Flip-over layout

You need to consider how you will run your wires.......espcially if both sides are cuvered in pplywaay and the framing is now accessible

Good thought!  I was thinking of a single sheet of plywood, which means the wires would need to be on the surface or run around the edge where the plywood and frame meet.  They would be exposed and need to be hidden with scenic stuff.

 

Your comment makes me think your vision was two sheets of plywood on top and bottom of a full frame. I will consider that, too.  That would allow thinner sheets of plywood, but your point about wiring access is well taken.  I already have problems with wiring access on my large 0-gauge layout that is on the attic floor, and I would like to not recreate the same problem with this layout.

The rotisserie layout. Novel idea. But, then, you had the inverted Christmas layout...I loved it when I saw the photos

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The box made of 2 x 4 with both sids rabbeted for 1/2"deck on each side would be sturdy enough for 4 x 8 when assembled.

 

Now to solve access to the inside of the box. Perhaps one edge of the deck hinged and one side latched,pin lock or #2 screws. That would be one expensive 8' piano hinge. Hmmmn, back to the drawing board. 4 inside hinges? Nope...

 

Maybe, all screws #1 or #2 to attach the deck, so that you can free the deck and prop it up like car hood. A lift ring could be hidden easily under some lichen. Mount a drop support to the underside of the deck. Not a lot of weight. It wouldn't require that many screws to hold it securely. Every 24" should work.

 

Just thinking out loud...

What if you made the frame so it would pivot and sandwiched the wiring between two pieces of plywood using hinges attached to the frame so each 4 x 8 sheet could flip up or down?

 

You could go with a 1 x 6 for the frame use 1 x 2 for the jams and a grid bracing

Dale if anyone could do it ....its you !!!

 

Any chance of you coming back east on business again ?

 

I had a great time with you last time you were here !

You might be able to do it with two sheets of ply separated with 1x4 framing. The trick would be to add hinges to the the plywood sheets and latches/screws to allow you to open them for servicing/changing the wiring. The frame would mount on a center pivot and a carrier frame with locks to hold everything level when in use.

I love the idea- It would work for anything- and I have boxes & boxes of tyco slot car track. 

Use quick connect wiring.

try making each layout on separate boards and run all the wiring tacked down to each board. then when use something like 2x3 as separators of the two boards. Just a thought.

 

(didn't see Matt's post before I posted this (great minds think a like))

Steve

The hinged panel might work, but I could probably get by with hinging only one face, not both.  It would either lift up or drop down, depending upon which side was up, to gain access to the core.  Hmmm...

Great idea.  I would do it with two sheets that sort of hinged.  Imagine two 4x8 sheets that folded to be an inch apart.  when folded together, you could rotate this 4x8 section so one sectionwas up and you run those trains, or rotate it upside down for the other layout.  But in either position you could also unlatch it and hinge it to open to get at the underside of both parts to do wiring and fasteners from underneath.  Certainly all this is buildable.

 

You have a great idea!!!

here's a stainless boat piano hinge designed for 1/2 ply. by the foot. So, 2 x 4 frame,

1 hinged lid.

Looks like #6 screws to hold the hinge and secure the other side.

 

or cabinet door hinges.

 

Now, how to make it work with 3 rabbeted edges and one hinged edge.

 

Auto rotisserie stand may give you some ideas for mounting hardware. They are heavy enough to rotate cars bodies 360° for restoration.

Dale,

 

I think this is a fantastic idea!

 

After giving it a little thought, I was thinking of something like this:

 

 - a 1x4 frame, 48"x94" in length. I would screw down a sheet of plywood to one side, to keep things rigid, and hinge the other, with some kind of knobs that screwed into the frame to hold down that sheet.

 

 - I was thinking maybe an 1 1/4" x 96" Closet Rod or wooden dowel (granted any piece of pipe could work) for the table to rotate on. They are built to hold a hefty amount of clothing, I'd imagine they could hold a lightly build table. The 1x4's would provide rigidity across the rod and keep it from bowing to much. Granted, the pain here is cutting  1 1/4" holes through all your 1x4s. A lot of fitting and adjustment would need to be done.

 

- I'd also cut a couple 3/4" holes in each 1x4s (on the side opposite the hinge, maybe 9" and 12" from the table edge) to allow for wiring to pass through, one hole for each layout to keep wiring separate. The wiring for the hinged part would have to be extra long to run back to the hinge, and back up the other side. The hole for the wiring going from the controllers would be placed near the closet rod, and the table only allowed to spin back and forth via a stop, and not completely around to prevent the wires from twisting.

 

- There would also be an outer frame that went around the table, with a couple knobs on either side that screwed into the rotating frame to keep it from rocking as trains moved.

 

Having HO and wanting to have a small tinplate layout as well, this is something I will definitely be following!

