Need some engineering opinion on a hydrolic lift device

[FJ and G]

S-P

That sounds nice, and you got me going now: chain or rope with a counterweight attached, sort of like an elevator uses; may need to study how an elevator works.

Elliott,

I'm working sloooowly.

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Have you thought of a chain drive system? At work we have various lift devices which must be fairly precise. In one appliction we have a hydraulic as well as a chain drive, and the chain drive is infinatly more precise and smooth. By chain drive I mean like a bicycle chain-like drive. Some garage doors use a chain drive, so there may be a source for parts. As far as stoppong at specific levels, a limit switch(s) would allow stopping points, and if you use different gearing on the electric motor or use a stepper motor it would slow things down increasing the limit travel and increasing the torque. Got me thinking now, Garage door opener driveunit, solid shaft between two opposed drive cogs with a stationary lower wheels, idler wheel for tension adjustment. The track attached to the outside of the drive chain, with clearance to allow the track to pivot so the track would be horizonal. I love dreaming up stuff!

[Big_Boy_4005]

Dave, hydraulics are really only used when serious weight is involved. Over at the live steam club they have a turntable that is justlike one of those garage lifts you mentioned. But, keep in mind, those trains can weigh well over 1000 pounds.

If you are going to consider having a 4 to 5 foot circle, why not just build the helix and get it over with. I thought we had this figured out last year, and you were going to go with an oval shaped helix. What happened?

If that doesn't work, I like the straight lift idea. It's easier.

[FJ and G]

Sometimes you need to get the wheels in your head spinning long before tackling a novel project.

I'm nowhere's near this particular project but have occasionally been mulling the idea of getting trains up and down to 3 levels of shelving.

There are tried and true means of accomplishing this that include (but are not limited to):

1. helix
2. ramp track
3. human power via a "cassette" or several other variations of lift devices, more practical in smaller scales of trains w/less weight
4. elevators

I'm particularly interested in this last category and I believe that several layouts actually have incorporated elevators.

The most common elevator would be for a straight stretch of track that can be moved on rails up and down, sort of like a garage door opener.

The elevator that I propose building (have never seen or heard of this) is a large circle of track, say 4 or 5 feet in diameter that a small or medium sized O scale train can fit on.

If you've been to auto repair places, they use hydraulic lifts. When you change your own tires, you may have even used such a device or even a mechanical jack.

The jack could be placed on the ground with the pole going up through the circular device with the train sitting on it.

The challenges would be to get the jack to stop at exactly the correct spot and also to raise and lower the device in an expedient manner.

If an air pump were used, it might generate a lot of unwanted noise, however. An electrical device, perhaps like the garage door opener might be preferred.

Why go thru the trouble and instead go with a helix or ramp?

For one, if you don't have a lot of space for a wide-radius helix, then the slope of the track may be too steep. Also, if you are putting the layout in a hallway, you might wi***o dismantle the device for storage to free access for the hallway. Obviously then, our device would need to be able to be disassembled and assembled with ease.