Access flap refinement

[morairamike]

Hi all been a while since I posted on here.

Back in 2020 during covid lockdown I worked many hours on my layout. Life since then has been full on and yes the layout is 98% complete but I have to admit I have not spent many hours working or even running it, till yesterday that is.

I powered it up and set two trains in motion. However at the access flap disaster when both trains derailed.

I cleared the wreckage and examined the flap. The problem was that the two hinges had dropped causing a step in the track. Now I constructed the flap using kitchen cupboard door hinges. These were the quick release type.

I decided to replace them and bought new ones but non quick release. These have moving parts. I fitted them and adjusted the alignment, problem cured. But I decided that it would be better if there was a support under the hinge end if the flap so that the hinges are left to support the flap. The other end rests on adjustable stops already. So how could I do that. In the end I used two right angle brackets and domed bolts and lock nuts. The bolts sit in the holes in the brackets.

With the flap closed the bolts are adjusted so they support the flap. To do this the hinges were released from the flap. Once the bolts are adjusted so the track is aligned the hinges are again attached to the flap so all they do is allow the flap to raise, not support it.

[What About The Bee]

Good mechanical approach to the issue. Using the hinge mechanism to support the plate could only function in the short term.

Another solution to the problem is a vertical lift railway bridge.

Not only is it a good access way, it is quite visually appealing to the mechanically inquisitive.

Bee

[96RAF]

Kitchen hinges as you have found are not accurate enough to present the tracks to each other reliably. One way to achieve alignment is to use cabinet makers brass dowels as used to join show layout modules. These can be fitted horizontally at the hinge end and vertically at the closing end to align the tracks.

My access section is double track and twin levels so not suitable for either a lifting flap or a raiding section per Bee’s suggestion, so I used a slide in drawer instead. Careful shimming was needed to get the tracks to align and lock clamps to pull the gap up snug avoiding wide rail gaps. Safety is provided by having the section power and a safety zone either side switched by plug in terminal blocks. When the section is removed the power is cut well before the gap. Image shows it under construction.

[Bulleidboy]

My lift-up section has hinges made of wood and supplied by Model Railway Solutions in Poole. They have been in operation since 2013/14 with no problems, although I do tend to crawl under at the moment. The track joints are almost indistinguishable when you run your finger over the track joint. I have a six track fiddle yard, a branch line station and an operating turntable on the lift-up section, and touch wood have never had a problem. The picture shows the lift-up section raised through 180 degrees.

[morairamike]

Sadly the app decided to post two of the photos wrongly orientated.

Be that as it may the original hinges were the type that allow cabinet doors to be removed by the operation of a small level catch. Where they went wrong was that I left the in open (raised position) for at least 9 months as I entered and left the room (but didn't run the trains) to gain access to my electronic tools.

Since the fitting of the new hinges and the "rests" I now leave the access flap in the down position. It is supported by the rests at the hinge end and the original rests at the leading edge.

Hopefully this will resolve the problem.

[RDS]

Sadly the app decided to post two of the photos wrongly orientated.

 

 

RDS Mod Note: I have rotated them back for you now.

 

 

 

 

[morairamike]

Many thanks.

[Topcat2018]

Rather than use kitchen hinges and adjustment bolts, would a simpler solution not be as the construction illustrated above, which uses normal door hinges and guarantees that the top of the access flap will be flush with the top of the baseboard on either side of the flap?

The baseboard top is given an overhang of about 2 cm beyond the baseboard frame, on either side of the flap. A strip of wood the width of the flap is screwed and glued underneath each side of this overhang. This ensures that when the flap is down it is level with the baseboard top at either side and no weight rests on the hinges. This is more accurate than fixing such a support to the side of the baseboard frame, when the height of the support would need to be adjusted.

On top of the hinge side of the flap two wooden blocks are screwed and glued each side of the track to raise the pivot point and ensure that the track ends don't clash when the flap is raised.

Two standard door hinges are attached to the top of these blocks.

On the non-hinge side of the flap the under edge of the flap and the top edge of the baseboard top are chamfered to ensure that the bottom edge of the flap and top edge of the baseboard overhang don't clash when the flap is lowered.

[Stuart-367879]

Hi

A question from an old boy who has returned to moddeling after a long time out. I have just built a hinged lifting section like the one above. My question is what is the best way to power the rails on the lifting section, without having wires trailing across the gap when lifted.

I would think to the experienced users this would be no problem but to a 75 year old it's not clear how to do this. Any help with this problem would be gratefully appreciated, pictures or diagrams would also help thanks

[96RAF]

On my slide in ‘drawer’ I used plug in terminal blocks. Although mine is a linear action the idea could be adapted from a lifting flap.

The use of these also allows power to be cut when the section is out (up).

Where the rails are at the cut edge then you use copper sleepers as support for the rails.

Note the sleepers are cut between the rails to preclude a built in short circuit.

[Topcat2018]

Hi Stuart, The crudest, simplest and most reliable way to join the rails on the left to the rails on the right would be to run wires from the left-hand rails down the left-hand leg, across the floor and up the right-hand leg to the right-hand rails. Cover the wires with several layers of carpet tape or gaffer tape. If you want to be really fancy cut a shallow groove in the floor to accommodate the wires and cover with a thin metal plate.

By the way I'm 74.5.

[Topcat2018]

@S3

I realised when I replied yesterday that I forgot to suggest how to connect power to the rails on the flap. You could use some sort of connectors that would unplug when the flap was raised, but this would require some precise alignment. Again, the quick and dirty solution would be to drop wires from the left hand rails through the baseboard and bring them up through the flap to connect to the rails on the flap. They would have to be long enough to reach when the flap was fully open. If you look at the last photo in Moiraramike's original posting I think this is what he has done, but he also seems to have used some kind of in-line two-pin connector (a co-axial DC power connector...?).

[Bulleidboy]

As my flap is the end of the line, I just ran the bus cables and any others, under the joint, allowing enough play for when the section is raised. It has not raised any problems in almost ten years of operation. I am 75.6yrsthinking_face

[morairamike]

Yes the rails on the flap are powered from my DCC bus. However to make life easy if the flap needs removing, the DCC bus join from the main layout board to the flap is by a coaxial plug and socket. Power on the fixed board on hinge side of the flap is not interrupted when the flap is raised as the flap itself will stop any trains progress. On the other side of the flap, the fixed board power is killed by a micro switch that the flap leading edge operates.