Sector plate idea

[FJ and G]

A neat idea just occurred to me. A “prototypical” sector plate. Has anyone else ever thought of doing this?

I’ll break this down so it’s easier to review:

1.Definitions
2. Problem
3. Solution

1. I’m not sure if I’ve got these right, but here goes:
a. Cassette or transfer table is a long removable section of layout with track.
b. Sector plate or traverser is a long moveable section of layout with track.

Notice that one is removable and the other is moveable.

2. Problem: A section of closet will be used to store trains. However, building a ladder track will (1) eat up a lot of yard track and (2) cost a lot or take more time to put in the turnouts (3) more mechanical/electrical parts that could break.

Problem with sector plates and other items mentioned is that they are not prototypical (except for the locomotive only transfer table); these are model artifices.

3. Solution is the sector plate. Not a cassette or transfer table because (1) too hard to remove it and turn it around (2) O scale trains weigh a lot; fine for HO or N scale.

The idea for making the sector plate seem prototypical would be to:

a. Ballast and scenic the sector plate with the idea to make it appear that the tracks just end abruptly but continue the other way
b. Add some abandoned trackage on the layout side of the sector plate to make it appear that the tracks once continued
c. Camouflage the sector plate crack as best you can
d. Add a mirror all the way in back so it looks like the sector plate tracks extend or continue indefinitely. The sector plate could even be curved so that you cannot see the end of it

The only time that the deception could be detected is during the actual moving of the sector plate; but then it would be very brief.

Dave Vergun

[lionelsoni]

I considered doing something like this in the infield of my around-the-walls layout but ultimately gave up on it. The final design was actually more like half a turntable, pivoting at one end. The other end was an arc of a circle, with the ends of the tracks flaring out slightly to become radial. This has the advantage of needing only about 50 percent additional area to move rather than the 100 percent of a transfer-table-style traverser. It also avoids the need to coordinate the motion at the two ends of the table.

I wound up putting the trains on the walls. But I am planning a modest expansion of my yard, using an as-yet untried throat design, in which the yard lead and the ladder tracks are at right angles. The throat consumes about 30 inches in the direction of the ladder tracks, no matter how many tracks there are. The ladder tracks are spaced 2 7/8 inches on centers. Half of the O27 switches must be cut down to 30 degrees. If this sounds like anything you can use, I will be happy to give you more details.

[FJ and G]

Bob,

Great! Glad to hear from someone else who has considered the idea. Usually sector plates and the others I mentioned are hidden or used as "Fiddle" yards. but why hide your trains we colorful toy train fans declare! And, you show with your percentage all of the space you save over a ladder arrangement.

Since the sector plate will be so long and heavy, I propose moving one end only, and designing the sector plate as a curved (arc) so that it slides gracefully about the layout. Some sort of handcrank would be needed to move the sector plate or it could even be motorized and indexed to make it really fancy. But manual control IMO would be much more elegant.

BTW, I have cut about 3 of my 027 switches down to about 30 degrees already, but after handmaking my own turnouts, I likely will not be using these; or scrapping them for parts.

I'll post a picture later this week of the first ever #7 hirail 027 turnout; and I'll provide details about how I made it.

dav