**Modular Section includes TWO BRIDGES**

Looks great!  I have a stupid question.  How does A/C get to the bridge track piece?  Maybe some close up pics with the explanation would help me.

Great addition to the Fastrack module family!

Neal Jeter 

Now that is awesome.

TheDude23112 posted:

Looks great!  I have a stupid question.  How does A/C get to the bridge track piece?  Maybe some close up pics with the explanation would help me.

No such thing as a stupid question I'll explain as best I can, it is wired through the track so once the bridge unit is placed down, reconnected to the tracks, the modular pieces on either side are hard wired... hope that makes sense. Right now, that modular section has been taken apart and in pieces getting clear coated. I'll try and take some close up shots tomorrow - have a great evening,

TrainDame aka Dorcie

All that work to avoid bending over. TrainWorx makes great stuff. For the amount of time it takes to set up and breakdown it doesn’t seem worth it. Kind of reminds me of  today’s teaching Common Core Math. 

CNJBill posted:

All that work to avoid bending over. TrainWorx makes great stuff. For the amount of time it takes to set up and breakdown it doesn’t seem worth it. Kind of reminds me of  today’s teaching Common Core Math. 

Working from the center of a large oval layout at a show is convenient. The removable bridge gets setup until the show is finished.

How does lifting bridges out of a clever modular unit remind you of Math?

The modules are 30" to the surface in height and about 28" to crawl under one. That doesn't look good at a display venue. I can't imagine many would want to do that.

Any design module requires the same steps - install legs - secure locks to adjacent units - make electrical connections with adjoining plugs/connectors.

Most of the modular clubs have built an access module - this just happens to be one built by TW Trainworx. They collaborated on the LCCA design phase for the Lionel FasTrack modules.  

Moonman posted:

CNJBill posted:

All that work to avoid bending over. TrainWorx makes great stuff. For the amount of time it takes to set up and breakdown it doesn’t seem worth it. Kind of reminds me of  today’s teaching Common Core Math. 

Working from the center of a large oval layout at a show is convenient. The removable bridge gets setup until the show is finished.

How does lifting bridges out of a clever modular unit remind you of Math?

The modules are 30" to the surface in height and about 28" to crawl under one. That doesn't look good at a display venue. I can't imagine many would want to do that.

Any design module requires the same steps - install legs - secure locks to adjacent units - make electrical connections with adjoining plugs/connectors.

Most of the modular clubs have built an access module - this just happens to be one built by TW Trainworx. They collaborated on the LCCA design phase for the Lionel FasTrack modules.  

Couldn't have said it better Carl - Bravo! Thank you so much

TheDude23112 posted:

Looks great!  I have a stupid question.  How does A/C get to the bridge track piece?  Maybe some close up pics with the explanation would help me.

Stop the video when the bridge gets lifted out. You can see the bridge rails sit in slots in the abutments where the power is supplied.

Dorcie,

Thanks for sharing this video.  I think I have seen about every article in the magazines, every video online, and every posting here on the OGR Forum discussing such layout access issues, whether lift out, raise up, drop down, swing away or rollout, and this system ranks very highly among them in my view.

I see your system as being not only good for a portable modular or sectional “show” layout but also engineered in a way to be useful providing access into an around the room walls home layout.  Running wires through the gap in sections under a raised false floor piece is a particularly elegant solution for wiring, stability and alignment issues.  

And at my age and shape, the whole walk through set up would be an elegant solution for my own personal instability and non-alignment issues.  :-)

One question that occurred to me while watching the video:  Will there be any sort of built-in safety feature to automatically create a stretch of “dead” track to stop a train from trying to run the gap when the bridge is out?

If so, and if it wouldn’t be giving away a critical TrainWorx trade secret, I would be interested in seeing a video on feature, too, when or if installed.

Cheers!

Alan 

Alan B posted:

If so, and if it wouldn’t be giving away a critical TrainWorx trade secret, I would be interested in seeing a video on feature, too, when or if installed.

Alan 

I'll let Dorcie answer as to if these bridges will be electrically interlocked.

