Bridge into slot

For various reasons I’ve been very slow reading the may issue, just took a look at this article.

The swing bridge into the slot idea is a nice simple way to do it.  Neat idea.

Marty

I don’t read the RE version of MRH but I do read your blog and subscribe to your You Tube.

Tom

A couple of things

The discussion of fascia paint color echoes what's been going on with Free-mo groups across the nation.  His wife's selection of S-W's "Riverway" has a striking resemblance to our group's standard of Behr's "Underwater".

It wasn't mentioned overtly in the article, but the use of Ikea's IVAR shelving is a great timesaver in construction.  Three sides and the peninsula of my home layout are settled on IVAR, after I tired of building brackets in the Westcott tradition on the first wall.  With lumber being in 'panic mode' now, even thinking of buying IVAR is a waste of energy, as the shelves themselves are invariably out of stock.

Mike Dodd's sidebar on screening the underside was useful; I'll be watching the yard sales around here for a sewing machine, as there will be opportunity for a LOT of skirting on this setup.

Tim B.

Paint

One thing I do advocate is to paint all surfaces. Underside just because. Even if you can't see it, paint it anyway!

IVAR

Yes, I agree the IVAR system is great for the layout "underpinnings" - even mentioned it in a prior Running Extra column. 

I do think it's a good idea to seal the IVAR components - either by painting or staining (or a clear sealant) since the wood always feels a bit "wet" when raw. 

Besides, painting them makes the things look better!

I see some IKEA stores in our area are starting to show these components back in stock after a long delay - there's another IKEA item - Alex drawers - that I use for under layout car storage - that's been out of stock all year, at least in the color I'm looking for. 

Yes, painting all surfaces is important

I either painted, or used clear acrylic flat varnish, on all benchwork components. 

I did stain the IVAR shelves something like "Pecan" before adding a coat of semi-gloss varnish to the shelves. 

After

two winter/spring/summer transitions here in northern Virginia I find the slot swing gate is still a successful approach. The first summer it was in place I did have to trim the end of one rail slightly to get the gate to close without the rail "picking" on the fixed rail when the gate was swung into place. 

Naturally, come winter the gap got a little bigger but there's been no issues with train operation across the gate. 

Marty