Does anyone have photo or plans for a lift out section for a modular model railroad? It’s getting to be quite a pain (literally!) to crawl in and out of our club’s modular setup, and none of us is getting any younger.
One of our members was at the recent show in Springfield, MA and remarked that one layout there had such a section. But of course he did not have his camera with him to take photos.
Anyone have any help?
Thanks!
Bob Boudreau
This is basically a theoretical response, but I’ve been thinking about lift-out sections a bit.
I would make it so that there’s vertical and horizontal adjustment at each end. This could easily be done with screws inside threaded holes. Or, even cheaper, with thru-holes in some wood, and a couple nuts and washers on each side of it.
The idea is to have adjustment by turning a screw, which will be plenty accurate for lining up track horizontally and vertically.
The screw contraption could be clamped onto standard modules, so it could be installed on whichever module you want to install it on.
The sections would be “calibrated” once for the setup, then can be removed and dropped back in all day without any adjustments.
You could get clever and make some sort of trap door thing, where when you remove it, a panel goes up that becomes a barricade for trains trying to cross it. That would take a bit more thinking, but could totally be done.
Sorry, I know this isn’t very specific, and is a far cry from plans, but these are some ideas.
Hello Bob,
check out dath9x9 a.k.a Bill Carl his website: http://www.fcsme.org/
he build one
Hi Bob, I was at the show. I did not get a real close look at the lift out sections on many of the layouts, but from what I saw, they have the lift out module just sitting onto arms that are on the FIXED sections. Where the tracks meet of course, are at tight spacing so that they nearly touch ends. It looked like there where handles under the lift out section to make it easier to grasp.
I think I would use slide out handles from the sides, so that you could just grab the module from the sides and lift away.
Our division paid for a stainless steel bridge and frame to be made. The bridge itself pivots on one end, lift-up style and the open end has a tapered pin tor re-registering the rails when the bridge is swung closed. Why stainless steel? I don’t know but I do know that it is ridgid as all get-out. It is a real scene stealer at the shows because it is shiny and looks good.
The frame is made of electrical tubing 1 1/2 inch in diameter that forms an arch above the bridge and there is a frame at the bottom that holds the vertical members in registration. This is done so the layout rigidity is maintained when the bridge is lifted open. The frame is painted brown to subdue its presence allowing the bridge to stand out.
I rigged an electrical system so the tracks on the module on both sides of the bridge are turned off when the bridge is open preventing any trains running off the layout.
Ours is similar to the one in the picture posted by lupo but not as massive. To view it visit our website. This link takes you directly to a photo of the bridge in use at a show - http://pics.whdnmra.org/album14/WHDShow_058
We had a muffler shop build an arch 3 ft wide with a 3 ft metal base. The various tube pieces press fit together. There are plates welded to the outside that form the “ends” that are clamped to the adjoining modules. A simple hinged bridge is attached to the plates. There are micro switches and special gapped 9" straight sections so when the bridge is open the adjoining modules are .
Sorry I don’t think I have any pictures.
Dave H.
Heres a photo of the walk through in the background, the brown arches.
http://pics.whdnmra.org/album14/WHDShow_071
Dave H.
dehusman posted comments about the same bridge I commented about. We are members of the Western Heritage Division, NMRA.
Thanks to all for the ideas! This one looks like a security gate at an airport! I was really looking for something much simpler, like a lift up section within a module pair, without such a large entrance. Someone has to haul it around and store it, and this could be the main problem. Some of our members have some ideas that we will discuss at this week’s meetings. I’ve copied some of these ideas and have posted them for our members to see.
Thanks again!
Bob Boudreau
Our club website: http://www.geocities.com/sjsmrr/
I’m about to build an “around the wall” layout and I don’t want it to be “point to point”. I want the capability for loop operation as well. I’ve been looking at ideas for lift sections.
Are any of you in this type of situation?
Hi Bob.
I to for many years have been thinking about a similar problem. How to gain entry into the middle of layouts that are an Around the Walls/Room style plan… On some of my track plans I have come up with that had considered port operations or at least having to span a hypothetical navigable right of way. I thought about building a Bascule Bridge that spanned 24-27" in length. There would be a simple "up/down switch on iether side of the entry. When a person needed to enter or leave they would raise the bridge, and once they passed they could lower the bridge While this arrangements has both ends achored to both ends of the wall spanning an entry way and thus both points fixed and maintaining alignment is not an issiue. I am sure of one built some sort of intigrated unit (Maybe Fundy Northern having to cross the Boudreau river perhaps?) that these issiues can be taken care off. My personal inclination would be to build sime kind of three part module. (4 part if you consider the bridge itself) Two pieces of Terra Firma on iether side of the bridge. and then a frame that supportse these two pieces of terra firma and holds them in alignment across the isle way “river” and then the bridge span that can be lifted in and out of its pivots and pvitong mechanism. A lot of complex work I know. But Could be a cool scene none the less.
James Mitich