Is a swinged layout section possible?

Thanks very much Bob and Clem. The pictures and video are very helpful.

The pictures Bob posted of his friends swing section seem to show that the gate and track was cut on a diagonal on the one side, and am wondering if there was a reason for this, as opposed to making 90 degree sections like Clem did?

Clem, that is pretty cool!

Paul, I think cutting on the diagonal is something relative to the hinge point location. Certainly not my area of expertise, but I can kinda picture it in my head...

Ted

I belive the diagonal cut is required because if the rail were all the same length   the rails would bind upon swinging the bridge out & in. To prevent them from binding they would have to have a large gap  Probably a 1/4 inch or  more ., With the diagonal cut , the shortest rail  can slip past the other 2 and end up with a perect fit. It's  a little different than  a drop  down bridge were the rails can be the same length.

Paul Kallus posted:

The pictures Bob posted of his friends swing section seem to show that the gate and track was cut on a diagonal on the one side, and am wondering if there was a reason for this, as opposed to making 90 degree sections like Clem did?

Clem's is also a diagonal. Because it's a corner, the cuts are all 90°, but the section that swings out has a smaller inside profile than the outside. Draw an imaginary line between the connecting points and you'll see what I mean and how similar it is to Bob's. In Clem's case, it appears he has the space to have made it just a roll-out section, but he would have had to add legs and wheels all around. I'm still vacillating between a closed horseshoe with a swing out and an open horseshoe with a walk-in. I don't have any experience with how hard it is to keep things aligned.

All Great ideas guys.

Paul Kallus posted:

Thanks very much Bob and Clem. The pictures and video are very helpful.

The pictures Bob posted of his friends swing section seem to show that the gate and track was cut on a diagonal on the one side, and am wondering if there was a reason for this, as opposed to making 90 degree sections like Clem did?

When planning a swinging gate, you need to look at the arc of swing.  On a paper plan of the layout (like the diagram of my friend's layout), take a compass and stick the pin in the plan where the hinge will go.  Open the compass and put the pencil end on the plan where the end of your gate will be.  Draw an arc to see how the gate will swing. 

You'll see that for my friend's gate, a diagonal cut was needed so the gate could swing along the arc to the inside of the layout.  A 90 degree cut would have locked the gate in place so it couldn't swing.  Since Clem's hinge is on the outside of the curve, 90 degree cuts would work. 

This is a swing section I constructed to act as a pass thru aisle.

Nice work there, Cape Cod. 

I am starting to envision this better, just not sure of my skills to execute to the precision needed to keep the rail gaps within a tolerant range, and the alignment as well. I'll see if my carpenter friend can help.

Thanks, everyone.

Here are some photos to help,the key is making the stops or supports to line it up every-time. The wheels are fixed heavy-duty set on an angle to match the arc. DO NOT go cheap on wheels. Look closely at the wood stop blocks and supports, the supports on each end sightly lift the gate into position, and the latch tightens it up to the stops.

Thats why it is mounted on an angle to the deck, the track is also super elevated.

 .

That's what I call a job well done.... Check out the track & ballast as well. Nice. 

The track alignment is not difficult. You build the swing bridge "door" structure first, test out the movement and make any adjustments or changes first. Once you have the door mechanics working the way you want, you then add the track, clamp it down and cut the rails last. you simply need some sort of positive alignment stop, that ensures the swing door always stops at the same place. I used a small piece of wood as an end stop, and a small groove so when the door fit into the groove, I knew the rails were aligned and locked into place.

My bridge is quite light and has no support. this makes it more delicate, however I have carpet and wheels do not move well on carpet compared to a hard smooth floor.

The rails are cut at an angle so that the swing door bridge does not bind when closing.

Bridge with finished scenery

Joe K posted:

The track alignment is not difficult. You build the swing bridge "door" structure first, test out the movement and make any adjustments or changes first. Once you have the door mechanics working the way you want, you then add the track, clamp it down and cut the rails last. you simply need some sort of positive alignment stop, that ensures the swing door always stops at the same place. I used a small piece of wood as an end stop, and a small groove so when the door fit into the groove, I knew the rails were aligned and locked into place.

 My bridge is quite light and has no support. this makes it more delicate, however I have carpet and wheels do not move well on carpet compared to a hard smooth floor.

The rails are cut at an angle so that the swing door bridge does not bind when closing.

Bridge with finished scenery

Joe, this is such a timely post, thank you. I am about to rework my open horseshoe design with a clear aisle for entry into one with a bridge across the entrance. My first design was like that, but then I switched to a loop-to-loop design to avoid a large lift-out "section". I even went so far as designing a table layout in the shape of a space shuttle to avoid a horseshoe design. My first design was like yours and now I'm trying to combine elements of that and my loop-to-loop design. I never thought about cutting the bridge tracks on an angle like that so they can swing-out. It's such a simple solution for someone like me who doesn't want to construct a large gorge on a swing-out section of benchwork like some of the other examples. I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have some questions:
1. Are both those bridges scratch-built?
2. How long are they?
3. How high is each of your levels? I found more of your photos/videos in another thread where it looks like they might be something around 20"-24"  and 36"-40"?
4. I only checked the last 10 or so of your posts, but is there anywhere I can see how your layout looks just to the right of the bridges? I'm interested in seeing where the tracks go to the right once they cross the bridges.

Those are some great examples guys...wow.  Great techniques and carpentry!!!

Paul Kallus posted:

In the other thread I received good tips on making drop-down and lift-up sections to span a utility room door. However, I am thinking about a hinged swinging layout section, one that would swing outward like a door, except it would have track on top. The carpentry involved is feasible, but I am having a hard time imagining how the track would align and connect on both sides. Has anyone done this or know of an article that details this?

Thanks.

Don't laugh, but I struggled with this thinking the carpentry is quite possible but having no idea how to deal with the track electrical connections. rail pins etc. It took a while for me to figure out that they don't need to be pinned or pass current, they just have to be very close and perfectly lined up.

Clem and Joe, nice work, I can't even tell where the track joints are when the section is closed.

Thanks, all.