Author Topic: Ideas for a hinged lift up  (Read 2633 times)

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Jeff AKA St0rm

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Ideas for a hinged lift up
« on: September 17, 2013, 09:17:56 PM »
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Ok I am looking for ideas on how to build my lift out walk through section. it is 2.5' long and 6" wide. I have room to make it swing out or up. Any ideas and photos would help.

thanks

BobS

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2013, 08:44:46 AM »
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I plan on using unistrut as a hinged bridge across the entrance to my train room.
It is the right width for N Scale track and the sides will act as a guardrail to prevent trains from tumbling to the floor.




Bob Stanley
« Last Edit: September 18, 2013, 08:46:48 AM by BobS »

wm3798

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2013, 09:04:04 AM »
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Mine hinged down.  A simple cabinet hinge on the bottom, a barrel bolt at the connection.  Laid the track through, cut with a dremel.  Worked like a champ.









I added some 1/4 lattice strip to each side for a guardrail, and also to protect it from bumps and bruises when in the open position.  Wiring was via modular phone jacks.

And it didn't look bad from above:


To remove, three screws and unclip the modular plug.  Bip bop bip!

Lee

Rockin' It Old School

Lee Weldon www.wmrywesternlines.net

davefoxx

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2013, 09:05:34 AM »
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Jeff,

Hopefully, Lee Weldon (wm3798) will check in and answer your question.  He had a double track hinged section on his former WM Western Lines layout that survived many ops sessions and never caused a derailment to the best of my recollection.  You may be able to research for photos on his website: http://www.wmrywesternlines.net

Hope this helps,
DFF

EDIT:  Ha!  Lee checked in at the same time as me.

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Philip H

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2013, 09:13:05 AM »
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I too can attest to the simplicity and robustness of Lee's design - I may or may not have tested its functionality a time or two.
Philip H.
Chief Everything Officer
Baton Rouge Southern RR - Mount Rainier Division.


M.C. Fujiwara

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2013, 10:48:58 AM »
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I dig the swing down style, Lee.
Probably will use that for my HO client's layout when we build around to create a "C" that will get bridged.
Only issues I see are 1) physically bumping into it when down and making it wobble over time and 2) the bolt hole becoming enlarged with use and causing "sag" over time.
(The weight of the bridge is resting fully on the bolt, yes?)
Or did you mount a metal sleeve / smooth t-nut-like contraption for the bolt to fit into on the receiving side?

Just for show a different way, here's Big Al Mayo's simple lift bridge:


Might be overkill for the space, but Mark Dance has a very groovy swing-out section that uses a bicycle steering column I think--maybe he'll chime in.
M.C. Fujiwara
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wm3798

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2013, 11:48:39 AM »
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Never had a problem with the bolt hole.  I actually had it mounted so it was on the snug side, perhaps a tad high.  You can see that it came up to a tunnel portal.  I added some ground foam clumps at the end of the bridge that served as a spring to hold the alignment.  When they got too compressed to do the job, I just added a little more.




The bridge was also the location of the transition from the C80 in the staging yard and the c55 of the layout.  That was at the hinge end of the bridge.  I used a couple of re-railers to stabilize the transition at the other end.

Easy Peasy. 
Lee
« Last Edit: September 18, 2013, 11:56:18 AM by wm3798 »
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Jeff AKA St0rm

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2013, 09:46:57 PM »
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Thanks for the ideas so far. I do like lee's drop down.

basementcalling

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2013, 09:52:54 AM »
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I have at least 1 of these to build for my Idaho Belt line so this has been a great thread for me as well.

I have one lift out section that may convert itself to a drop down, except that the section may be longer than the layout is high at that point.

As for bumping the section when hanging down, I am thinking of recessing it a bit into the benchwork on one side so it is slightly offset behind the benchwork edge for protection, but that complicates the hinge set up and bending the edge of the connection.
Peter Pfotenhauer

ljudice

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #9 on: September 19, 2013, 10:08:26 AM »
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Thanks for posting these Lee,  I am at a loss on how to proceed here - since my idea to put two "blobs" in is getting nowhere fast.



M.C. Fujiwara

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2013, 11:48:27 AM »
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Seems like you could protect the dropped shelf by either recessing the hinged point (yellow lines) to make the dropped shelf flush with the layout fascia or just install a "bumper" on one or each side of the bridge (red/blue bump):



Or wrap contina wire around the whole thing  :scared:
M.C. Fujiwara
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basementcalling

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2013, 01:41:52 PM »
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Or wrap contina wire around the whole thing  :scared:

You can't touch that!  Stop. Hammertime.
Peter Pfotenhauer

sizemore

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2013, 04:43:37 PM »
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You can't touch that!  Stop. Hammertime.
[/quote

That was EPIC.

:trollface:
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wm3798

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2013, 06:11:16 PM »
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Hell... I still have the bridge.  If your dimensions work, I'll send it to you!!  (Except I can't remember how long it is...)

Lee
Rockin' It Old School

Lee Weldon www.wmrywesternlines.net

Rossford Yard

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Re: Ideas for a hinged lift up
« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2013, 10:12:34 AM »
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If you look at Lance Mindheims books, he recommends a simple lift out to reduce complexity.  I agree and that is how we built mine. (Pix in the Layout Engineering Reports section)  The downside is you do have to have a place to store it under the layout.