Any build a fold-down turntable shelf?

[Geared Steam]

MisterBeasley

Others have built a "gallows bridge" on top of an Atlas deck. 

 

....and reliabilty. I have to complete the sides and the motor shed.

 

[MisterBeasley]

Beneath this pit beats the heart of an Atlas:

I described building this in an earlier thread:

http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1162790/ShowPost.aspx

Others have built a "gallows bridge" on top of an Atlas deck.  It's another option to hide the basic Atlas deck a bit.  The venerable Atlas design still seems like the best short-engine turntable solution where you don't have the space for a larger model.  For a fold-down like you're proposing, its surface-mount configuration and low profile might be exactly the answer.  The turntable is inexpensive, and you can add a motor if you'd like.  It has built-in 15 degree indexing and it handles track polarity automatically, too.

[NevinW]

R. T. POTEET

This particular individual ran his foldaway shelf mechanism differently than you are proposing for yours: after turning his locomotives on the turntable he ran his back onto the main benchwork before lowering his shelf.

 

That would probably work better than what I wrote. 

I really like the cassette idea.  Any links on how to build one?  - Nevin 

[R. T. POTEET]

NevinW

. . . . . . . . . .When I need to turn an engine I would lift the shelf into position, drive the engine onto it, turn it and then lower the shelf back down . . . . . . . . . .

I can think of no more hilarious way to put a locomotive on the floor than this.

I did encounter a similiar situation on an N-Scale layout somewhere only in this case the foldaway shelf swung up into an already pretty narrow aisleway. His shelf was probably 9X9, narrower than yours but when in position it only left about 12 or 13 inches to the benchwork on the opposite side. This aisleway flared out to 24 or more inches just beyond this bottleneck. He usually kept it in the raised position during operating sessions but would lower it allowing access to the aisleway beyond when necessary.

I'm not sure just what kind of mechanism he used for his hinge. Depending on your woodworking skill my recommendation for such a mechanism would be to hinge it upward on a couple of arms and then, utilizing a locking mortise and tenon layout or some similiar arrangement, slide the shelf into position against the benchwork edge and lock it into position using guide pins as an alignment guide. Perhaps drawer guides could be made to work.

This particular individual ran his foldaway shelf mechanism differently than you are proposing for yours: after turning his locomotives on the turntable he ran his back onto the main benchwork before lowering his shelf.

[cuyama]

Seems like it would be much easier to mount a portion of the wye on fold down (or up) benchwork than a turntable, especially since the Walthers or PECO offerings would be out of place on your prototype and the Altas represents an extremely rare northeastern deck-style covered turntable prototype. The cassette is also a good idaa, perhaps from a secluded area. Finally, a PECO loco lift is a manual solution, but would completely disappear between uses.

 

Photo from the Walthers web page on the PECO HO loco lift. You simply place it on a straight track, run the engine onto it, then turn it around and place it back on the track and run the engine off . (You should probably hold it more level than the photo while liftng ...)

Byron
Model RR Blog 
Layout Design Gallery

[Wazzzy]

what about a removeable 'cassette' track (like the MR Beer Line). much less hassle compared to a turntable.

could you hide the turntable inside a building or mountian?

how about a spinning piece of wood (like a turntable but a simpler design) just to turn the engines?

[NevinW]

I continue to struggle with turntable issues. First, my prototypes didn't use turntables, they used wyes or balloon tracks to turn engines. The only turntable in the region of Nevada I model was in Goldfield. I don't have room for a wye or balloon track. Secondly there are few choices for a 65 foot inexpensive drop-in turntable. Walthers is 90 feet and the Peco is 87 feet. They won't fit on my shelf. My other idea is to take an Atlas turntable and mount it on a dropleaf 12"x12" shelf on the end of the layout connected to one of the tracks. When I need to turn an engine I would lift the shelf into position, drive the engine onto it, turn it and then lower the shelf back down. It would not be part of the sceniced layout and would represent a wye someplace off the layout. Has anyone done anything like this? - Nevin