Disguising a sector plate

[shortliner]

There are several people who are responsible for this train of thought. It starts with a layout by M-J Idzerda, that appeared in one of Carl Arendts Small Layout Scrapbook ( http://www.carendt.com/small-layout-scrapbook/page-84-april-2009/ one up from the bottom ) that has been noodling around in my memory as I tried to come up with a way of making a modified version - fast forward to earlier this year, and Chris Gilbert produced a module for the Armitage Freemo featuring a bridge (which certainly got a lot of attention if the number of photos is anything to go by!), and then the Inverness MR Exhibition, where I gave 'arry Dodds a hand with his layout. It incorporated a sector plate and we had a long discussion about making it into a bridge. This trundled around my excuse for a brain, and after a slow-time build - due to problems with an ar$e-kicking competition with a POS plastics supplier in Northamptonshire, trying to get a piece of Perspex delivered to me - ( had I read the customer service reviews on their site I'd have gone elsewhere very rapidly! ) - This is my solution of how to make a bridge out of a sector plate - The layout that this fiddlestick board affixes to is currently bare-boards, but will progress (in slow-time), and eventually appear here.
So, some photos which I hope will explain - pictures are worth (so they say) a large number of words













For those who are interested, the pivot is at the left in the top picture, and the right in all the others, and the complete unit moves sideways (slideways?) on silicone baking sheet stuck under the bridge supports (movement is smooth - it almost glides on the slippery baking sheet under the bridge supports) on the river surface (Perspex sheet.) Bridge length 1 metre. Swivel point is via a sub-mini jack plug that feeds the wiggly amps to the rails as well, so bridge is removable for transport/storage.

Edited November 22, 2017 by shortliner

[JAMO]

That's a good idea.

[DanielB]

Genius!

[Max Legroom]

Now that is a good idea! 

[shortliner]

Thanks, guys!

Best

Jack

[F-UnitMad]

A good idea for 'hiding' a sector plate, but is it intended for swapping stock on, like usual hidden sidings? Because if it is, I see a problem...

[Regularity]

I see no ships!

[shortliner]

A good idea for 'hiding' a sector plate, but is it intended for swapping stock on, like usual hidden sidings? Because if it is, I see a problem...

No, Jordan! in this case it is an "enlarged and scenified" fiddlestick, and is intended to be used simply to bring a train of rolling stock from hidden siding(s) at the rear of the layout, onto the front of the layout for switching. I needed a reason for not having a metre length of un-sceniced track sticking out of one end of the layout and going nowhere, simply in order to switch the industries - and this suggests that  somewhere beyond the end of the bridge there has been a "washout" of the rails and they were uneconomic to replace, so service to the small plant further up the line, was discontinued.  the layout itself will be slightly similar in operation to Jack Hills New Castle Industrial RR.  Any stock exchange will be done on the hidden sidings to the rear - BTW the clearance under the bridge is minimal, as the river is deemed to be in "full flood"

Edited November 22, 2017 by shortliner