Help on Pulley System to Lift Train Table

Couple of ways.

Cantilever .  3/8s plate. As wide as their arms. Are. It would be heavy.

It would take some drilling ..or use long U bolts.

Just move their arms out to where you need them. 

For my 6x12, I did two things: 

1) I added pulleys attached to the ceiling joists, 1 foot beyond each corner.   The cable simply threads over the existing pulley wheels in reaching the new pulleys.  That got me the 6' width.

2) To make the 12' length, I extended the axle connecting the two end bridges.   That took some "engineering" - I purchased a steel square (hollow) 1"(?) rod to extend the length, from Home Depot.

Its been "up" for about a dozen years now.   I park my Mustang beneath.

Ken

You could keep the 4' x 4' eye bolt footprint as designed. 

Simply build your layout's framework so each of those cables go straight down, and each eye bolt passes through a section of your 2 x 4 framework.  That way, don't have to re-engineer anything related to the lifting mechanism. 

You could hide or "dress-up" the portions of those protruding eye bolts and cables that are close to the layout by turning them into telephone poles, cell phone towers, trees, buildings (cable through the roof), or something else decorative. 

Andy W.:

What material do you propose to make the table frame from that will support the table top?  And then, what material do you plan to use as the table top on which to place your tracks?  Once the table is raised or lowered do you plan to have locking safety cables?  Is your lift mechanism a manual crank or powered?

@JTFIII posted:

Andy W.:

What material do you propose to make the table frame from that will support the table top?  And then, what material do you plan to use as the table top on which to place your tracks?  Once the table is raised or lowered do you plan to have locking safety cables?  Is your lift mechanism a manual crank or powered?

What I did was use 1x4, 1x6, and 2x2 pine for a light framework.  Then I covered the surface with a layer of ceiling tile (or is it two layers?)  (light, and absorbs sound).   I have safety chains for protection when fully lifted up - just simple chains that hook over the suspending hooks.   

Mine is manual - haven't bothered to add a power lift so far.   It comes with a simple hand crank with a long arm, which is detachable.  I have mine hanging nearby.   Its easy to make the connection, that aspect is good engineering.   Its easy to lift up and down, not much effort, just a lot of crank rotation, but not a bother.

No problems so far.  It attracts attention when a guest is in the garage.   I love my 'stang, and would not take a chance, but my installation is solid.

The layout is FasTrack with an branch line up a mountain using Atlas-O.  On the mountain is an On30 loop.   It's mostly canibalized at the moment to build other layouts, so not much to show right now (I am running a 4x10 in the dining room).   I am not good at scenery so my best intentions never turn out that well in pics anyway.

As anyone installed this concept in there basement. I have a crawl under to an  open area that I need to get to. At the age getting down on floor and crawling is not easy and then getting back up is crazy 😳.  I was hoping to be able to cut and lift a section for easy access and leave the existing scenery in tack. I would like to cut out a 2.5 ft x 4 ft section. Is the method above my only option. Asking for advice and ideas.

WHEN I BUILT MY TRAIN TABLE, I USED HOLLOW AIRCRAFT ALUMINUM 2X4'S 8 FT X 16 FT AND THEN BRACED SEVERAL OF THE 8 FT PIECES AT EQUAL FOUR POINTS THROUGH THE TWO 16 FT LENGTHS WITH EVERYTHING DRILLED AND BOLTED TOGETHER WITH ALUMINUM ANGLE BRACKETS.  THEN FOR THE TRAIN TABLETOP, I USED FOUR OF THE HOME DEPOT PINK TWO INCH THICK 4 FT X 8 FT OWENS CORNING FOAMULAR RIDGID BOARDS AND GLUED THE PIECES TOGETHER.  THEN I WENT TO HARBOR FREIGHT AND PURCHASED A 120 VOLT POWER WINCH AND RAN PLASTIC COATED STEEL WIRE THROUGH THE HARKEN INC. PULLEY SYSTEMS TO FOUR POINTS ON THE TABLE THAT HAS RAISED ANGLE BRACKETS BOLTED TO THE TABLE, FROM ACE HARDWARE.  THE PULLEY SYSTEM IS BOLTED TO THE BASEMENT CEILING JOISTS THROUGH STEEL BRACKETS BOLTED INTO THE JOISTS THAT SUPPORT THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE HOUSE.  THE FOAM BOARDS ARE REALLY EASY AND LIGHT TO WORK WITH, AND THE PULLEY SYSTEM WAS BASED ON MY OLD SAILING DAYS WHEN I NEEDED TO USE PULLEY SYSTEMS ON MY CATAMARAN.

I ALSO HAVE TWO SETS OF FOUR SAFETY WIRES THAT ARE USED WHEN THE TABLE IS DOWN OR WHEN THE TABLE IS UP, TO LOCK IT INTO POSITION.  WITH THE FIGURE EIGHT AND ELONGATED CIRCLE SYSTEMS THAT I BUILT WITH INTERCONNECTING SETS OF TRACKS; I CAN RUN THREE TRAINS AT ONE TIME.

I ALSO PLACE DOUBLE SIDED TAPE AND ONE INCH PINK STYRAFOAM AROUND THE TABLE AND THEN USED THE DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE TO GLUE CLEAR PLASTIC AS A FENCE AROUND THE TABLE TO KEEP THE TRAINS ON THE TABLE AND LITTLE HANDS OFF OF THE TRAINS AND SOME OF THE OTHER PIECES ON THE TABLE.

TO HELP LEVEL THE TABLE, I ALSO INCORPORATED THE USE OF TURN BUCKLES FROM ACE HARDWARE.  I ALSO PLACED ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL CONTROLS ON ANGLE BRACKETS ON ONE THIRD OF ONE SIDE OF THE TABLE. 

WHEN I BUILT THE TABLE, I HAD GONE TO ALOT OF TRAIN SHOWS, AND EVERYONE WAS STUCK ON USING WOOD.  TOO HEAVY AND NOT STRONG ENOUGH.  THE ALUMINUM AND STYRAFOAM IS MUCH EASIER AND LIGHTER TO WORK WITH ESPECIALLY WHEN USING RADIOSHACK WIRING AND TERMINAL STRIPS GLUED AND LABELED UNDER THE TABLE.

LET ME KNOW IF THIS HELPS.

JTFIII

Agree with wanting the space not taken up by a train table   I did this in our pole barn and works great  

https://www.harborfreight.com/...mp;cid=pdp_brandLink

Get two or four of these 440lb harbor freight electric hoists.  Super strut from Home Depot and some eye hook bolts and some chain.  Double nut the bolts for added safety and use the magnetic square washers they have for super strut plus a washer.  

Put two pieces of super strut under your table like a cradle. I just leave it on the cradle. Being able to lift and lower it to any height is nice when working on it.