Selection of the Ro-Ro Train Elevator
On of the key elements for my Scotts-dale Division is to have significant staging tracks. This is important to me, because:
1. Staging gives a sense that the trains are really going from one town to another.
2. I've always planned to have a mix of mainline traffic and branch traffic, typically the layout focuses on the branch line, so staging is needed to support the mainline operations.
For my Taxi Drive layout (SDD Version 2), I started with the concept of using a Transfer Table; however, as I began construction I was concerned about the approach for aligning the transfer table tracks with the layout tracks.
In July 2006, I attended the National Train Show in Philadelphia, PA and saw a demonstration of a device called the Ro-Ro Train Elevator. Basically it is a vertical transfer table for N, HO, or O scale trains. After watching several demonstrations and asking the inventor, Walter Kiefer, many questions, I realized that Walter had developed an excellent indexing system. It was much better than my design for the transfer table. In addition, using a vertical system eliminated the grades needed to travel down to a horizontal transfer table beneath the main elevation. Thus I ordered a 6 foot Ro-Ro Train Elevator and shelved the plans for my own transfer table. I also modified the design for my layout to accommodate the Ro-Ro Train Elevator (SDD Version 3).
The Ro-Ro Train Elevator has 9 shelves 3 inches wide and spaced 3 inches apart. Thus in HO it can hold one track per shelf for a total of 9 trains. However, in N scale it can hold 2 tracks per shelf for a total of 18 tracks. For more information on the Ro-Ro Train Elevator by Walter Kiefer, check out the Ro-Ro Train Elevator web site.
The Ro-Ro Train Elevator did not make the cut for the current iteration of the SDD layout (Version 7) because I needed the layout to be movable. However, it will be re-assembled and stored for a future basement layout.
Implementation of the Ro-Ro Train Elevator
For the SDD layout, significant staging was required, therefore, the Ro-Ro Train Elevator was outfitted with 2 tracks per shelf. In addition, the top shelf was reserved for run through tracks to create a continuous loop. Thus, with this arrangement the Ro-Ro elevator provided 16 staging tracks, plus two track continuous loop operations.
In the demonstrations of the Ro-Ro Elevator, the elevator is always visible thus the operator can see when the train is completely on the elevator and clear of the approach tracks. For the SDD layout arrangement, the Ro-Ro Elevator was hidden staging behind a mountain. Thus, the engineer cannot see when to stop his/her train, so a means of automatically stopping the train is required. In addition, to keep the roles of the operators as realistic as possible, a method for remote operation by the dispatcher was required.
Construction of the Ro-Ro Elevator
The Ro-Ro elevator comes with very detailed instructions; I suggest reading them several times before beginning the installation process. Once familiar with the steps to assemble the elevator, start assemble process by preparing the support structure. The supports where 3 1 x 4s of varying lengths which where drilled in accordance with the provided templates. These supports were screwed into the wall studs using drywall screws near each end and in the middle. As you can see in the pictures below, I painted the 1 x 4 prior to drilling. This was a mistake. The latex paint on the 1 x 4s stuck to the paint on the walls. When we moved out of this house and I took the elevator apart, the painted wood and drywall stuck together resulting in part of the dry wall being ripped off when the wood came down. On the new installation, I am using unpainted 1 x 4s.
The Ro-Ro Elevator is made up of two major assemblies as shown below. The first assemble is the back plates which house the which, indexing system and guides. The second assemble is the elevator, which has the 9 shelves and their supporting structure.
Once the supporting 1 x 4s are installed, the next step is to build the back plate assemble. I followed the directions provided very carefully throughout this step. After assembling the back plates, it was time to install them on the supports. This step required being extremely careful. The back plates need to be absolutely level in order to ensure that the elevator is level and thus can work properly. Once the back plates were installed, I began building the elevator.
The elevator is fairly simple, but time consuming to assemble. There are 9 shelves, each with several screws to hold them to the supporting structure. Each of these screws must go into the pre-drilled holes absolutely straight, otherwise they will crack and protrude from the masonite.
Once the elevator assemble was complete, mount the elevator onto the back plates. This step was straight forward, but did require a second set of hands.
After installing the elevator assembly, test the function of the elevator to ensure that the indexing and limit switches were working properly. Then install the tracks (18 in my case).
I spent two evenings reviewing the instructions and completed the Ro-Ro elevator in 4 evenings.
Modifications
As noted above, modifications to the Ro-Ro elevator were need to make it perform as hidden storage controlled by the Dispatcher. The first step was to design an electrical interlocking to ensure that trains automatically stopped at the correct position on each Ro-Ro track. As built, the Ro-Ro Train Elevator provides track power to one shelf at a time and only when that shelf is aligned with the approach tracks. My design provides isolation of the track ends to provide a dead zone on the opposite end of the incoming track. Thus when the locomotives have passed through most of the elevator shelf track, they reach the dead zone and stop. Power can be applied to the dead zone, when needed to allow a train to depart for restaging the layout or reusing trains during an operation session.
The second modification was to provide a DCC sensor and position control system for the Ro-Ro elevator. This control system interfaces with the JMRI Panel Pro computer dispatching software on the SDD to provide fully integrated remote control of the Ro-Ro elevator via DCC. It was, in part, the development of this system that led to starting DCC by Design, my DCC design and implementation service business.
For more information about these design, please contact me at DCC by design.
