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Switches on Wood Bases

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  GaryY 
#1 ·
I thought I'd maybe show you what I'm doing to get around a problem I have.

For a while now I have been having the odd derailment on my double crossover on my outdoor ground level layout.
The crossover is about 6 feet long and is a maintenance hog.

The track gets uneven because of weather and crud (sand /dirt /stones... you name it) gets between the switch points, frogs causing a wheel to lift and before you know it a car is off the rails. This occurs of course only when visitors are watching.


Anyway, I wanted something that I could lift out and remove over winter and also be able to easily clean periodically should the need arise. Having visited an outdoor club layout I noticed they mount their switches on a piece of plywood to stabilize the movement and I thought this was a good idea.
I bought a 4’x4’ ½ inch piece of plywood, which I cut into 2 2x4 sized strips and spliced them together end to end from the underside (glued and screwed) to make a single 2x8 length of platform. I then cut 1 foot off each end making the final size 2’x6’. The actual crossover is about 20 inches wide by 68 inches long.
The 2 1'x2' pieces leftover from each end will be used for two individual switches elsewhere on the RR. I had thought about using ¾ inch plywood but the weight would make the 2'x6' size just too heavy to lug around.

I then painted the 2' x 6' with some exterior black paint I had left over from my fence and I also painted the 2 1'x2''s and the results are pictured below. I may yet trim the wood up a bit more but I'll see how this works first.

All I have to do now is change the joiners to Split Jaw rail clamps and screw the track into the wood bases and fit into the layout ...blend them in with some ballast and hopefully I'll have reduced my maintence.

All in all it was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon in my garage

Gary









 
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Discussion starter · #9 ·
Posted By Del Tapparo on 10/21/2008 10:15 AM
I would be afraid of that plywood warping and coming apart due to water damage. I would suggest Hardi-Backer board. You can get it at your local Home Depot or Lowes. It is about 1/4" thick. It is a cement product with lots of strength and waterproof.

p.s. I just noticed the bucket in your photo. Is that a "ServiceMaster" bucket? My father had a ServiceMaster franchise here in Fort Collins, CO for years. I am very familiar with it.





Hi Del, I have some concern as well regarding warping but thought I'd give the plywood a try first. I'll be lifting the section out over the winter anyway so that will help. I am considering drill some holes in key areas where it looks like water may accumulate so time will tell.

I wanted to get it back in the ground today to set it up but... if you can believe...we had an early shot of wet snow up here today...about an inch. No doubt it will melt but it came as a surprise and I haven't even finished raking my leaves!

Your right...the bucket is indeed a ServiceMaster... I've had it for several years courtesy a former neighbor that worked for them. They've been around for years.

Gary
 
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