POLA ENGINE SHED DOOR-CLOSING MECHANISM G331751

TONYWARD50

TONYWARD50

Tadpole sexing</br>
:impatient:I have nearly completed the two-road engine shed from Pola (Model No.911) and I wanted to add the door-closing mechanism. This is a substantial piece of kit, but having constructed it there appears to be too much flexing in the plastic to make it work easily. The doors will close if you hurtle a loco into the mechanism inside but opening the doors is a definite no-go.

Has anyone had any success with this ?

Thanks, guys.
 
I've had no experience but the mechanism sounds interesting. Any chance of a photo?

Rik
 
Here are 2 photos - the end with the mechanism which the loco pushes to close the door. The second shows the arms which attach, by means of various sections, to the doors. However, the pivot point on the door is such that the plastic arm has to transcribe part of an arc, and therefore does not pull straight. Hence there is a great deal of resistance. I believe that once the loco travels towards the door the weight of the mechanism SHOULD cause the doors to open, but they don't.

Help !
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I fabricated my own version of the door closing mechanism in my Pola engine shed. Instead of fastening the pulliing arms at the top of the doors, I felt that the center would be less resistance. I do not have a photograph to post at this time, but I will try to explain it as best I can.
At the center point of each door, on the hinge rail, I fabricated a pivot block from one of the Pola gray wall corner blocks. From these blocks, I ran a 3/32" diameter brass rod, bent at 90 degrees to fit into the hole in the block, back to another block fastened to each side wall about 2/3 the way back into the building. Now, when the doors move these rods are free to move. At this point nothing is keeping the doors open or closed. To the brass rods, near the ends that are farther back in the structure, I soldered a cross bar. This is what the locomotive hits when it enters the shed. Now, to keep the doors in the open position, I fastened springs from the side walls to the brass rods. These two springs keep the doors open. The only other thing I did was to attach a piece of foam to the cross bar that the loco strikes. I have a short film that shows the working doors. You will notice that the doors do not close all of the way. I have since corrected the issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5_8Nz-67og
 
not seen this one but had i think a Faller one in N and that had a elastic band that held the doors open and they stayed shut by the loco pushing on a foam pad at the end, When loco moved towards the doors presure was relesed and doors opened before loco got to them . otherwise buffers would catch on the doors when they hit
Tony
 
I think brass rods may help.
I disconnected the doors and tried the mechanism again without them, and it works. It must be that final plastic section which bends that is causing the trouble. There needs to be some support for this so I will have a rethink along the lines (pun intended) that you suggested.
Regards from across the pond
 
I had heard about the auto door mechanism and I just assumed it involved electric motors and gears !
 
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