{"id":253,"date":"2012-12-15T13:36:21","date_gmt":"2012-12-15T18:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smallmodelrailroads.wordpress.com\/?p=253"},"modified":"2015-04-25T20:52:45","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T00:52:45","slug":"buidling-a-traverser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/buidling-a-traverser\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Traverser"},"content":{"rendered":"

The design for the layout included the need for a traverser so trains appear to go somewhere. I am hoping to stage up to three trains for a mix of operations.<\/p>\n

To build the traverser, I used 1\/4″ underlayment (thin smooth plywood) as the bottom. This was placed\u00a0directly\u00a0on the frame of the module. I then used 1\/2″ plywood ripped to 1 1\/4″ as the frame. I then added extra lengths of 1\/2″ plywood ripped to 1″ at the edges for the traverser table to ride on. The table is made from the same underlayment as the bottom. The blue material is a scrap\u00a0piece\u00a0of vinyl\u00a0from a bathroom project. It provides a smooth surface for the mechanism to slide upon.<\/p>\n

\"Traverser<\/a>
Traverser Assembly Minus Table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The idea for the mechanics of the traverser came from a JGRO CNC Router project I had built. The plans and specs for the router are at\u00a0http:\/\/www.cncroutersource.com\/cnc-router-plans.html<\/a>. The threaded road and Delrin material came from this project. The Delrin is drilled and tapped to accept the rod. As the motor turns the shaft, the travels along the shaft. The traverser table has two pieces of wood slotted to accept the Delrin. Delrin is used because it has natural properties that lubricate the shaft for smooth operation.<\/p>\n

\"Delrin<\/a>
Delrin blocks threaded to accept rod.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other parts of the mechanism\u00a0are left over materials I had from other projects. The motor is from an old printer that my work was throwing out. I have found the same motor in cordless screwdrivers. The threaded shaft and other hardware can be purchased from any hardware. The\u00a0couplings\u00a0can be found at many robotics parts sources on the internet.<\/p>\n

\"Motor<\/a>
Motor and Coupling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The electrical is a simple push button switch and DPDT switch to reverse polarity. It is wired the same way as a analog DC layout direction switch. this setup allows me to control the direction of the table and the table only moves when the button is held down. Power is supplied by a 7 volt DC wall wart. I used more of the left over vinyl for panel.<\/p>\n

\"Control<\/a>
Control Panel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of great importance is the end bearing assemblies. These hold the rod at the correct height and if adjusted correctly keep the table from bouncing. The bearings were purchased from McMaster-Carr<\/a>.\u00a0I used vinyl nuts to keep them from “walking” down the rod as it turned. They are lightly nudged against the bearings to keep everything in place. Tighten too much and the rod will bind, too loose and it will bounce.<\/p>\n

\"Bearing<\/a>
Bearing Assembly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The table is cut from a piece of 1\/4″ plywood underlayment. On the underside I placed two peices of 3\/4″ particle board. the particle board is drilled and tapped to accept the bolts and wheel assembly. The wheels are\u00a0roller skate bearings I took out of some old skates that did not fit my kids anymore. The table will ride on these creating a smoother mechanism. This was another idea that came from the JGRO CNC Machine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Table<\/a>
Table Guide and Wheel Assemblies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The table simply\u00a0straddles\u00a0the Delrin and moves with it as it moves down the shaft.<\/p>\n

\"Traverser<\/a>
Traverser Table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Video of the traverser in action can be seen at\u00a0http:\/\/youtu.be\/2GvYP4fFyAA<\/a> and\u00a0http:\/\/youtu.be\/ZzLnmGdPC0g<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The design for the layout included the need for a traverser so trains appear to go somewhere. I am hoping to stage up to three…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-on-small-layouts","wpcat-2-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/img_1780.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4e6yk-45","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1967,"url":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/free-mo-endings\/","url_meta":{"origin":253,"position":0},"title":"Free-mo Endings","author":"Marshall Stull","date":"December 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Before you ask, I am not giving up Free-mo! This month we are going to take a look at designs for Free-mo ends. These will be very small, short modules that will be the end of the line instead of just a drop-off where the last module ends. Lately, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Modular Layouts"","block_context":{"text":"Modular Layouts","link":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/category\/modules\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/rr-7a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/rr-7a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/rr-7a.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/rr-7a.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/rr-7a.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1644,"url":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/building-a-free-mo-module-part-ii-modelrailroad-fremo\/","url_meta":{"origin":253,"position":1},"title":"BUILDING A FREE-MO MODULE – Part II #modelrailroad #fremo","author":"Marshall Stull","date":"August 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This month we will take a look at building the legs for our Free-mo module. As I stated in prior articles (FREE-MO MODULE DESIGN\u00a0and\u00a0BUILDING A FREE-MO MODULE \u2013 PART I) I like everything All Inclusive and make the setup go as smooth as possible. I do not mind taking a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Modular Layouts"","block_context":{"text":"Modular Layouts","link":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/category\/modules\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/26_wdie_freemo_3.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/26_wdie_freemo_3.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/26_wdie_freemo_3.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/26_wdie_freemo_3.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1517,"url":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/building-a-free-mo-module\/","url_meta":{"origin":253,"position":2},"title":"Building a Free-mo Module – Part I","author":"Marshall Stull","date":"March 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In my last article, we looked at a Free-mo Module\u00a0Design\u00a0that was light weight, strong and easy to setup among other things. This month we take a look at actually assembling the module and some of the finer points involved. The overall module length is 49.5 inches. That may seem like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Modular Layouts"","block_context":{"text":"Modular Layouts","link":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/category\/modules\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_3741.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_3741.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_3741.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_3741.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_3741.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2193,"url":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/designing-a-box-for-a-small-layout\/","url_meta":{"origin":253,"position":3},"title":"Designing a Box for a Small Layout","author":"Marshall Stull","date":"November 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I design modules, I always try to make them a single element with everything required for setup in one package. 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My home has limited space and my railroad would have to share my workshop. I do woodworking so the dust levels are high. The layout will need a way to be protected when doing my woodworking.\u00a0The location\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Small Layout How To Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Small Layout How To Articles","link":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/category\/articles-on-small-layouts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"U\" shaped rib frame member","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/frame_dim1.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/frame_dim1.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/frame_dim1.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":99,"url":"https:\/\/smallmr.com\/wordpress\/free-mo-module-design\/","url_meta":{"origin":253,"position":5},"title":"Free-mo Module Design","author":"Marshall Stull","date":"January 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It never fails on the Free-mo Yahoo Group. 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