John’s been back in touch with his model railway hoist diagram:
“Some time ago my model railway – a railway on a hoist in a garage – Cabin Manor to Gardenton Railway was featured by Al and received many positive comments.
I did have queries about how the hoist mechanism works but for many reasons I never responded.
As I am self-isolating because of a Covid positive test result, I have time to respond and I hope that this brief description, the diagram and pictures will explain it all.
What I have now is the second version of the mechanism as the first didn’t give the stability that I wanted.
With the uprights from floor to roof, the table is lowered to the supports and is solid and steady and takes the weight off the cables.
When the table is raised, the length of the cables has been adjusted so that it will automatically stop at the required height.
I then move the supports to the upper position and then lower the table slightly on to the supports. It has all worked satisfactorily for about eight years.
Below is a diagram of the mechanism.
I use a 125/250 kg electric hoist (normally mounted on the ceiling and used to hoist engines out of cars) which is mounted on its side and secured to the concrete floor with stainless steel brackets.
The stainless steel cable attached to the hoist pulley, goes round a pulley secured with sturdy steel brackets, to the concrete floor at a distance from the hoist motor itself.
The cable is attached to a stainless steel cross piece to which is attached a steel eye bolt and four cables each with an adjustable galvanised fence turnbuckle to adjust the length of each cable so that the table is level as it travels up and down.
Because the photos are focused on the mechanism, they suggest that it all looks rather rough and crude but in reality the motor and floor section are all closed from view by a shelf and one doesn’t notice the upright supports or the cables.
Regards,
John”
A big thanks to John, especially for the model railway hoist diagram.
You can see John’s orginal post here.
Now we’re doing a sharp U turn, and revisiting yesterday’s post.
And here’s a pic of his layout to jog your memory:
I asked Brian about his mountains because I thought they looked remarkably ‘clear’ – almost photographic, but obviously they weren’t.
Here’s his reply:
“The mountains are a trick I learned with my previous layout.
The base is plaster cloth.
Then I paste actual photo copies of rock faces I’ve taken pictures of, especially along the Arkansas River in Colorado.
Once dry, I brush a mix of white glue and water over them. End result as you can see is very realistic and very affordable to do.
Brian”
It’s another fine example of how the simple ideas often work the best.
Who would have thought it would be as easy as that?
That’s all for today folks.
But please do keep ’em coming – my inbox is looking very sparse indeed at the mo.
And if today is the day you press the fun button and get started, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.