flip up section done to functionality

[ScaleCraft]

Blue depressed river, on purpose. Rockies and all that.....gonna resin pour over it later. Green on banks as grass doesn't stick well on vertical surfaces until adhesive sets up.
Have a fascia to put on (cut, paint drying) and a centering block under one end.
Wired....took the safeties out on the hinge end, flip up stops trains from the great abyss. The 2-wire plugs at the other end feed the isolated sections there to prevent that issue.

[healey36]

Nice. Would love to see a shot of where the track mates on either side...I've never understood how that is done to assure smooth running.

I have a Lionel 305 bridge in a duck-under configuration. I need to figure out if it might be made into a "flip-up" mode.

[ScaleCraft]

I'll get some shots later. For 35+ years in that place there was at least one lift out, later two, now a flip-up.

What I did was leave pins in the mainline on the left, fit the bridge into place, dropped it down, plugged in the 2-pin trailer connections. Bridges are attached to 1X4's to support. Far end, glued down guides of GarGraves ties upside down parallel to rails, just about touching the ties on the lift out. Never had an issue.

Now, hinges hold one end aligned, hinge has to be at top of railhead. Other end, guides as described, also there are a couple of cut down 1X3 stops on the drop down end to hold the deck level with benchwork. I then cut a scrap of 1X2 and screwed it up under the flip up section to slide in between the two stops. Can't lean against it now and misalign trackwork.

errands this morning, photos later.

[ScaleCraft]

This shot of the top, lid closed, the GarGraves ties cut, glued and brad nailed in, holds (not tight) the track ties on the flip section aligned with mating tracks.


This shows the fixed benchwork with lid raised. Again you can see the tie guides. File the soundstop to make the track align vertically. The two blocks you see screwed to the 1X4 benchwork are stops for the lid. the one on the right, I removed and ground it down a bit on top to set level right where I wanted it.


Close-up of outer main with lid raised. Good detail on tie guides, and the cardboard shim to set that track where I wanted it. The track is secured with oh, 1" stainless flathead screws, holes in ties pre-drilled and countersunk.


Underneath, non-hinged side. You can see the stops. The unpainted part is the key to hold it from moving sideways if someone leans on it. Screwed to underside of lid, just fits between stops. This one happens to be 14-1/2" long.
The trailer plugs provide power from block at the hinged end, so when unplugged the block on the deck non-hinged is dead. The original trailer plugs now at hinged end are still in place in case I need to remove the lid for scenery, access, whatever.

[healey36]

Thanks for the detail pics. Seems a pretty straight-forward solution to the alignment problem. I’ll have to look at what I can do, especially if I want to continue using the 305 to bridge the gap. Might have to widen the opening to fit the bridge. Interesting puzzle.

One question - do you have to disconnect/reconnect the plugs each time you raise/lower the section? I’m thinking yes.

[ScaleCraft]

I've had lift outs on various layouts for almost 50 years. On the 305 Hellgate, aren't there mounting holes in the bottom? Box nails work for alignment and lifting out.

Unplug, yes, one side only. In this case, access is from and interior stairway that drops down inside the layout. Doorway flip up is for access for moving stuff in and out. I am thinking those plugs stay there, and possibly brass strips and brushes/contacts to make the connection when dropped, and if I get a poor connection for some reason, the plugs are immediate backup.

[ScaleCraft]

What kind of track are you using?
There is another alignment trick, if you are using GarGraves type track. Find some appropriate brass rod, slide the ties back on the base sections, solder in the inverted "V" under the outer rails, horizontal.
File any solder off the outside, slide the ties back, test fit the bridge. Play with the fit, either file the brass rod or open/close the bottom of the rails on the bridge.

If I end up with temperature-induced misalignment, that's what I'm gonna do.

[healey36]

3-rail tubular. A mate of mine suggested cutting a slot in the top of the rail that a track pin could drop into when the bridge was lowered. I tried a mock-up; it made a decent contact between sections, but it was rather rough when trains ran over it.

[ScaleCraft]

Slot works, as long as you solder the web together so it doesn't flex out. File work to improve smoothness. Angle cut the bridge track to clear as it comes up. Pivot of hinge at track railhead height. If you have no place for a physical stop for the bridge when raised, a cable attached under end of bridge to fascia will hold it in an over-center position.