Sector Plate Pivot Point and other space saving ideas

[Ray H]

I have been looking at numerous layout designs in an effort to try and arrive at a plan that will allow me to have a small O gauge layout that I hope will be a better bet than an Inglenook design. I don't mind shunting and I like puzzles but I'm concerned that I may quickly lose interest in such a basic layout - Inglenook users please don't be offended by that description.

 

One idea that I have to economise on space is to use a sector plate in the fiddle yard. However, traditionally, sector plates seem to pivot at the far end of the sector plate.

 

I was wondering if anyone has experience of a sector plate with a pivot point remote from the end of the sector plate. I could then have a sector plate which could be removed when the layout is not in use. This could assist reducing the storage space required - the layout needs to be stored (probably vertically) in the garage which houses a permanent U shaped OO gauge layout that I don't want to dismantle/change.

[RexAshton]

You could also consider cassettes as these only require a flat surface but there are plenty of examples of sector plates where the pivot point is in the centre creating a turntable.

[Denbridge]

Or by using a central pivot, you'd have a train turntable.

[Miss Prism]

If you have only one track going into the sector plate, the sector plate pivot-point can be anywhere you choose. If there is more than one track going into the sector plate, the sector plate geometry becomes complicated.