Lift Bridge

[Nomad]

HI everone . This is my temporary lift bridge. It worked fine until I put the track on the bridge. Now the tracks hit and I can not lift the bridge. It looks like I would have to put a 1/4 to 1/2" gap in the track to get it to lift. Any ideas on what I can do to get the track to clear?

Loren

 

[LoudMusic]

You'll need to raise the point of hinge above the tracks so that they separate as the bridge hinges up.

Perhaps this link will help

http://www.all-model-railroading.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=92853&postcount=57

 

[Nomad]

LoudMusic, Thanks ! Just what I needed. I found that site once and could not find it again.
Now I have it bookmarked.

Loren

 

[LoudMusic]

Glad I could help! Show us some pictures when you've got it rebuilt

 

[Russ Bellinis]

You don't need to do a lot of "rebuilding." Basically the hinge just has to be above the top of the rails. I think raising the screws in the long side of the hinge and putting a shim made of 3/8-1/2 inch plywood under each of the smaller hinge plates will fix it.

 

[Nomad]

Here are some pictures of my "temporary bridge". It works great now.

Loren

 

[Nomad]

This is the change I made that LoudMusic found(sorry Russ,I was done before I saw your reply).
The screw sticking up is a stop to keep the bridge from going all the way over.

Loren

 

[Nomad]

I cut this notched piece to keep the bridge aligned when it is down.
What happened to the picture?

Loren

 

[LoudMusic]

Looks good. How's the alignment on the receiving end?

EDIT: Ha ha, posted at the same time.

 

[Nomad]

Lets try this again.

 

[Nomad]

It is all made out of stuff I had laying around. The channell underneath is a old curtain rod. I used it because the plywood was warped.

Loren

 

[xpt rail]

Probably a stupid question,but how do you scenically hide the hinge so you can still get to the screws

 

[60103]

xpt: I would say that you either don't worry about the screws or don't scenic.


I would probably scenic with some foam sheets and carve a hole big enough for the hinges. The foam sheets can be removable. For times you want the layout to look really respectable, you can add a bit of scenery along the sides of the liftout -- this can be supported on a bit of frame or the edges of the main bench.

 

[Nomad]

xpt: I would say that you either don't worry about the screws or don't scenic.


I would probably scenic with some foam sheets and carve a hole big enough for the hinges. The foam sheets can be removable. For times you want the layout to look really respectable, you can add a bit of scenery along the sides of the liftout -- this can be supported on a bit of frame or the edges of the main bench.

Yea, what he said. I wish I could put the screws in from underneath, but on the edge of the table like it is, I really can not see a way to to do that without making it more obvious.

Loren

 

[IandOFan71]

Nice lift bridge. It looks almost exactly like mine. As far as scenery goes, I plan on covering up the hinges with some shrubbery that way when the bridges are lifted the shrubbery can be smooshed a bit and bounce back when the bridge is lowered. Just a suggestion you may want to think about.

Tyler

 

[Nomad]

I thought about what Russ wrote, I am going to try using a strap hinge raised up on the table edge and screwed to the bridge from underneath. I'll let you know hoe it turns out.

Loren

 

[BigJim]

I used a "pin" pivot just below the table level but back a few inches from the opening. This allows the track to overlap the connection and meet on a single surface, Since the angle of the track motion on the left side is only about 7 degrees from vertical you can cut it at a very slight angle if you want but a few thousands gap is all you need for clearance. I bend the track extensions down just slightly. When the lift closes and the tracks contack the cork they bend up flat for a perfect fit. Final version will most likely have some material other than cork where they join and may have some small tie alignment bumps on either side of the track extension landings.

I plan on re-working it later for looks but will stay with this design because even without alignment pins I have not had a songle problem and nothing extends above the surface.

I think I will add some sort of micro switch & relay safety cutout to disconnect the power for a few inches before the opening on both sides to stop trains when it is up. With this design they can fall off the table from both sides.

 

[MadHatter]

Perhaps scratchbuild a removable highway bridge over the hinges and then make the "supports" able to cover both hinges that are visable. I would use the foam idea on the part of the hinge with the bridge section attached to it.

Thats my 2 cents.

 

[Gary S.]

BigJim's solution looks interesting. Thanks for posting the pics.

Do you have any concerns about the messing up the track where it extends past the bridge?

You mentioned that you might use something other than cork on the stationary side where the track extensions touch. What if you just took off the cork and glued some roadbed made out of wood to the track extensions and let this rest on the stationary part?

 

[Nomad]

Big Jim, that is a great idea. I think if you put boards on the side extending out past the opening, that should hold the alingment and still be below the table. Using switches to cut the power is another great idea. I really like that idea better than what I have know, but I would have to rebuild my table in that area, and I am far enough along that would be a major overhaul:cry: .

Loren