How to make a hinged baseboard?

[The Fatadder]

I am looking for so,e advice on how to build a hinged baseboard for the entrance into my garage. Yesterday I built the actual baseboard (then laid the track etc) building as a lift out section. The original intention was that I would normally just duck under when going in / out the garage (but could lift out the board if taking stuff in or out the garage). The problem is that this is proving a bit of a pain (lack of space between the edge of the board and the door.).

 

So I am thinking about hinging it, so that it will lift up.

 

Are there any special considerations that need to be made? My first thought was just screwing a couple of door hinges to the left hand side

[Nearholmer]

It's best to put small blocks, fixed to the boards, under the hinges, so that the lifting flap ever-so-slightly separates from the fixed part as you lift it, to avoid damaging the rail ends.

 

Also, worth putting brass screws into the boards, and soldering the rail ends, to avoid damage if you snag a pullover on it of similar.

 

And, think carefully about how to ensure that power to track is cut off as/before you open the flap, otherwise .......... it will happen one day ........ and, this is a case of doing what I suggest, not repeating my expensive folly!

 

Kevin

[The Fatadder]

It's best to put small blocks, fixed to the boards, under the hinges, so that the lifting flap ever-so-slightly separates from the fixed part as you lift it, to avoid damaging the rail ends.

Roughly how thick a block? Does this require a gap between the lifting baseboard and it's adjacent fixed baseboard (at the non hinged end) to provide additional clearance?

Also, worth putting brass screws into the boards, and soldering the rail ends, to avoid damage if you snag a pullover on it of similar.

 

Definitely worth while, the rails at the ends are already soldered to copperclad strip to try and prevent this.

 

And, think carefully about how to ensure that power to track is cut off as/before you open the flap, otherwise .......... it will happen one day ........ and, this is a case of doing what I suggest, not repeating my expensive folly!

Kevin

Definitely food for thought. Not sure exactly how I will manage it though.

[Stubby47]

If the lifting end of the bridge frame is made with an angle, rather than 90°, it will lift out easier. The blocks under the hinges only need to be an inch or so high.

 

Also, if you can set the fixed track on the baseboard back from the edge by even a centimetre, it will prevent snagging by passing persons. The bridge deck thus needs to extend by this amount on to the baseboard.

[dhjgreen]

Microswitch making a dead section either side of the hinged section.

[Stubby47]

Microswitch making a dead section either side of the hinged section.

Better still - a micro switch that isolates the whole layout.

[Spitfire2865]

Better still - a micro switch that isolates the whole layout.

Maybe a buzzer that goes off when the layout has power?

[DCB]

The door hinge and or Block idea is a recipe for frustration.  It will flex and be difficult to align,  Ideally you need to decide at the design stage where the hinged section is to be located and design the baseboards to incorporate risers screwed very securely to the boards.   Too often the risers or blocks are screwed to the thin baseboard surface where they flex and shuffle around before working loose.  

After making this same mistake I changed to using car bonnet hinges (Ford Focus I believe) screwed to the SIDES of the baseboards,  The bonnet hinges are flat steel plates with large diameter but very narrow pivots, less than 20mm wide compared with 60mm or more for door hinges.  I place the pivot around 25mm above track level.

 Another option is using steel plates pivoting on Bicycle Chain ring bolts, I used this on a lifting bridge which lands on a  lifting section again.  These bicycle bolts have thin flanges on both nut and bolt so the length is minimised and mine hide in bridge parapets..

Using these steel plates  the pivot is very solid with little play vertically or horizontally. I countersink the screw holes and face it with Hardboard for appearance.

 Accuracy is paramount. (no matter which system you use)  The pivot end needs to be aligned perfectly so the lifting board lands absolutely solidly the baseboard and the tracks align perfectly. This needs to be absolutely spot on, no messing about with card packing.  The pivot end track bed is the place to provide adjustment to compensate for twist.   Temperature variations will increase gaps in winter and close them in summer, I solder track ends to brass screws screwed deep into baseboard framing at the ends f both baseboards and lifting section and make sure there are plenty of fishplates and short rails on the lifting section so I can pull rails forward or back and re solder them if summer temperatures cause fouling or winter chills make for excessive gaps.

With these my problems with flexing have just about ceased and I can lift the flap and get it back down lined up etc in about 20 seconds, quite often with a train approaching.

A Micro switch shut off sounds like a good idea but is a bit difficult to contrive without causing the lifting deck to lift and float slightly, best arranged at the pivot end which can mean a lot of extra wiring.

With wiring I like to use a multipin plug but I run the wires along the line of the hinge so they bend a quarter turn along their axis which puts minimal stress compared with great loops of wire straggling down.   I would look for 30 sec max between deciding to lift the flap and having trains run across again. 

[steve shorrock]

I have used the blocks (2"x 1") method with no problems at all. i also used a couple of door Bolts either side of the layout to help keep the alignment

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

And if you use slide type bolts in brass to secure the lifting section, they make excellent isolators to positively remove track power from the layout when the lifting section is not secured. Feed the layout's common return connection on a DC set up, or a DCC bus supply through a slide bolt; and then the layout is positively isolated from track supply when the lifting section is not in place.

[Matt]

I use the block method and it works but I like the car bonnet hinge idea better and may do this myself next time.  I rely on pattern makers dowels to align my lifting sections - very accurate every time.  I also have isolated sections approaching each ramp from each section with a simple micro switch that the lifting flap presses down when in situ.  My rail ends are soldered to copper strip on each side of the lifting flap and on the layout edges to ensure perfect alignment and robustness - actually soldered in place first then cut rails after.

 

M

[Ian Kirk]

Hi,

Isolating the trackwork is fine but do not forget free running stock which can sometimes take off by itself.

The hinge end usually blocks the tracks at that end but the track on the fixed board at the other end is open.  I have had a flap which falls down and blocks the tracks when the bridge is lifted it is held in place by a projection on the outer edge of the lifting section. It falls down as the bridge is lifted. You then have to lift it out of the way to lower the section which then holds it up.   I have had to describe this in words as although I have used several versions of a similar thing over 40+ years I can not find a single illustration.

 

best wishes,

 

Ian

[DCB]

Stock trundling off the end of the baseboard when the flap is up is a problem, as is forgetting a loco is on the lifting section while lifting it, yes thats what happened when I went to do a video,,,,

[Dunsignalling]

Stock trundling off the end of the baseboard when the flap is up is a problem, as is forgetting a loco is on the lifting section while lifting it, yes thats what happened when I went to do a video,,,,

When we did the lifting flap on my mate's layout, we wired the track section adjacent to the non-hinged side through a microswitch that only makes when the flap is down. Nothing can get near the gap when it's open. The flap itself stops anything falling in from the other end.

 

John

[meil]

You need to use a Counter Flap or Back Flap hinge(s).

[davetheroad]

To stop rolling stock falling off why not use 2 flaps? A pair of flaps each 1 foot wide should give a sufficient gap for most beer bellies !

[The Fatadder]

Thanks for all the advice, will see what I can do re shutting the power down

[unravelled]

I successfully built a lifting flap last year, using kitchen cabinet hinges, an idea copied from someone else on rmweb. I've used furniture connector blocks to give a positive location at the free end. There's a description tn my thread

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79871-wylde-progress-now-with-photos/

posting 10.

 

Dave