disguise turnout housing

Richard - I'm guessing the turnout you mentioned is something like below

There are articles which talk about hiding switch motors. Two basic ways are with buildings or with scenery (shrubs) or a combination of both.

Since the motor is an integral part of the turnout it would be kind of tough. Maybe a building or electrical box close to the turnout and shrubs over the motor??
Joe

Since it sounds like you are going with a "postwar" style layout anyway using the older tubular track you already have, why not just embrace them as is? 

My layout is all tubular with 512x turnouts. I live with them as is for the most part. I have removed the huge position flags and have filled in around the bases with scenery and ground cover where possible.

@DCBasement

Richard.....I agree with @Farmall-Joe....the switch motors have a real industrial look to them. I really like the way they look.

Plus you'd be hiding the turnout indicator lights (green = straight, red = diverge).

Guess it all depends on what scenescape you're wanting to model.

Richard,

   I believe this has come up before. You may find other creative disguises by trying the "Search" tool.

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

Richard,

   I believe this has come up before. You may find other creative disguises by trying the "Search" tool.

Tom

I think he actually did try that Tom.

@DCBasement posted:

I tried searching for 'disguise turnout', 'hide turnout motor' and various other iterations - lots of information on turnouts - nothing (that I could find) on hiding or disguising the motor housing.

Get it setup and run it for a while... and, once you have settled on the layout design (took me a year because I kept adding) post a photo or two.  I think it would be easier for a lot of folks to chime in with camouflaging concepts when they see it.

And, WELCOME to the Forum!

Many, many thanks to all the responders.

@PRR8976, I’m new to the forum, and while I searched for how to disguise a turnout, I wouldn’t begin to say that I am an expert – I’m sure that there was something, somewhere, I just didn’t know how to find it – none of my searches seemed to offer much hope – Lots of help on other issues related to turnouts, though.

And, as I head towards not working it just seemed like a good idea to get the old Lionel out – I enjoyed it as a kid with my dad back in the early and mid 50s.  My son enjoyed it (with some minor help from me) back in the 90s.  Maybe my granddaughters will enjoy it with me when the next come up.

The first picture is of the layout that I am thinking of using.  The system is located at the northwest corner of the basement and occupies about the last open space down there.  It is on a modified 4 x 8 sheet of plywood attached to Mianne benchwork.  I had the sheet cut down so that it would fit around the structural post at the north end.

And, it’s the north end that caused my question.  As you can see in the 2^nd picture, there is minimal clearance between the edge of the plywood and the wall at that location, just as there is, really, minimum clearance between all of the rails and the edges.  I have bought 1 x 2s L-brackets to extend the sides out 1 1/2 inches in all directions, and, I’ll be using some type of perimeter ‘wall’ or fence or something to keep the trains from taking dives to the floor.

Since I have to have a double reversing potential, and really want to have two main lines (the one of the east will be a through line, the 2^nd from the east will be down one side of a street with a passenger station and some town buildings, and the 3rd from the east will be the reversing section AND the eastern border of the three locations – a mountain mirroring my daughters place is southwest Virginia which sits on a small hill (1900 ft) located at the north end, a residential area in the middle with three of the old Plasticville houses that I have from back when, and an industrial area with something on the south end.

Squeezing all that in required the use of 27” curves all around.  I tried using 42” curve easements, even half 42” curves, and not enough room.  And at the north end, where I want to put a hill/mountain/something, I need to put tunnel portals on at the beginning of the curves.

Unfortunately – a very long explanation of why I wanted to disguise the turnout motor housing.

But after reading all the responses (thanks again to everyone who offered a suggestion), I think I’m leaning towards @Farmall-Jou and RSJB18 thoughts – It’s what I have, it’s what I’m going to use, just use it and make it part of the layout.

By the way – no one asked, but the Mianne benchwork was easy to put together even for someone with no construction knowledge and less experience.

Again – thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Next I have to figure out the base.  As someone once said – Onward and upward

Richard

The main problem with efforts to disguise the housings is that there is already very minimal to lack of clearance between the housing and the diverting route, so anything that gets even closer to the track is very problematic. This rules out buildings as covers, etc. The easiest would be to cover the top and other three sides with some sort of foliage, and paint the faces of the housing a similar green, black, or brown to make that side look to be the rest of the foliage, or a cut away embankment. That is what initially comes to mind.

