I raised my turntable with one layer of cork to meet the tracks from the yard. All of my yard is on one layer of cork. I ran a layer around the tt opening as shown in the photo and then brought all approach tracks up to it on cork. worked fine and don't have any problems with it. I used a straight track gage to align the track when glueing it down.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
In my opinion, the camper tape is creating the problem here and it's not going to disappear once you solve the turntable issue. The simplest correct solution (raising the turntable only exacerbates the problem) is to bring the track down to the level of the turntable, and in order to do so, you'll need to remove as much of the track leading to the turntable as possible, then remove the cork and camper tape, too, and replace it with two layers of cork, ending, if possible, at least a foot before reaching the turntable. Next, wrap a sheet of very coarse sandpaper (I use #34) around a block of wood and start sanding, tapering the cork from its full double-thickness right down to nothing at the point where it ends. Try to keep the taper constant - you should start to see the bottom layer of cork at about the mid-point of the entire length. This is not as onerous as it sounds: I've done about 2' of a single layer of cork in about 3 minutes.
The only other alternative, and in my opinion, the preferable one, is to lift all of your track and get rid of the camper tape. Otherwise, you'll have this problem recurring anywhere you may want to install a siding for an industry. Besides that, the tape will complicate track ballasting and trackside scenery, and may look peculiar if you have structures alongside the track or if the track passes over any bridges. It may also introduce overhead clearance problems if the track passes under any bridges.
Wayne
I had my yard tracks and turntable lead set directly on a large layer of 1/8" yellow vinyl underlay. The T/T was supported by small pieces of the same underlay set at intervals on the main layer, but between the rim of the T/T and the underlay. This had the effect of raising the bridge tracks almost on par with the Code 100 rails rising up a very shallow grade to the T/T rim. Once the two or three end ties were removed, the rail heights were too tall for the Code 70 or whatever it is on the Walthers turntables. So, I filed two shallow parallel slots into the top of the plastic T/T rim, and set the rail ends into those. I scored the slots deep enough until, after a couple of trials and running a car over the gap, the rail heights obviously matched. Then I cemented the rails into place, probably using CA or more likely a dab of epoxy...forget which now.
Crandell
My solution, a few years back, was to raise the turntable so that the height of the bridge track met the height of the approach track. Just be sure to keep the turntable level.
Rich
Alton Junction
Drop the track. Maintenance areas are flat for a wide variety of reasons and the tracks aren't going to be up on elevated roadbeds.
Its a brief answer, but direct!
I am installing a Walthers 90' turntable. My track is laid on cork roadbed and the cork roadbed is laid on "camper tape" which is a black foam tape about the same thickness as the cork. The problem arises when I am bringing the track to meet up with the track on the bridge of the turntable. If I run the track on top of cork roadbed and foam tape all the way to the turntable it will be way too high. So, I either have to lower the track as it approaches the turntable or raise the level of the turntable to meet the height of the incoming track.
I am sure that someone out there has run into this problem and there are many possible ways to fix this. I have considered putting something under the lip of the turntable pit to raise it up (like two thicknesses of cork roadbed) or trying to come up with some way to shave down the cork road bed as it approaches the turntable.
I will appreciate any and all suggestions no matter how elaborate or crazy they may sound. I have been stuck on this for weeks and need to come up with a viable solution.
Thanks
wdcrvr