approach track for walthers roundhouse

[dave9999]

What is the proper length for the approach track between the turntable and roundhouse?
Both are Walthers and I cannot seem to get the exact angle.

[dave9999]

Nevermind! After some trial and error and some wasted track i got it right.
Just in case anyone needs to know, 5 1/2 " seems to do the job.

[ndbprr]

The length of the approach track will vary with the diameter of the turntable and the angle between the tracks. It stands to reason that if you had a 9" turntable the approach track would be longer than if you had an 18" turntable. The way to figure the length is to draw a straight line down the centerline of two tracks to where they meet. That is the center of the turntable. Deduct half the diameter of the turntable from the distance from the center of the turntable to the front of the roundhouse and you will have the length of the connecting track.

[Anonymous]

Are the tracks between the turntables and roundhouses always straight? Some of the photos I have seen of real turntables and roundhouses have enough room in between for a loco to sit. I think most model roundhouses have the stalls at 15 degree increments. Is this prototypical?

[Javern]

the Atlas turntable butts right up against the Atlas roundhouse, perhaps there is no ONE right answer

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Javern

the Atlas turntable butts right up against the Atlas roundhouse

That's right.. The tracks coming out of the roundhouse to the turntable sit in a concrete looking base with the impressions for the track already built in, so there is no guess work to it.. The roundhouse is sold as a three stall structure but it's made to accept additional stalls.

The only problem I had is that I use code 100 track and the rails built into the turntable are code 83. How I fixed this is a little dramatic, but it worked. What I did was first run the top of the rails of one end of the track through a grinding wheel. This was a little tricky but in the end it gave me a slight gradual slope. I then ran part of the tracks (plastic ties face down) through a jointer planer to take away some of the thickness from the ties. I made special wooden hand grips to hold the track in place as I ran it through. The beauty of this is that the jointer does a very smooth and uniformed job. This should not be attempted by anyone not familiar with jointer planers, as one can lose their fingers in a split second, because this machine demands the highest amount of respect and know how. After each pass, I checked it with a height gage until I had the exact height that I wanted.

In the end, I had make shift code 83 track from code 100 as far as height goes. The transistion that the engines go through from the approach to the turntable and to the roundhouse now are very smooth. The hardest part about this operation is running it through the grinding wheel. The track is made of soft metal and is very easy to grind down too much. I messed up the first two pieces I tried this with. I sort of had to develope a feel for it. I guess I could have gone out and bought some code 83 track but I've always been one to make due, and besides, I love a challenge. Like I said, I realize that this is a little melo-dramatic way of doing it, but hey, it worked, and I saved money to boot.