I am building a new layout and have a removeable bridge secton rather than ducking under. one side of my tracks are about 45 deg to the cut. am wondering if i should cut the track at a 45 to the railheads with the gap or do i cut them 90 deg to the rails?? any help would be useful. am running n scale with code 80 atlas track. thanks for your time
Welcome to the forums.
As I recall most posts, I think you want to cut them parallel with the cut in your gate. Most recommendations are to enter a gate, lift out or whatever, as a straight as possible. Seems you have already layed your track, but others have done the same, so it should work.
You might check the search box down the right side of this page for “lift outs” and “gates” to see if anyone has addressed it on one of the many threads that folks have written about their experiences.
Good luck,
For a lift-out section, build the lift-out first and devise a way to ensure that it goes into place in the same manner and same position every time you use it. I used simple “U”-shaped brackets cut from 3/4" plywood and screwed to the layout facia. For the actual lift-out, a piece of 3/4" plywood has served well for many years. With the lift-out in place, lay your track in a continuous piece from one layout section, across the lift-out, to the other side, starting and ending well-away from the layout edges. If your track is anything other than straight, stagger the cuts in the rails, keeping them well back from the layout edge, and make all cuts at ninety degrees to the length of the rail. This means that the rails will overhang both ends of the lift-out - this eliminates the chance of snagging a rail’s end as you walk through the opening.
After you’ve cut the rails, use a utility knife to cut the ties - follow the edges of the lift-out for these cuts - if your track is curved, the ties may be cut at an angle. Remove any part ties which don’t serve to hold the track in place, then use track spikes and/or track nails to secure both the ties and rails on both sides of both cuts - see the photos for details.
Just visible at lower left is one of the “U”-shaped brackets for my lift-out:
…and the lift-out section, leaning against the layout:
The track at one edge of the aisleway:
…and the corresponding end of the lift-out:
[IMG]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Layout%20room%20tour/Lift-ou
I didn’t have luck cutting in an angle so I wound up modifying the layout to allow the section entering the bridge to be straight. What I’ve seen people successfully do is replace the ties in the cut area with a piece of copper clad circuit board from radio shack. Remove a line of copper between the rails to prevent shorts and then solder the rail directly onto the board. When you cut the rail the board will keep the spacing and provide a stronger hold. It also provides a good platform to screw or nail the track down.
Good Luck
