Subject: [Shop-talk] Attic storage - track and platform system

From: Brian Kemp <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 09:52:22 -0700

The talk about attic storage has me again wondering about a track and 
platform system - think railroad.  Has anyone made or seen a track that 
could move 2' x 4' plywood platforms without too much resistance?  
Something like this would allow me to access most of the seasonal stuff 
I occasionally need without having to climb in the attic.  My lower 
pitched California roof also means I have to crawl everywhere up in the 
attic.

My initial thought was four fixed castors at each end of the platform.  
Two vertical to carry the load and two horizontal to ride between the 
rails and keep the platform on track.  The track would probably be 2x4's 
across the joists and a double layer of 3/4" plywood cut for the 
corners.  I'm not sure what the radius would need to be, but I would 
like at least part of an oval.  I probably could not move cars that made 
a full oval.

The cars would be joined with a 1x2" of enough length that the cars 
wouldn't touch on the corners.

I also had a thought to use plastic pipe for the track - conduit, ABS, 
or PVC cut in half to form a channel with only the vertical wheels.

My goal here is to have a system that is easy to get in and once in, 
means I don't have to climb up in the attic and crawl around.

Any been there, done that is appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian
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From: John Innis <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 12:51:02 -0500

Not sure how it would work in your application (radiused corners), but I
have seen something similar done with overhead door tracks.  They were only
used for straight sections, and for light loads ( think the most we ever
had on a "platform" was 50#), but they worked great.  If that is not going
to work for you I have also seen on TV where guys have made the same type
of thing out of angle iron and castors.  Kinda like you described, they had
one castor riding on the horizontal part of the angle to take the weight,
and on the vertical to "steer".    Much more weight capacity, but harder to
work with when cutting and "bending" the "track".  It looked like they cut
the angle at about 30 degree angles and welded it together in short
sections to make curves.  The radius would probably depend on how long your
platforms were.  I seem to recall from my model railroad days that longer
platforms require wider radius turns, or the ability for the axles to pivot
with respect to the platform, like the trucks of a rail car.

On Mon, May 28, 2012 at 11:52 AM, Brian Kemp <[email-masked]> wrote:

>  Something like this would allow me to access most of the seasonal stuff I
> occasionally need without having to climb in the attic.  My lower pitched
> California roof also means I have to crawl everywhere up in the attic.
>
> across the joists and a double layer of 3/4" plywood cut for the corners.
>  I'm not sure what the radius would need to be, but I would like at least
> part of an oval.  I probably could not move cars that made a full oval.
>
> I also had a thought to use plastic pipe for the track - conduit, ABS, or
> PVC cut in half to form a channel with only the vertical wheels.
>
> My goal here is to have a system that is easy to get in and once in, means
> I don't have to climb up in the attic and crawl around.
>
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>
> [email-masked]
> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.**html<http://www.team.net/donate.html>
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>
>

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From: Rand E <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 11:10:54 -0700 (PDT)

How about something like the old-time cars at Six Flags or Worlds of Fun. 
They have a single beam run down the center of the course and under the car
there is a bumper several inches to either side that slides along the beam. 
The wheels are out at the corners for support but the distance between the
bumper and the beam allows the driver to have some input where the car goes
but still keep the car from running off the track area.  
 
Randy    

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