Just using a little change in terminology...Here are a bunch found by searching using the Search tool by putting in "hide switch machine":

Section House to Hide 0-22 Switch Machine | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

has anybody disguised lionel switch machines? | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

Looking for picture | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

Retirees, Those Soon To Be and the Hobby | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com) see @Mike Wyatt

Hope some of those help...some folks are pretty creative. When I had my last layout, I used Gargraves track and NJ International switch machines (no longer being made), which were undermounted. I went so far as to scratch build switch stands following a post by my friend David Vergun (years ago) on the OGR Forum (also in the magazine)...here is one switch stand (between the fork lift and tender) fashioned out of copper and some others in the distance awaiting my finishing them off. David did a good job designing them and sharing the design with our community.

Tom

This was not done on Lionel turnouts but for American Flyer turnouts I scratch built buildings that fit tightly over the towers that protruded above the turnout using styrene and covered them with brick paper and roofing paper. never had a train touch them.

Ray

Many many thanks to everyone.  And, Tom, I tried using 'hide' instead of 'disguise' and found a lot more threads, as you said.  Amazing what a difference one word can make.

I've got lots of ideas now, time to get back to the table and see if I can make any of them work.

And yes, I know I'll be sorry that I'm not using 42" curve easements into the turns, but I've such a narrow area on the north, that there isn't any room.  I'll try putting a couple of inches of straight track between each of the 90 degree O27 curves.  Maybe three inches, if that doesn't tighten up the area on the east too much.  Good thing I've got lots of old track to cut up.  Good thing I just bought a new fine tooth hack saw blade.

Richard

@DCBasement posted:

Many, many thanks to all the responders.

But after reading all the responses (thanks again to everyone who offered a suggestion), I think I’m leaning towards @Farmall-Jou and RSJB18 thoughts – It’s what I have, it’s what I’m going to use, just use it and make it part of the layout.

By the way – no one asked, but the Mianne benchwork was easy to put together even for someone with no construction knowledge and less experience.

Again – thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Next I have to figure out the base.  As someone once said – Onward and upward

Richard

Richard- we are in similar circumstances. I also have a 4X8 layout that was fit into available space in a corner of our basement. I actually negotiated for the air rights above our file cabinets. (see pic below).

Quick question- why didn't you add a piece of bench work around the column and make it part of the layout? This would give you a traditional 4x8 and a little more wiggle room.

Bob

Bob

Simple answer - I'm 5'6 3/4  (at least I used to be), and my effective reach is about 30 inches if I want to do anything (maybe a little less).  So, I needed the whole unit to be movable - that way I can slide it down and swivel it out in order to reach the middle of the unit from the back side.  I did think about just cutting out a 'missing tooth' for the post, and maybe running a yard back to the north end, but the benchwork got a little more complicated than I was comfortable trying to work out.

By the way - I love your control panel - How many trains can you run at one time?  You clearly are far ahead of me.  Maybe in a few years, I'll try something like that, with elevation changes, multiple operating trains, etc.

Right now, I need to keep more area open for scenery and buildings, as my wife of 48 years wants to be involved in that aspect of the operation.  And, since we've both been self employed in different fields forever - with retirement I think it's a good idea to some joint interests - she's not into my love of old British cars, playing bridge, or futzing around in the workshop, and I'm not really interested in afternoon get togethers to talk about the kids or yoga.

As crazy as the pandemic has been, it has taught us that we can get along and actually co-exist without having outside offices to run off to.

Too much information, I'm sure, but it's the answer

Richard

I didn't realize it was moveable. Makes sense then. I'm 6'5" and still have trouble reaching the back corner.

I've been back at it for a little over 6 years now. The plan is basically what I started with, probably over ambitious for O gauge. I had HO growing up and was designing the layout from that perspective. It's way too crowded and the obvious drawbacks of 027 curves limit what I can run.

I'm having a blast regardless. I can run 2 trains at a time. I will typically leave one looping the upper level and can do some switching on the main. This has been my test bench so to speak. I plan (OK hope) that when the kids are are out of the house (hoping for that too......) that I can claim more of the basement and rebuild with larger curves, Gargraves track, etc, etc. Discussions about moving off Long Island have been more frequent given the current state of the economy, but that's at least 10 years off after I retire.