However, to do it certainly is no trade secret. The center rail of the track on either side of the bridge needs to be electrically isolated. If you're using FasTrack get four 6-12073 sections. There's a little jumper on the bottom. Cut the jumper(s) and power the bridge side when the plunger on the limit switch is depressed (bridge is in position). Other brands of track, pull the center pin, or cut the rail, or buy an isolated track section if available.

Rule of thumb, isolate the length of your longest engine. Get on eBay and pick out a couple nice plunger style limit switches.  Make sure they're rated > 10A. Mount and wire them up.

Something like this...

On our club's modular layout, we didn't do this on Geezer Gorge. IF someone runs their engine off the bridge, they won't do it twice.

Gilly

Alan B posted:

Dorcie,

Thanks for sharing this video.  I think I have seen about every article in the magazines, every video online, and every posting here on the OGR Forum discussing such layout access issues, whether lift out, raise up, drop down, swing away or rollout, and this system ranks very highly among them in my view.

I see your system as being not only good for a portable modular or sectional “show” layout but also engineered in a way to be useful providing access into an around the room walls home layout.  Running wires through the gap in sections under a raised false floor piece is a particularly elegant solution for wiring, stability and alignment issues.  

And at my age and shape, the whole walk through set up would be an elegant solution for my own personal instability and non-alignment issues.  :-)

One question that occurred to me while watching the video:  Will there be any sort of built-in safety feature to automatically create a stretch of “dead” track to stop a train from trying to run the gap when the bridge is out?

If so, and if it wouldn’t be giving away a critical TrainWorx trade secret, I would be interested in seeing a video on feature, too, when or if installed.

Cheers!

Alan 

Hi Alan,

Full disclosure here... I just posted this YouTube Video I took specifically for the client to see and he said "Sure, go ahead and share it". TW TrainWorx is not the end user nor trying to create a new modular product. We simply used our existing modular sections to create this "bridge section" believing our able customer has a plan. Our modular customer (here in Texas) asked Roger Farkash to design two bridges into his modular layout and incorporate a way to get inside the layout during shows... Viola this is what Roger came up with. 

Now, I went ahead and shared your questions with the Brainiac Traingineers and in particular this is what Reagan had to say:

I would suggest just installing a SPST toggle switch right to the track that you can flip when you remove the bridge, this will take the place of the “automatic” disconnect. Those bridges get lifted off and set down then picked up and reinstalled, so  a toggle switch would be a much cleaner installation….

Personally... I don't know what a SPST toggle switch is  

Have a most excellent week... it's York Time !!!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
(214) 634-2965
www.blog.traindame.com
www.twtrainworxstore.com 

Thank you for your responses, Gilley and Dorcie,

Gilley,

We fabricated a connection system much like what you described to power a removable piece of track bridging the gap between sections of our sectional Capitol Holidays Layout.  Since the platform sits on the floor, we needed to be able to install a curved section of connecting Gilbert American Flyer tinplate track from the top after the platform sections are connected together.  So the track pins were removed and power is supplied through home-made pressure contacts from below.  Next time we rehab the layout, we will look at using commercial pressure switches like those you have shown.

Dorcie,

It didn’t occur to me that this wasn’t a complete build of the new section of your client’s modular layout, so I was curious as to how the Traingineers at TrainWorx might handle the potential “bridge out!” problem.

I had actually thought about using a manual cut-off switch as Reagan suggests, especially for a home layout, perhaps with some sort of “Geezer” reminder to throw the switch before removing the bridge section.

Thanks again to you both.

Alan

It is the most basic of switches, two terminals .

SPST- it means Single Pole, Single Throw. A dpdt would mean 2 isolated circuits inside(=2 switches in one toggle), and three terminals each/or seen as/2circuits with 1 term. ea. going to 2 others dep. on toggle position= 2 choices per ea circuit; 2 circuits, (e.g. hi-lo input to an output(x2 circuits), or one 12v input to one of two outputs A or B (x2))

Sooner or later you will likely recall this stuff without much thought; interested or not