faraway Wrote:I intend to reconnect the two parts of the layout in front of the door with a light weight bridge made of two hatches. The two elements are made of 4" wide of .25" or .5" thick plywood and connected via piano hinges to the layout at both sides. They will both hang down, not reaching the floor, if not used.
The problem:
How to connect the two halves in the middle?
.
1- purchase ( or find ) a hinge the width of your "drop bridge". With the "bridge" in the operating position ( up ), bolt the new hinge to the bottom, with the hinge pin directly under the joint where the two bridge halves meet . This will insure side to side rail alignment, due to the tight fit of the two hinge plates.
2. Once the hinge is bolted in place, remove the hinge pin, so the two halves can be lowered.
3. You will need a removable support, under the center of the bridge, to hold it at the proper height, with a slot in the top of the removable support, just wide enough for the hinge plate "pivot-points" to rest snugly in.
the removable hinge pin could be used to prevent any vertical misalignment between the two halves, when they are in the operating position. the track rails, can then meet end to end, with no "rail joiners"
The modular group I belong to has one "
module", that is a 3' long, tilt up bridge, between the two ends, aligned using the Hinge Plate idea, and it works rather well.
Hope that helps.......
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