Can anyone point me towards a pictorial article showing methods for making a roundhouse/t.t. complex removable to take to a work bench OR to make a pop up access to a hard to reach corner of a layout?
The Kalmbach loco servicing book mentions this but doesn’t go into much detail. I imagine a drop in hole lined with a shelf lip is all that would be required along with cutting the approach tracks?
I’m concerned that it would be a hassle to constantly have to realign everything if it’s harder than that.
I plan on inserting standing steel pipes through the bench top to support a platform to crawl on/over the roundhouse like Micro Mark’s gizmo, but running removable pipe stands down to the floor when access is needed to renew mountain scenery behind the r.h./t.t…
Anyway any links or article dates would be appreciated to possibly encourage this craziness would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Here is a variation of what you are talking about:
http://thewilloughbyline.com/willoughbythelayout4.html
You may have seen this thread on the forum. On this site it has more captions and explanation.
Guy
Thanks very much, Guy. That thread will be very helpful for cutting and fitting the t.t. but I’m looking to have the roundhouse AND t.t. all removable (maybe a 1 ft. square or more) as a large enough area to stand in as a pop up access hole. I do appreciate the link. It’s nerve wracking enough simply cutting a hole and fitting the t.t. for the lst time so for that part of the job the pics are a great guide.
I’m thinking stand pipes (removable) to place a platform on when needed will be simpler but still exploring options.
I’d only need to get “back there” to renew mountain scenery or replace dusty snow on the peaks every few months or so.
Thanks,
Jim
If I was going to make a removable section, I would make one big lift-out that includes the roundhouse and turntable. That way you only have to have two or three approach tracks lined up across the gap or seam.
So I would use ¾ inch cabinet grade plywood for the section, and build the turntable and roundhouse on it at the bench. You probably won’t need any bracing with something that thick.
But before that, I would make the corresponding hole in the layout and get the elevations correct when it was set in. So I would also make the layout in that area ¾ cabinet grade plywood as well. Add some pieces under it along the edge as a lip so the lift-out will set in at the same height without falling through.
Next, I would drill two or three ¼ inch holes through the lift-out section and the lip material. Space them out evenly around the lift-out. Then I would insert ¼ inch dowels in the holes as keys. (Drill one, insert the dowel, then drill the next, etc.) Glue the dowels to only the lift-out section OR the lip material. You may have to do some sanding on the dowels so they slip in the holes freely, but not enough to allow any side to side movement. By doing all this, you are insured that the lift-out section will fit back in to the same place ALL the time EVERY time.
Now build the turntable and roundhouse on the lift-out, but don’t lay the approach tracks yet. Once everything else is done, put the lift-out in place and lay the approach tracks, right across the lift-out gap, and ballast the track at the gap and back for about six inches on either side. Once all is dry, cut the track with a motor tool and cut-off disk. Now you should be able to lift the section in and out with no alignment problems. (I have used this same dowel pin / track technique for four lift br
I think Elmer has the right idea here as far as making the entire area be a module, with a minimum number of tracks crossing the gap.
I also think that if you’re going to do that, don’t plan on using it as a pop-up. Even more so with just a roundhouse. There are just too many things that can get out of place with a TT and roundhouse. Once you get it right, you won’t want to move it.
Is the problem you have room for either a pop-up or a engine facility, but not both unless you combine the two? If so, I would reconsider things, as I think this will be a maintenance headache.
Both good points… I’ll mull it all over. Thanks for the feedback. Sorry my response is late. I’ve been having trouble posting all of a sudden on Mac OS 10 but my wife’s new lap top seems to work. Wonder what’s changed? I am not using Explorer, just Safari.
If you haven’t been following Mcfunkeymonkey’s thread on Free-MoN module building, you should take a look at it:
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/205358.aspx
Pay particular attention to the way he has laid the track across the module breaks. His technique assures a solid joint every time the modules are assembled, whether with their normal playmates or with others in a different configuration at Free-MoN meets. He has raised tracklaying to an art form.