As a young kid in the early 60’s my folk had built a drop down train 4’HX8’L table in the den for my 1959 Lional train set.
All six of my old V&T loco from the 60"s have been converted to DCC. This way I can run many loco on the same track at the same time but I am tired of being on the floor.
Here in FL we do not have basements so I want to built a 4’HX8’L drop down train table for my HO DCC layout that can be attached to an outside wall in the room. Type of hinge; how to keep it up, etc. Any ideas for building this table will be most helpful. Thanks for the help.
Here’s a few ideas how to mount a fold down layout.
Ideally just use the strongest hinges you can fit and make sure the hinges and pulleys are mounted into solid backing in the wall and you should be fine.
Good to see a new train buff here. Although I don’t have plans for it I do remember a fold down train table that my dad built in the early 70’s for me. the lower part that attached to the wall was built from 3/4 pine but 1/2 would probably work just as well, the bottom cabinet was 8" deep by approx 38 tall and 8’ long. the layout table itself was 3/4" ACX plywood and hinged off of this at the outer edge. I don’t remember what type of hinge/hinges he used but I seem to remember that it was a very long piano hinge. There were doors on the bottom part that secured the cabinet and its contents and also acted as supports for the table when it was down in use. I have seen designs very similar to this in past issues of MR so it should’nt be to hard to find something that you can copy and or modify to suit your needs. Good luck and keep it on the high and shiny stuff Neil
There is a classic John Armstrong design called the Murphy Bed and Credenza, which consists of a 4xH (H being about 3 inches short of ceiling height) that folds up into a case mounted against the wall. The adjacent bookcase-looking unit has a yard under a sloped top that folds up to provide a bit of backdrop. (The sloped top is to discourage people from putting objects on the closed lid when the layout isn’t in use.)
The advantage of having a portion of the layout that remains level is that rolling stock can be left on the rails rather than having to be removed before turning the layout on edge.
It’s also possible to raise a layout, level, up against the ceiling - assuming that he ceiling height is sufficient. If this technique is used, it’s a good idea to have the layout stand on legs when it’s in operation. If it’s simply swinging from the hoist cables a simple hip bump will translate into a scale megathrust earthquake. (At least you won’t have a tsunami along with it…)
I just recently reread that article and would like to add that it included one of Armstrong’s clever designs for a specially fabricated hinge that would allow the layout folding section to drop down so that a much greater length could be hinged away from the wall. As mentioned by the previous poster it sounds like just what you are after.
It is on page 4 of Creative Model Railroad Design by John Armstrong, published by Kalmbach Books.
