Hockey Stick traverser (again)

[DCB]

Just realised we can use an additional 77" X 34" shed on the side of the main shed as stock storage.  Entry s on the 77" side so a baseboard along one end ad one side looks favourite.   Not long into the planning I realised the whole board can move lengthways by 80mm or so making a Hockey stick shaped traverser do able.   Not only that but the traversing frame only needs three support rails to hold it up and one pressing down to stop it tipping.    Plan A drawn in anyrail with 22" curves should allow at least 5  X 5 64Ft M1 Coach rakes and more likely 6 coach rakes to be stored on the rails off an existing head shunt.   Only the 80mm wide entry runner needs to be super accurate to keep the alignment.  It will need CCTV / Webcams to see what is happening while stowing or extracting stock, but should ease our stock storage issues.   Another rake being added to the active roster this year as an excursion set consisting of  6X Triang Caledonians in Green which have been around for 40 years but which I have made and fitted interiors and Wrenn wheels to instead of the narrow Hornby wheels fitted 15 years ago.

The Hockey stick moves 80mm lengthways instead of the 200mm sideways a normal sideways moving traverser needs to to cover 5 roads.   Just have to sort the indexing and power to move the deck since access between sheds will only be a single track sized hole in the shed wall.

[DCB]

Bad news.  I found an interior door on "Nextdoor" and managed to blag i free of charge and that will provide the movable traversing table, so if I can win some track on eBay its game on. 

[DCB]

More doodlings.  My previous drawings have been lost both at the RM Web end and mine as my computer is "Resting" like the fabled Norwegian Blue. The closest spacing available with unmodified Peco Code 100 track with the sleeper ends intertwined is 25mm so with the ends moving at 90 degrees a 5 road will move 4"  The more the angle moves away from 90 degrees  the greater the spacing.  My latest has gone for a 50 mm spacing so every inch of the deck can be used, instead of having a length of track unusable for storage as the tracks are spaced too tight at the entry /exit.  This one may come down to only 3 roads with 4" travel.  Doodling continues but 25mm sideways movement is do able with standard track, 20mm with modified track and I'm working on even shorter travel with intertwined tracks and Frogs.   Pics, 25mm per road travel full right and full left. Equivalent pull out traverser.  and 5 road 50mm standard Streamline spacing version.  Currently a 3 road version of this is under construction.

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by DCB

[Ian Smeeton]

With regard to alignment, I noticed that @2mmMark was using rare earth magnets to align his sector plate on British Oak at the 2 mm Diamond Jubilee event.

 

This seemed to give very accurate alignment.

 

Might be worth experimenting with?

 

Regards

 

Ian

[DCB]

@Ian SmeetonI hadn't thought of magnets for alignment.  I have a load in my spares box, I shall have a play.

Previously .I have used spring loaded L shaped brass strip dropping in to a hacksaw cut in code 100 rail for Locking and alignment on hidden turntables.  The hockey stick will be quite heavy when loaded with coaches and possibly locos and I will do everything, ball bearings etc to make sure it moves feely so magnet alignment and maybe drive sounds good.

[DCB]

Just done some calculations,  at 90 degrees  using set track you can get 25mm sideways per road. at 45 degrees you can still get under 50mm sideways using set track.    After 45 degrees things get a bit silly 100mm at 22.5 degrees 200mm plus at 12.5... so Its at its best at 90 degrees...  With hand built track that can come down further, 18mm should be do able and less than that with interlaced track.  I can't get my head around more than 2 roads of interlaced track, but 10mm sideways movement per road is possible with 2 roads so I shall doodle on.

[Chimer]

Another benefit - it occurs to me that as you move the traverser, rakes of coaches etc will be moving backwards and forwards rather than sideways.  Which will mean that if the movement is a bit jerky (though I'm sure it won't be 🙂), they will be much less likely to fall off the tracks.

[Michael Hodgson]

21 minutes ago, Chimer said:

Another benefit - it occurs to me that as you move the traverser, rakes of coaches etc will be moving backwards and forwards rather than sideways.  Which will mean that if the movement is a bit jerky (though I'm sure it won't be 🙂), they will be much less likely to fall off the tracks.

They are however more likely to roll along the track if there is no engine attached.

[DCB]

18 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

They are however more likely to roll along the track if there is no engine attached.

Big problem with modern stock. I have a " level" carriage siding which is 1 in 100 ish now as the shed has subsided and quite a few rakes ran away down it, but now a super neo magnet under the buffer stop grabs the coupling hook and keeps stock in place.  That should work on the hockey stick,   That or incline the whole thing down towards the far, buffer end or have the tracks dip down to the middle and back up again.   Fitting working brakes in brake vans should be a doddle if using  DCC.

[Michael Hodgson]

13 hours ago, DCB said:

Fitting working brakes in brake vans should be a doddle if using  DCC.

That#s a lot of unnecessary faff.  Just use one of those old Triang brake vans with the axles sticking out og the end of the axle boxes.  They're about as free-funning as a house brick.

[DCB]

9 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

That#s a lot of unnecessary faff.  Just use one of those old Triang brake vans with the axles sticking out og the end of the axle boxes.  They're about as free-funning as a house brick.

That's great, until you need to pull the train.  I have a cunning plan for working brakes on a brake van using track power to charge a capacitor and radio control to put the brakes on on an otherwise DC layout.   Probably more trouble than its worth as you rightly pointed out.