I am building a HO scale southern rr layout in a building and it’s going to wrap around all four walls and I’m wondering how could I build a simple swinging gate in front of the door. So that I can run trains all the way around without having a hard time getting inside. Any ideas or information that might help? (The layout is going to be DCC controlled.)
thanks.
Build the gate and the tables next to it first. Angle cut the table tops so that they can open and close freely. Put the hinges on the inside so that even the inside of the gate pulls away from the table cleanly.
Once that is assembledd and works to your satisfaction, then you build the rest of the layout to match with these.
ROAR
Get yourself a latch that holds the gate tightly closed so the relative position of the pieces can’t change. I’m using a pair of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMPOSQW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When you are convinced that the gate closes to the exact same spot every time, lay the track across the gap, glue both sides to the roadbed, then cut the track with a razor saw after the glue has set. I’m using PC7 Epoxy paste as the “ballast” on mine.
This is a common layout challenge, and there’s about a million ways to skin this cat. Some are minimalist and lightweight, some are super sturdy and rock-solid but quite bulky and heavy.
In the most recent issue of Model Railroad Planning, there’s one concept/design with an interesting twist I hadn’t seen before, that is the gate hinges are offset further back on the layout, allowing the gate to clear the full width of the doorway when open.
Honestly, I think the best thing for you to do is to do a Google search for “model railroad swing gate.” You’ll get a bunch of results, including several YouTube videos. Check out several of these and decide which design will fit your situation the best, then go from there.
