# hinged aisle crossing



## billsharron (Jan 3, 2008)

HI all, 

I need to build track across an aisle on my new indoor layout and am in need of ideas on how to do it. I want to do a hinged type that lifts up. I tried several searches with no luck. No one in my local club has indoor layout with a hinged lift up section and I do not want to do an unhinged total lift out type. It need not be fancy just a flat crossing of the aisle with no bridge superstructure.

Any ideas will be appreciated, or point me in the right direction.

Thanks,

Bill


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## Alan-1956 (Oct 23, 2015)

Mate, go to a Forum called "Your Model Railway Club"

Its a HO/OO Gauge site but quiet a few members there have built different versions of 
what you are after. The members there are like here, always willing to assist when possible.

Have built one for my OO/HO Layout inside but its a lift out one not hinged.

Or try this link to "How to" via U-Tube.....

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ow+to+build+a+model+railway+lift+out+bridge

If you have no luck let me know and will discuss further.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

_I googled "site:mylargescale.com hinged access bridge" and got several threads with pics of the kind of thing you are looking for._

Here's a photo of my bridge across the aisle of my attic layout.










The hinges were scissor type - mounted in the vertical plane at the sides of the bridge (these are "card table" hinges, but you get the idea):










The other end rested on a ledge and a pair of the big phono jacks were fixed to the underside of the bridge, dropping into sockets for alignment and electrical conductivity.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

This is what I did for mine. Sorry the photos aren't very good.









I made the load bearing part of the structure from !/2 inch square steel tube and used strap hinges at the joint. The cosmetic structure is all made of redwood.









This is the joint at the unhinged end. The tabs fit over the stub ends of the mating structure.









Here is the bridge in the raised position.









I hope this helps some.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

To get the rails away from each other before swinging up, you need an "offset butt hinge"... I tried to find the pictures of the hillman one, but no such luck.

you want the hinge to work like you see below:









you could mount the item below on each side of a base, you would have it upside down from the way you see it here.
The key is the rails moving away before swinging up (the offset), this allows you to keep the rail gaps at the hinge nice and close, but the hinge pretty much out of sight.


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## R.W. Marty (Jan 2, 2008)

l simple way is to use a pair of strap hinges (barn door type) 0n top along side the tracks.
just raise them up on blocks equal to the rail/tie height and the bridge will raise to clear the 
tracks.


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## billsharron (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Alan, Thanks for the tip, I will check out the site soon.

Hi Pete, Thanks for the response. From your picture you have exactly what I am looking for. I don't quite understand how the card table hinges allow the track to tilt up without hitting the fixed rails. I can't quite get my brain around it. Any chance of a picture of it from the side at the hinge? and while lifted??

Hi, Winn, R.W., and Greg,

Thanks for your replies. I am getting the picture of how the rails must first move away then up, kind of like the hinges on kitchen cabinets. 

I will go hinge shopping tomorrow.
Bill


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## billsharron (Jan 3, 2008)

Winn, I forgot to mention what a great looking bridge you made!!!! Very impressive. Bill


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Bill. In the first picture the hinges weren't quite right as the pivot point was above the rail head and interfered with locos that had low hanging cylinders. They are now to the right of that rail joint and below the rail head. Here is a photo of our club portable track showing the lift-up section. You can see the hinge pivots are to the left of the rail joint.








We also used commercial rail joiners which have half of the top milled out so that the rail can settle into them as it is lowered.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

> hinges allow the track to tilt up without hitting the fixed rails. I can't quite get my brain around it. Any chance of a picture of it from the side at the hinge? and while lifted??


Well, we sold that house and moved in 1997, so I am afraid there is no chance of any more pics!

The only consideration for the hinges is that the hinge point be at or above the rail top. Here's a side view concept using the hinges shown above (Greg's are good!)


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

I created a drawing that shows a track with a hinged bridge, one with the pivot below the
track and one with the pivot above the track.
There are different places to locate the pivot on hinges, to get different effects.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)




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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

If you have the hinge pivot above the rail it has to be outside of the width of any rolling stock to make sure it does not impinge on anything as the train passes by. That was the problem with the first iteration of my bridge. The solution was to put the pivot about an inch onto the fixed portion of the bridge and below the rail head. I can take a photo of it close up if that would help.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Here are a couple of photos of my bridge hinges. Sorry they are kind of blurry.
bridge closed









open


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