Got yet another one for my Forum friends. The title says it all. I want to build a small two track staging yard. I can't leave it up all the time as it would block the entry door to the garage and there are more things in there than just the layout. I would like to be able to fold the back (left as one looks at it) legs into the benchwork so that it can be stored out of the way in a minmimum of space when I'm not using it. The framework will be the standard 1x4 that I have used for the rest of the layout sections. The front will be attached via pins (3/8 dowel) or something similar. The metal brackets I have seen via the Internet either appear too big for 2x2 legs or, from reviews, aren't of high enough quality that I want to spend the funds needed for them or the time to install them. The leg length is somewhere around 34-35" or so for the rest of the plywood topped sections of the layout. Furniture levelers and T-nuts are used to level the sections on an uneven floor.
As usual any ideas that anyone can provide would be most welcomed.
I've been contemplating the same concept. I haven't gotten to the point of how to do the legs, and what type of bracket to get, or, where to connect it to the layout.
I was also thinking about something on wheels, so I could leave a train on the staging, rolling it out of the way.
I'll be watching this, with interest.
Mike.
My You Tube
The British do a lot of inovative storage/staging yard kind of things which involve removable ones and even much more exotic. Maybe try searching some British forums for that.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I used these folding brackets from Lee Valley for a table. They're intended to screw to a 2x2 leg and they seem to be good quality: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/table-hardware/legs/leg-brackets/40035-folding-leg-bracket
Canadian store, not sure about US availability
speedybeeCanadian store, not sure about US availability
Thanks, just checked around, Amazon offers a variety of the bracket you linked to, along with others.
Those brackets are definitely available int he US - we use them on the club modular layout. Or ones very similer - ours have a smalle button to unlatch them to fold out.
Doesn't the tail track on oen fo the MR project layouts hinge not only at the layout edge but also in the middle so if folds up completely against the side of the layout? I sort of recall that from one of the project railroad videos. I'm thinkign they did this so it could both stay attached to the layout and be longer than the layout was tall.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker Doesn't the tail track on oen fo the MR project layouts hinge not only at the layout edge but also in the middle so if folds up completely against the side of the layout? I sort of recall that from one of the project railroad videos. I'm thinkign they did this so it could both stay attached to the layout and be longer than the layout was tall. --Randy
I remember that too
The Virginian
https://mrv.trains.com/videos/project-layouts/2012/03/model-railroad-video-building-the-ho-scale-virginian-ry-part-14
and the harbor railroad
https://mrv.trains.com/videos/project-railroads/2013/12/building-a-5-x-8-harbor-railroad-part-3
Dave Nelson
Depends on the size of yard. My carfloat extention uses a detatatable L shaped leg that is held in place when in use by magnets drilled into the top of the L peice of wood with a metal plate on the fold up layout extention. Wanted to use a tripod leg but did not want to sacrafice my only tripod.
I also built a fold-down shelf for my carfloat terminal. It's a Walthers float kit and a Walthers carfloat apron. I built the shelf as hard wood, with a fold-down hinge on the layout side and a single leg attached to another hinge on the far side. The carfloat itself is mounted on a piece of two-inch foam, and is totally removeable, so the shelf folds down cleanly with no obstructions.
This works fine for the carfloat, but it's not very long and might not give you much staging.
Here is the end of the layout extension that will be the lead for the carfloat:
Next, the table extension, attached on hinges at the layout and supported by a leg at the far end.
The foam and the carfloat in place:
The empty carfloat on the base, cleaned up a bit:
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I was doing some further research on the two bracket types I was looking at. According to sellers of both kinds on a certain auction site, neither kind can handle the 2x2s that I use for my legs. (Don't ask about trying to get straight one of those.) I am now stumped on how, or even if, I can build what I want.
There are many different brackets out there. If your scrapping the idea, that's up to you.
I'll continue on with my planning.
Could you at least give a link to what brackets you think won't work?
I think where the issue was with one of them was a 2x2 (dimensional) was too big. I got a message on the other one this morning that the dimension is right at 1 1/2". I think I will end up going with that one.