Building a floor layout on hallow core doors.

[Anonymous]

I think I have the track plans all set for my door layout. It has an outer loop using O42 curves with an inner loop using O31 curves. It also has on siding for parking extra cars. Now to dig up some track out of my parents basement and head over to the hobby shop tomorrow to get everything else I need. I will also purchase the doors tomorrow. I was thinking of covering the doors with some in-door/out-door carpet and then laying the track right on that instead of the cork roadbed. Havent decided on that yet. I will take some pics tomorrow and once I figure out how to post them I will.

[lionelsoni]

I wouldn't worry about getting the track joints to line up with the door joint. Just fasten the track down where you want it, then cut the pieces parallel to the door joint, at the joint. If there is a tie across the joint, move it to one side and add another tie to the other side. Likewise add a tie whereever the rails lack support near the joint. Make each electrical connection across the joint by soldering a (stranded) wire to the rail on one side, run the wire (through the door perhaps) to the bottom of the joint and then loose along the axis of the hinges and then back to be soldered to the rail on the other side. This way the wire will not flex, but will just twist a little in place as the doors are folded and unfolded and should last much longer.

I would think that two persons could easily carry a folded layout, hinges up, if you put a door pull like one of these on the edge at each end:
http://www.stanleyhardware.com/default.asp?TYPE=CATEGORY&CATEGORY=HDW+BARN+ACCESSORIES&PAGENUMBER=3&VIEW=ThumbView

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the advice on the legs. I will experment with them. Maybe hinge them so they fold up pretty well. I wasnt planning to put down any secenery but now that I think about it I think I want some. I will prob just paint the doors green, put up some buildings and store the buidings when the layout is put away.

I do like the idea of hinging the doors together. The only thing is i dont think I would want to carry 2 doors together into the other room where I will be storing them, but the doors being hollow they might be pretty light together and if I latch them i wont have a problem wiht them unfolding.

Maybe tongiht I will draw up some track plans. It does seem that I will not be able to have any curved or track running on any angles across the seperation of the 2 doors.

[lionelsoni]

If I'm not mistaken, Jim Duda built his layout on a door. You might be able to get some advice from him. Jim, are you there?

I have a technique for layout legs that might work for you. I use PVC with a large transverse bolt through near the top to hold the eye of an eye bolt. The eye bolt goes through a hole in the table (door for you) and is snugged up with a washer and nut on top. They are easy to put on and off; and the joint is very rigid. The size of pipe will depend on how high you want the table, since long plastic legs are limber. Using a hollow-core door, you will want to put the legs at the edges and corners, where there is solid wood blocking between the Masonite sheets.

You should be able to hinge the doors together, with the hinge pins on the bottom, so that they will fold together for storage. On the other hand, if you have any significant scenery, you might prefer to remove the hinge pins and store them with the track sides together, for protection. In that case, you could make short dummy legs with eyebolts on both ends, to lock the two halves apart by the necessary spacing.

[Anonymous]

Until I move in a few years, to a house with a basement, I am unable to have a layout to run my trains on. I have put together a carpet layout a few times but it gets frustrating when the track always separates. I was thinking of getting 2 hollow core doors, and building a modular layout with them that I can easily take apart and store when not in use. I was thinking of putting 2 doors side by side, putting down track on a cork road bed to reduce noise that these doors will have. I should be able to run 2 loops with a few sidings. All I would need to do is lay down the 2 doors, hook up the wiring (thinking of using some type of quick disconnects) and put down my train and I should be good to go. Anyone else try this? If so do you have any pictures? Anything else I should think of? Maybe putting some handles on the doors so they are easier to carry? I was thinking of putting on legs also, but I want something that can put set up in a matter of minutes and taken down in about the same amount of time.

Another question I have about doing a layout like this is what track would be best for this? I was thinking of lionel O for the outside loop, and O27 for the inside loop and sidings or should I stick to all O or O27. I also have alot of Super O but I do not think this would be the right track to use and I am thinking of selling it to fund more trains.