or 8″ section that ‘bridges’ each table seam. These track sections will be ‘floaters’, the alignment of each which would be normal rail joiners typically used to connect sectional track. The joiners would ‘stay’ with one side or the other and be slid into place when the lift out section is in place. Over time, the rail joiners will probably have to be replaced as they will eventually loosen from frequent usage.
Hope this helps,
Geof from the US
I use 1 1/4 wide and 3/4 inch long PC board with 1/8 brass angle soldered to eaithr side of the rails I cut a gap down the center so the board don’t short out and drill/ spike the the ends of the board in place. I extend the lift rails 3/8″ over the end of the lift section and when placed the rails drop into the guide/trough and line up perfectly.The brass angle is 3/4″ long and runs on either side of the rails and soldered into place forming a (V)so the rails can sit in. The fixed rail goes half way across the plate and the lift rail take up the remaining space.
i construct all my oo gauge layouts on manageable / storeable sections. i drill a hole through the section and its adjoining section and use a short piece of dowel thro the holes to align both sections in exactly the same position each time. hope this helps.
Ron Stephenson, Swansea, Wales. uk.