Planning a new layout

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote: [...]

A lift-out or hinged bridge (lift-up or swing-away) are I think your only option. Hinging the bridge at one end takes care of alignment there. The other end should drop into a wedge arrangement that automatically lines up the track. Build it and let it settle (season) for a while before you build the track. Use high quality, heavy duty hinges with as close to zero play as possible.

Lay the track right over the joint, soldering and pinning the rails on both sides. Also add guide (check) rails that span the joint -- they will keep the wheel sets aligned so they won't pick the joint. Then cut the track with a fine hacksaw or metal saw on a hand tool. Chamfer the edges of the rails slightly to help prevent joint picking. At both ends you'll need a section of approach track that will be switched off when the bridge is lifted or swung aside - contact strips or pressure switches will work for this.

Since the bridge will be carrying only the track and no scenery, make it out of a single well seasoned and straight plank, or a strip of 3/4" (18

-20mm) plywood. Plywood is less likely to warp or change dimensions. You could dress up the sides with stone paper, parapets, etc, to make it look like a viaduct.

Good luck.

Knowing the other interests.... Build a lift-out section (yes, I did read the first paragraph) which spans wider than the doors. Make it from a light box section (eg. 4mm and 6mm ply*), which means it can be built curved to get around the corner and across the span. Then winch it up and down using a bike hoist, as sold by messrs Aldi and Lidl from time to time, or Mr Dyason for rather more.

When in the down position you need to locate the span very accurately. This means the two fixed parts of the layout need very firm tie-back to wall and floor. Then use pattern-makers dowels (as used by squillions of exhibition layouts) to locate the bridge section vertically as it drops into place. The hoist serves no purpose when the section is lowered.

You'll have no problem making a span which is stable over the distances you propose, assuming you make a proper box section - the spans on some exhibition layouts between supports (eg. Copenhagen Fields) are massively bigger than you need to achieve.

There looks to be plenty of height above the door to store the box section bridge piece. I'd probably model it with only a low parapet wall (as if running on a brick embankment) rather than a full blown bridge as that makes the overall height when winched up lower.

Electrical connection can be done with flat braid (longer bits of the stuff used as track-brushes under slot-cars), which then rests on a piece of PCB fixed to the static baseboard. Slightly spring the PCB upwards so that the pressure of the bridge piece ensures decent electrical connection. As you're running DCC, you only need two connections.

(* there is ply, made from birch throughout, alternating black and white thin layers, which requires a trip to a good timber merchant, and there is the rubbish sold by DIY sheds (and some timber merchants) which is full of filler and a soft spongy fat centre which loosely resembles rotting wood, and is useless. Use proper ply for this job. )

- Nigel