Currently, I have an old Heljan turntable and roundhouse, but am thinking of replacing it with the Walther's turntable which has DCC control and looks like it would be better control of lining up the tracks.
As I understand it, the Walthers uses 10 degree track seperation, whereas the Heljan (I think) is different, 15 degree? I believe I can realign my roundhouse leads to adjust. Any thoughts on that?
Also, is there a requirement for depth clearance on the Walther? I understand I will need to increase the pit diameter, but wonder if there is anything that extends below the base of the pit.
Any comments from current users of the Walthers that would assist me in making this decision?
Thanks
Terry
I believe the Walthers turntable was made by Heljan, so there should be no difference in the spacing between tracks unless it has been modified for Walthers' specifications.
I have the earlier version (not DCC controlled) but I believe they are physically identical in size.I haven't installed it yet but I've seen and operated the local club's...these things are jewels.
Indeed,the Walthers roundhouse has 10 degrees track separations but the turntable can be set to stop at any position you may desire,so in theory,any roundhouse should fit.Not necessarily true though...whatever you do,to work right,your roundhouse tracks must perfectly align with the center of the turntable wich may be hard to do.Your existing TT being smaller,it is also closer to the RH wich may not leave enough room for the Walthers TT,since both TTs have to use the same center on the layout.
So,if you have the room and the budget,I recommend you install the Walthers RH too.You'd be able to rotate and house even a Big Boy and the setup looks just great.However,this eats up a lot of landscape.
I took measurements of mine,here goes....
TT overall dia.=10 3/8 in. Pit dia.=9 15/16 in.
Pit depth=3/4 in. with a 4 3/4 in. circular 1 1/2 in. deep pit in the middle for protuding components.
Walthers RH depth=10 7/8 in. Access tracks between TT & RH=1 15/16 in.
Total length,center of TT to backwall of RH=18.0 in.
You may be able to fit the Walthers TT with your existing RH,but it will be very close to it,likely butting against the RH's doorstep.Even then,a large steamer may be turned but won't enter the RH.
thanks, the details on the pit and the center hole are what I was looking for. As to the roundhouse, mine actually sits back considerably from the TT. I don't care for the tight look that Walthers RH has. Sounds like it should be a snap to upgrade. I've also read the instructions online and it looks fairly easy to set up and get the alignments to the track leads working.
I own the HO version of the dc t.t. Unfortunately I've found (and there are archived posts here) the indexing feature isn't dependable.
On good days the indexing works (most of the time) on bad days, lining by sight is necessary.
The really expensive turntable brands use a different indexing method and are much more reliable. Just thought I'd better mention this....in case you can't always see each stall track to visibly line them up to the bridge track.
Edit/addition: I don't know if the d.c.c. version is any more accurate over time and would be interested to hear from folks who've used both versions. I believe they share the same optical sensor method though. Would the OP and I likely get more dependable (100%) indexing using a d.c.c. version over the d.c. version?
Jim
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
Capt,
You may recall I had the older version that was very unreliable. I upgraded it to the DCC version. Progremming/indexing is a bit tricky but once you get the hang of it things go much better. And once I got it indexed to my satisfaction, it has operated flawlessly ever since. I can even turn it off when not operating the railroad unlike the earlier version that seemed to lose its indexing if powered down. I'm sold on the DCC version. (I model in HO scale but I think the N scale unit uses the same electronics so should work the same.)
Here is my roundhouse and matching N scale turntable arrangement. I am still working out all the details, but I am really thankful to Walthers for creating this incredible set, with such great electronics for the alignment system.
Brian Williams