Portable Rip Track

[jwar]

If you have problems craining your neck to eye ball coupler height or find you tired of derailing problems, Perhaps this may be a solution.

I built a mini Bookcase out of scrap wood and found that it was more effiecient in other area of modeling then originaly intended.

Its approx 20 inches long, 4 in in depth and the top of which is at eye level. The top shelf has mounted track and a rerailer, with an uncoulpler mounted under the rails.

Now when a car derails its quick to get it back on the road. Setting the car at eye height is easy to check the trip pin and coupler height, rolling it over the uncoulpler, it only moves with its magnetic pull, as flicking it with my finger proved fruitless, as one cant detect very slight burr or restriction. Also have two coulpler height gauges on each end of the inspection track (I call it my Portable Rip Track). White card stock pinned on the back side almost seems to magnify the black Kadee coulplers checking the height.

Being the thing is narrow it has to have either a wide or heavy base, perhaps a 2x6, I had a scrap piece of 8 in wall floor trim, of which the groves work great holding round tools. I Built the base 6 in longer the the sides of the upright shelf ends, so that I could drill holes for screwdrivers, and other tools. A few coffee hooks for sissors, forcepts ect.

The center shelves are a tad larger then my old pill bottles of which I store coupler parts, bolster height washers, ect. These also work great for mixed paint. A small block of foam for those sharp tools. The lower shelf a bit higher to accept my scales for weighing cars.

My workbench has casters, so that I can roll it under my layout, the Portable rip track is removed and also go's out of the way under the layout, behind the curtain.

Anyhow what works so great for me is that I can move this anywhere in the house I want to work, as all my modeling tools are at hand. Well not every where I want to work, my CEO [}:)]stated the new dinning room table is off limits.

The key is to have the top shelf and coupler height at eye level sitting at you bench, the rest ot the design is what you requirements are.

Hope this may help[8D], Have a great day...John

[Jetrock]

Sounds like a good idea--having an off-layout "rip track" is a good idea. Personally, my layout is at eye level when I'm sitting down, so I can make such sightings directly on the layout, but not everyone likes their layout that high...