I’ll be expanding my empire soon and will be needing a lift-out bridge section so that lawn equipment, etc. can pass through the layout extention. I plan to use a piece of aluminum wire trough, which for all of you not familiar, is a strong but lightweight channel made of aluminum for laying heavy industrial wiring in — and, for my purpose, will be ideal to act as a stable yet easy to remove “bridge”. I probably would only have to remove it once a week… if that.
Now my question… I’d like to use a sliding joiner to align the rails when the track is in place yet be able to slide the joiner back to lift out the section. I am familiar with Hillman® clamps and perhaps this would be the way to go but I wondered if anyone had a better solution?
I could provide track power with a jumper and plug so electrical conductivity is not an issue. Ideas?
Years back I had a lift out bridge on an N scale layout. Before laying track, I built the bridge (plywood base); at each end I used copper pop-rivets. I separated the copper “nails” from the rivets. Two copper nails in each end of the bridge with electrical connections to be attached later to the rails. In each abutment, I put two copper rivets with electric leads to connect the rails on the layout. After the rough wood work was in place and stable I began laying tracks. I used flex rail so that there would be no joint at the bridge ends. After ensuring things ran properly I then cut the rails using a dremel tool. The copper rivets provided stability and proper rail head alignment as well as electrical continuity. I never needed rail joiners for the three years that layout existed. You might consider something larger along that line. If you can achieve proper stability and alignment you might not need joiners.
I just use the slide-over rail joiners since they don’t have to conduct electricity. I had bought some clamps for that purpose, but found it easier just to slide the joiners than deal with tightening and loosening the clamps every time.
Greg, do you know if Split Jaw makes the ones you use for code 250? That sounds like an even simpler way to do business, and will work well once I redeck the bridge with proper bridge ties (losing the ability to slide the joiners).
I like the option of just having a slide over joiner since all I need is mechanical alignment. I’ll be using a polarized plug to keep electrical continuity to the rails.
The NS (NYC) lift bridge over the Cuyahoga River here in Cleveland has pneumatic locks to insure the bridge is in place and aligned so there really is a prototype—sort of—for this kind of thing!
The Split Jaw ball-spring deal looks nice but I’d be afraid of water getting in there and freezing which has caused some rail joiner damage on my layout.
Howdy Ed, if I understand your question I believe you could use what modular railroaders call a “Spanner” a piece of track with the tie under cut at one end. Make your bridge track a spanner, undercut a tie on one end, slide the regular joiners back enough to install the track on the unmodified end then slide the joiners on the modified end into place. I double feed power from both ends; I install two spanners on my railroad every time I run and have never had trouble with them.
