I'm at the beginning of a new layout. I live in an apartment so I will need the layout to be divided into smaller sections. I'm thinking four 4'x3' sections should do. My question is how to get these sections align with each other when reassembling. What would be the best (most reliable) method. The next challenge would be to design an HO layout that I could omit one of the mid sections if space dictates. One step at a time.
I am building my layout in sections on box frameworks of 1x4s. The sections are not any standard size, but sized to fit the particular scenes and track arrangements that go on them. Most sections are held to the adjoining section with two long bolts through abutting pieces of the 1x4 framework. I have set up sections temporarily, then unbolted them to set on a workbench sideways to work on wiring underneath. Then bolt them back together. I do NOT expect the bolts to hold track in automatically-perfect alignment and I have rail joiners to make track connections at track breaks. This is for sections I do not expect to remove very often. I have a slightly different arrangement for sections that need to be removed regularly, such as a long bridge section. It is high enough to duck under even for an old guy like me, but I don't want to block room access with it when the layout is not operating. For this I use hinges with removable hinge pins. They hold the sections in pretty exact alignment. In general, I mount the hinges vertically at the outside edges of the sections. In one case, I need to remove my long bridge section and open a space w--I--d--e--r then the space where I can roll the rollaway bridge section. To get this exact length, I have a fold-down section of the land area at one end of the bridge. It has the same hinges mounted horizontally under the section break, so the section can fold down. One kind of hinge connection at one end of the section and a different hinge orientation at the other end.
