Microswitchs

[gmpullman]

Hello,

Lastspikemike

How do the vertical side pieces clear the underside of the track as you lift the bridge into the locked position?

The ends of the side "girders" are slightly beveled and clear the mating stationary side very well.

Lastspikemike

What's the door handle used for?

A: It's a conversation piece. Many visitors ask "What's the door handle used for?". B: I'm an old man. I grab it sometimes because when I don't lower the "gate" I still use it as a duck-under. C: It is a handy place to hang things, such as test leads, extension cords, Opti-Visors, etc. that I am either using on the layout and need to return to the shop or vice-versa. D: I installed door hardware for "paired" steel doors and this was left over from the job and I hated to see it go to waste.

Lastspikemike

Am I seeing an angle in the joint at the hinged end? Is that a design requirement to make this work or just the way your track runs across the gap at a slight angle?

There's a definite offset of the right-of-way here. About 10°. The hinge is bolted to a solid block of aluminum  and was milled to the 10° angle. The resulting geometry is perfect.

DB_7 by Edmund, on Flickr

 Thanks for asking, hope that helps —

Cheers, Ed

[mreagant]

The thread is running long, but I need to add one more thing. On a section regardless of up/down or whatever, if both sides of the point where the tracks meet are powered right to the edge, how do you  bridge the inevitable gap that will interrupt any DCC locomotive that is not equipped with a keep alive?

[Overmod]

mreagant

On a section regardless of up/down or whatever, if both sides of the point where the tracks meet are powered right to the edge, how do you  bridge the inevitable gap that will interrupt any DCC locomotive that is not equipped with a keep alive?

There is no functional "gap" in that situation.

DC power is available from either side's rail... and your wiring prowess has ensured, hint, hint, that the available voltage does not change by more than a few millivolts.

Even if you had only one wheel doing pickup, it will likely drop slightly into the gap and therefore never go out of contact with a powered rail segment.

The DC power in DCC is always at 'supply' voltage, and the DCC signal imposed on the power is equally and immediately available, in or ridiculously near 'phase', on both sides, so there won't be meaningful control-integrity interference either.

This is no different from track with a poor-conducting track joint in which there are proper feeders to the adjacent lengths of rail.

[mreagant]

Well, I never thought that was the case. If I hadn't started trying to address that issue, it'd be done by now. What a relief.

[mikeGTW]

gmpullman

 

 

SeeYou190

That is amazing.

 

 

Thank you, Kevin 

I had some help from the GE machine shop, too 

This bridge spans the doorway into my workshop and has masonry walls on either side of it although there is 2 x 4 wood framing over that. Still, there has been very little adjustment ever needed and I'm pleased with the operation.

DB_3 by Edmund, on Flickr

DB_6 by Edmund, on Flickr

It was just luck that the bridge, when down, fits into its own little out-of-the-way niche and isn't prone to bumping. The bridge itself is made of furniture-grade maple with the track base dadoed into the side rails.

I recommend a drop-type bridge whenever practical over a lift-up type. Seems to make more sense to me, anyway.

Unless, of course the FORCE be with you and you can have one of those superheterodyne virtual styles I read about in M-R some time back 

 

Ed great workmanship I like it    

I kind of went overboard on mine