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Raising Layout To Roof
Mark has a question you might be able to help him with:
“I want to raise a layout to ceiling height. What is the best way [motor] to achieve this ?? My grandsons keep on about having a setup in the garage, but I have not the room.. Any suggestions?”
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11 Responses to Raising Layout To Roof
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You can raise by using pulleys and a good rope fastened to all 4 corners–remember the temp changes and moisture effects a garage has.
To raise your layout to the ceiling or rafters of your garage is fairly easy.
I built a rod made of fence metal tubing center of your layout supported on top of your ceiling rafters. It could be mounted on the bottom in case of a closed ceiling. Install 4 eye bolts on the corners of the layout and straigt above them mount 4 pullys About 2 inch or larger straight above them. Installing the lift cable drill through the center pipe shaft and slide your cable through so it is center. feed the cable to the upper pulleys and down to the table eyes. Install heavy chain snaps on the end of the cable and snap the snap to the eye of the table. Start turning the center pipe and make sure all four corners lift equally. Now I used a large bicyle sprocket to the end of the crank pipe and I used a bike chain to the small wheel sprocket and used the wheel without the tire to hand crank the layout to the ceiling. I drilled holes in the tube area of the wheel and with a mounted plate I used a pin to lock the wheel in position. Be sure to install safety chains and snaps to snap to the boards eye bolts for safety. Set some fold down legs on your layout to set it on the floor. My table was very heavy as my Dad had made it out of 3/4 ply and 2 X6’s. and it worked just fine but if the kids would try to lower it on their own it could lad on them. A lighter board would be ideal and a locking electric motor would work better than I had. My table was 250 pounds and way to heavy as my dad overkilled the table. But it works and will work better than I had The bicycle wheel worked easy but if you would slip in your hands it would come down fast. So I suggest the locking lift motor. and don’t forget the safety chains. It did wonders and I had 2 cars in the garage. Newman
My uncle did a similar thing in his dining room. When in use the layout sat on the dining table. When it was time to eat, it was lifted up as already mentioned until it was a few inches below the ceiling. He had four fluorescent tube (this was in the late 60’s), just inboard of the edges of the layout, which gave indirect lighting to the room. I cannot remember whether the bottom of the layout was enclosed but, knowing him, it probably was.
Sounds like I wasn’t alone raising the board. There was times I would lower the board down to just clear the hood of the car just to run them. and there were times I would lower it to almost the floor so little kids could see without being held up. Very seldom did I set it on its legs. I would leave it on the cables and it would sway some if the table was bumpt. Didn’t matter. If I took the cables off I would hang a weight on it to keep the cable snug on the pipe.
Happy Railroading Newman
Harbor freight sells a 1500 lb 110volt electric winch. Thats what I plan to use on my layout.
I have an 1100 lb. electric hoist supported on galvanized pipe I purchased at lows. Essentially I constructed a static engine lift. My platform is 12′ by 10′ with an approx. 3 ft opening in the center to allow reaching all points of the platform. I constructed the platform from 3/8 ply supported by 2×4’s that I cut to 1 x 4’s. I supported the underside of the platform with 1′ steel tubing(lightweight through the 1×4’s and then installed 4 eyelets and cable guides at each corner of the opening. I ran 5/16th cable in a loop on each side of the opening, which can be placed over the hook on the elec lift and I’m able to lift the whole thing by myself. It does require a little balancing to get up in place but once it is in place between the 7 ft high cross beams, I bolt it in place and release the tension on the lift. I’m able to drive under and store my pickup in the garage. I have to finish a quick disconnect type of system for the power controls, but that will probably be in warmer weather. If anyone would like pictures of this system, answer the comment!
Sounds smilar to what I imagined, ie; an electric motor and eye bolts, through a timber frame supported my metal.
I would like to see what you have .
regads,
Mark
I bought an HO 4×8 layout at a garage sale for $80.00. I already have an N scale layout in my studio so there was no room for it so it had to go in the garage. I fastened two eye hooks to each end and and purchased a bicycle pulley at a bike shop. I used a stud finder to find a stud in the ceiling and screwed that to the ceiling. My son or daughter have to help me if I lower it down or raise it up. I raise it up to clear the van when not in use. When we bring it down we put it on two saw horses.
I saw a post that told you to have one on each corner. In hindsight I wish i would have done that because my garage attic storage is next to my layout. One day while putting something away, my town had a terrible earth quake and a couple of structures hit the floor. I then used rubber cement to hold them down. Of course my engines and rolling stock go in a box.
Dave Urness
I had same idea and achieved the goal with a small layout (about 2m. x 1m.) located in my car parking box in the basement of the building I’m living in.
In the page “http://sites.google.com/site/tascosagreenvalley/Home/progresso/t-gv-lavori-2” there is a picture collection about that job.
The language of the site is italian, I’m sorry but I never tried to prepare an english version.
(Almost) Everything you can find around in the site is carried out by me (something is clearly labelled as “coming from someone else”) and any idea you find useful for you… copy, upgrade, and tell anybody you want.
HAPPY RAILROADING !!!!
I made 15’x10′ light weight table for 1/32 scale R/C car track in my garage. I use 4 bicycle lifts (one on each corner) to lift and lower the table into place. I lower the table down onto the top of my ping pong table when I use it. When the table is in the UP position, I lock it into place with a 5th bike lift across the center, and 3 brackets just for safe measure. I can raise and lower the table by myself by doing one end about 1.5′ at a time, and I raise it back up in the same way. One important factor is to make sure that the weight of the table does not exceed the lifting specs of the bike lifts.
If you want a motorized lift, consider the Garage Gator: http://www.amazon.com/Garage-Gator-GGR220-220-Pound-Residential/dp/B00260GL1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389043907&sr=8-1&keywords=garage+gator I currently use one in the garage to lift an adult tricycle on a platform above the cars. I’m planning to create a railroad layout in the garage and will use another one to lift the layout above the cars. You can omit the long bar that’s intended to hold bikes. Instead, hang chain in an inverted V from the two hooks on the cable connected to motorized winch. The locking control unit is very easy to use.