Bob

Richard

I see you have a dog bone on your plan.  I have one similar to that, on one of my train board loops.  I find it is adequate for reversing trains but does not offer as many operating options as an oval and figure 8.  An oval and figure 8 will also provide reversing in both directions but gives the option to run in each the oval in each direction plus the option to run in a figure 8.

Below are the two loops I have, shown in pictures of my control panels, which also have all the switch push button switches and track section slide switches.  They are shown in the L shape as my 027 layout is.

The oval and figure 8 board below is 11ft 2 in x 5ft 9 in

The dog bone board above is 7ft 6in x 4ftx 7in

Picture of whole layout

Details on how I built the whole layout including the homemade $10 turntable are on OGR link below.

https://ogrforum.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1

Charlie

Richard,

I have a Mianne 4x8 in my basement too. Mobility is necessary for getting it out of the way for various reasons. When I ordered it from Tim, I requested he keep the leveling feet, as I would be using casters in their place. He offered to replace the pieces you hammer onto the bottom of the legs with a screw-in insert with more thread contact, for no extra charge. The thread pitch is 5/16x18, so I ordered casters from a place in Chicago which work great. The table moves ultra-easily, and I'm glad I ordered two casters with brakes because the grandkids bump it all the time.

Has anyone removed the housing and replaced it with a Push-Pull rod beneath the layout?  John

452 Card - When I was talking to Tim, he offered to do the casters as part of the original order, so I did that.  I ended up, actually, gatting all the legs gut down (should have had Tim do it originally, but I forgot) and buying the hammer-in nuts from HD for the casters.  I did add a few more L-brackets for the plywood attachments to the legs, probably didn't need them though.  My movable requirements are the two dead walls that the unit sits next to.

rattler21 - I thought about that but it's waaaay beyond my technical expertise (read not even a novice yet!)

I am in the process of cutting some 42" curves in half, making the two end loops 15˚+30˚+45˚+45˚+30˚+15˚ to get me the 180˚ for a full half.  I THINK I'll be able to have a "decent" easement, or at least a straight lead-in, into each of the end curve turnouts.  The reversing loop turnouts will still be 27" curves, though.

Hopefully, I'll have something done by tomorrow afternoon

I thought it through before I ordered from Tim about the final height of the layout. I took into account the overall height with the casters installed, the pre-made layout I previously had around to use and the grandkids being able to see what's happening. So I ended up with 30" legs upon delivery from Mianne and they are exactly what I wanted after the casters were installed. Total overall height is 37" floor to tabletop. I would suggest, if you still have them to unscrew the original fasteners in the bottom of the cut-off legs and save them. Its a hex drive socket that can take them out.

I lucked out.  I got the standard height legs with casters.  But, I knew that with the basement ceiling height adding 3/4" plywood and, maybe, 2" to 3" of rigid foam, I'd be too close to the ceiling and with my personal height, that was just too high.  I took all eight legs to HD, had them set their large saw to 33" and had them cut all eight legs to the same length.  They did it for free, even though I told them that I hadn't bought the legs from them.  I kept the square ends cut off, and am planning on using them, with new casters, on 'something to be determined'.  Right now, the height to the top of the plywood is 37 1/2" and the distance from the top of the plywood to the ceiling is 41 1/2", so I've room for foam, if I go that route.

I bought some rubberized sound deadening tiles for the trunk of my fiat 124, and I may buy a couple more boxes and just put then under the plywood.  They do a pretty good job of dampening the vibration in the trunk, maybe they will work o.k. on the plywood.  It would be easiry than trying to get a big sheet of rigid foam home - the 124 is my daily driver and my wife is usually in her Honda, and I dislike renting cars.  I got the 4 x 8 plywood when we were having some work done at home and the contractor was willing to bring me a sheet in his truck.   The accommodations we have to make when one's daily driver is a small two seat convertible.  Of course, it means that no one asks me to take them anywhere, so there are some plusses.

Just to show how things change, though, I'm now thinking that using wider curve/easements and having only one (1) main loop with one town siding and one storage siding, might be better than my original plan.  Once I get a few more half track pieces, I'll be better able to see how it all works.  Set it up on a temporary basis, use it, re-set it and use it, etc.

Richard