liftout section building

[ajroland]

Can someone direct me to some how to drawings of a lift out section in benchwork? I want to put a lift out section in my bench work, I am having trouble finding pictures or drawings of how to make one.

 

[XavierJ123]

There's a neat picture of a lift out section of buildings in the book Model Railroading with John Allen. Also a lift out mountains in Scenery for model railroads. Some of these pictures will appear in other model railroad books and magazines. I don't think they tell you exactly how to do it as you could accomplish the same thing with your own modifications.

 

[ajroland]

Thanks for the information

thanks, for the information, I'll check it out.

 

[seanm]

I did two lift out sections of track on my current layout. Only one really needed to be done as it was at 'gut" height. The other is about nose high and it is easy to just lean to get under.

Here are a series of photos that should sort of explain how I did it.

http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200005.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200006.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200007.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200008.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200022.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200023.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200024.JPG.html
http://www.pegnsean.net/pics/trains/new_tba/tn/P3200018.JPG.html

 

[ajroland]

Thanks for the photos. It looks like you have it designed so that when it is in the out position the track goes dead? I have played around today with the liftout section and I believe I'm going to use some shelf pins to locate the section in the same position everytime. Now for the wiring. I don't won't any mistaken crashes.

 

[seanm]

Good idea about the pins.... Yes, if the shelf is out of place, the track about 1 foot on either side is also dead. Hopefully it will save a few trains.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

You might want some spring loaded off switches at each end of any gate to shut off adjoining sections of the layout anytime the lift out section is lifted out.

 

[60103]

I powered my removable section through a pair of phone plugs on very short leads. In order to remove it, both plugs have to come out. As well, the outer rail is supplied from one end and the inner rail from the other end, and a length of track beyond the liftout. If either plug is removed, the section at the other end goes dead.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

I was thinking of something like the switches in car doors that turn on the dome lights when the door is opened. The switch that I'm talking about should work opposite the way car door switches work.

 

[ezdays]

I was thinking of something like the switches in car doors that turn on the dome lights when the door is opened. The switch that I'm talking about should work opposite the way car door switches work.

You're talking about a normally-open spring-loaded plunger switch. Even a Micro-switch would work. Larger ones are rated at about 3 amps. Some have levers on them to make contact easier.