Tweedale - Sector Plates and Turntable
Good progress has been made on the new extension in the past month. I've been making an effort to get a lot of the drudge work done while the first rush of enthusiasm lasts. The flourescent lighting has been added, the track has been laid and everything is now wired and working. The weight of the unit has risen to 8lb.
This seems like a good opportunity to describe the construction and operation of the gadgetry, before it all gets buried beneath scenery.
Sector Plates
An incline at the rear of the baseboard connects the high and low level tracks. The sector plates at each end are unusual in that they can be moved in 3 dimensions and form part of the gradient. That removes the need for transitions on the incline, so the full 48 inch baseboard length can be used to achieve the 2.5 inch rise at a constant slope. The plates are pivoted on pieces of dowel with enough play to allow for the vertical movement. Below is a sequence of photos of the top sector plate to show how it works...
1. A train pushes onto the sector plate from high level yard.
2. The sector plate control knob is turned clockwise, rolling the wheels along underneath to an over-centre position, which lifts the sector plate slightly.
3. The control rod is pushed towards the back, moving the sector plate against a stop that aligns it with the rear gradient track.
4. The control knob is turned anticlockwise, lowering the sector plate onto a ledge which sets it at track level with the same slope as the incline.
The mechanism was built from odd bits of wood and lego-like wheels. Getting everything lined up was by trial and error, which is why it looks rather scrappy. No precision engineering here.
The sector plate at the bottom of the gradient operates in a similar way, but as the arc travelled is greater, part of the movement is done by pulling on strings. That saves the control rod from protruding too far from the front of the layout, where it could get walked into and damaged.
The bottom sector plate as seen from the rear. A bit confusing but you might be able to figure out how it works.
The third sector plate, at the throat of the high level yard, simply uses a push-pull rod (green garden cane) to move it between the 2 stops. Points are also operated mechanically using green canes.
Train Turntable
The turntable can hold a loco plus 2 wagons. The deck is supported on more lego-like wheels (they are just so darned useful). It is rotated by pulling on strings that thread around push-pin bollards and out through plastic tube to the front of the baseboard. A couple of wooden stops limit the rotation to about 160 degrees and align the deck for either the port or industrial estate branch.
A period of thorough testing (playing trains) will now take place while I contemplate how to tackle the scenery.
Cheers, Alan.
Edited by awoodford
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