 

This really is a great idea.

 

How about three sides?  

 

In for a penny, in for a pound!

I think you could frame it out with poplar 1x3's or 1x4's and light 1/4" luan plywood on either side. Be sure you assemble it on a flat surface to avoid building in any twist or warp. As long as you are keeping it fairly simple, you could do most of the wiring with adhesive copper foil tape like they use in doll houses, which would make the wiring low profile, easy to hide under scenery. Just beware that many products commonly used in scenery making (like Mod-Podge and white glue) contain acetic acid, which over the long term would not be good for your copper tape wiring. If you can locate archival quality book binding white glue certified to be acid-free, use it instead of common white glue. You could make the power supplies removable with terminal strips or plugs so they could be used whichever side of the layout is up. You could also make the tilting/pivoting benchwork have a pin in the halfway position for storing the layout vertically, or for access to the wiring. Good Luck, Post pictures of your progress!

 

Bill in FtL

Hmmmm
How about if we make it a bit thicker and somehow come up with a scheme to store the rolling stock and engines between the outer layers?  Then it would be completely self-contained.  Maybe some holes in the side skirts with 4' tubes going crosswise.  Foam packing rings to hold the cars when they are upside down.

For those of you who have seen my  Manco Magnetronics Novelty Layout that has the rotating ovals of track, I also made a rotating flat panel display that has a summer scene (grass, etc.) on one side, and winter (snow, etc.) on the other side, duplicating the same scene with changing seasons.

I would just make a two level layout and avoid the problems with flipping it. One could be at eye level, the other at sitting level. Flipping would require at least 4 ft of height anyway. With two levels you could run both at the same time and not have to take items off for flipping.

 

Is there a real advantage to flipping? Or is doing it just for the novelty of doing it?

 

Paul Goodness

Exactly.  I think this nails to whole idea perfectly.  I hope someone does something like this and posts pictures, I would love to see it. 

 

I think this is a fantastic idea!  And I want to thank people who had this idea and inform you now I am going to shamelessly steal it for a project I see coming up.

 

 

I am thinking about a version of this idea as shown below for my grandkids.  they are fast outgrowing the wooden Thomas layout I built them sometime back.  The have a nice play loft near their rooms but not a lot of room for a big layout that is out all the time.  Something like one of these two ideas would be good for them.  I'm going to talk to my son and daughter in law about whether, etc. . . . 

 

In either version, the thing folks up against the wall: maybe a few inchs away so that I can hang some scenery buildings on it, etc.  In this version, there are train layouts on both sides and it swivels for them.  

 

In this variation there is only one larger layout that unfolds.

Think of a 4' X 8' hollow door made with 6.00mm Arctic Birch.  Think of a waffle bottom surface on both sides.  The waffle pattern could also incorporate the track plan.  The frame could be 1/2" multi ply on edge to the desired thickness. I would think about 2" to 3".

 

Consider not using any dimensional lumber at all.

 

The crossing frame members could be 6mm Arctic Birch with wire management holes.

 

The cross bracing can span open waffle voids and not loose much structural integrity. 

 

All of the waffle holes could be cut with the jig saw set at 45 degrees and the cut out could serve dual purpose as a base/plug for buildings/yards and access for wiring. 

 

Due to the different track plans of each side and various siding locations the waffle cutouts would all be easy to place different shapes.   Or you could use a mirror opposite track plan so as all cross bracing would have a structural flange at each edge.

 

Use totally separate color coding for the wiring of each RR.

 

I have built a couple of things like this and found it really great to sit on a stool and wire large module assemblies in comfort.

 

Sandwich stacked 3/4" pads of plywood glued to the side frame and bottom of each skin would provide leg/pivot/handle mounting points.

 

       
       


You would only need about 2ft of clearance from the floor and above if you made it spin from the center if the table.

While the novelty factor is certainly there, I think it allows you to feature one of your two layouts without having the distraction of bench work or the other layout.

In my own application, I'm devoting most my basement space to my NYOW o-gauge, this would allow me to have a small tinplate and NYOW HO layout as well.

Well as long as we are kicking around ideas, here is another one I worked on several months ago.  The goal was to design a folding layout that could be rolled against the wall when not in use.  Yes, there would be scenery things sticking out on both sides during storage.

The problem was to come up with something that one person could open and close (safely!)  If it is on casters, there isn't a lot of control when you start to open it.  I incorporated a set of cables that sequence the deployment of the legs and keep things centered.  I envision a crank that would wind/unwind the cables.

My model represents a folding table built from a split 4' x 8' sheet of plywood.

In the final photo, note the crisscross cords that are steadying the legs.

 

The flipover concept seems to be a better idea but will take more space if stored against the wall in a vertical position.

Keep the ideas coming, fellas!!