sparkyjay31 wrote:Does anyone make a early 1900's pit type that is smaller than 90'? A modern 90 or 100 footer just won't look right on my 1920 layout. I think an 80' would be perfect. My 2-8-0 Consolidation is the largest engine currently. And I think even if I progress toward a 4-6-2 that would still fit a 80 footer, wouldn't it?
Freshwater Models (http://www.freshwatermodels.net/ho_hon3_sellers_turntable.htm makes a nice kit for a 60ft Sellers turntable. Highly suitable for 1900, but by 1920 many locomotives had outgrown 60ft turntables. Jack Mckie, owner of Freshwater Models, may be making a 70ft Sellers - the largest Sellers size commercially produced.
I haven't heard of many prototype turntables between 70ft and 90ft - most railroads made do as long as they could before enlarging their turntables, and then made a significant jump. All the gallows and A frame turntables I know of maxed out at 65ft. 70ft was also about as big as could be successful with a center balanced bridge. 90ft and larger turntables became practical with the 3 point bridge suspension.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
Chief Engineer, wiper, bottle washer, and jack of all trades for
Picture Gorge & Western Railway - ...none more picturesque...
Port Orford & Elk River Railway & Navigation Company - Home of the tall cedars
....modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900....
sparkyjay31 wrote:For a longer turntable, though, I think I would start with a 90-foot Walthers and detail it to look like an older model. Some stone-wall brick paper could be used to cover the "concrete" pit wall, and the pit floor could be turned to dirt with some paint, glue and turf materials. Even the bridge could be "aged" by adding wooden beams to the sides.
For a longer turntable, though, I think I would start with a 90-foot Walthers and detail it to look like an older model. Some stone-wall brick paper could be used to cover the "concrete" pit wall, and the pit floor could be turned to dirt with some paint, glue and turf materials. Even the bridge could be "aged" by adding wooden beams to the sides.
Here's what I did to my Walther's 90ft turntable to get rid of the unrealistic concrete pit. Most pits weren't concrete, at least in the snow belt. Imagine the frost heave problems that would cause.
Cheers
Roger T.
Home of the late Great Eastern Railway see: - http://www.greateasternrailway.com
For more photos of the late GER see: - http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l99/rogertra/Great_Eastern/
MisterBeasley ,
While searching through the forum at another point i read your thread about your bashed turntable. It is absolutly amazing.... I really feel like i should even be bothering trying to build a layout when i look at some of the work that the people here do. Maybe im just overwhelmed as a beginner, but i feel as though i could never acomplish something so extensive, let alone scratchbuild something.....
Anyway, the atlas table simply isnt for me, unless i did the work to make it look like yours. I mainly want the turntalbe for its looks, rather than function, as it brings some excitement to a layout, even if it doesnt function. Of course if i can have one that looks good, and has indexing as well.... well golly we are gonna have alot of fun :)
selector,
From what you say it sounds as if i should be able to use the turntable. The height of the arc makes no diffrence to me, as long as around 2.5" is enough depth to sink the pit into, thats all I am worried about.
This is an old thread about my "Pit-Bashed" Atlas turntable. I took an Atlas, added a bridge and sunk it into the ground.
http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/1162790/ShowPost.aspx
In this implementation, it's still a 9-inch Atlas, about 66 scale feet. However, you could get away with a slightly longer bridge on this. The limiting factor is the positioning of the drive motor, which would interfere with the bogies if you try to stretch it too much.
Other Atlas pit-bashes typically simplify the process by allowing the pit floor to rotate with the bridge. That's a much simpler option, because you don't need working pit-rail bogies.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Back to your real problem, though. For a Christmas tree layout, have you considered the Atlas deck turntable? This turntable is very short (9 inches in HO) and not very prototypical, since it doesn't contain a pit at all, but rather a flat rotating platter. It indexes at 15 degrees, and stops at each point. Based on size and appearance, many modellers frown on this one.
But, it wouldn't surprise me if Atlas sells more of these than all the other turntable manufacturers combined. First, there's the price, around $20 if you look around. The motor kit is another $20-25, but the basic kit comes with a workable handwheel. The whole thing is top-mounted, so you don't even have to punch a hole in your layout to mount it. It's rock-solid, and the indexing lines up perfectly with the lead tracks, thanks to a notched rim which always positions your leads correctly. The turntable itself deals with the electrical connections to the bridge, so there's no need for a reverser unit if you're running DCC. Atlas makes a matching 3-stall roundhouse kit, too, for another $20-25.
What's running around that tree? If it's glorious big steam, well, it's not going to fit on an Atlas. But, if you're running old F7's and Geeps, short steam or Thomas, then this is a very reasonable option.
The older motorized kit had a motor housing about an inch thick nested tight up against the bottom surface of the pit. The newer built-up TT has a flatter wafer that just contains circuitry. The drive on that one is contained within the bridge, and works very well. The various contacts and reversing rings are inside the pivot base that sticks up into the middle of the pit, about 3/4" high, a bit less...I haven't measured.
Now that you have explained the specifics of your question vis-vis the spread from bridge deck to the bottom of the entire structure, it is 2" or as much as 1/8" less. So, that is measured (carefully this time, and more accurately) from the rail height to the bottom surface of the electronics housing nested against the nether surface of the pit. The housing is flat bottomed, so the entire structure could ostensibly rest on it. Not of sufficient diameter to allow a locomotive to enter the bridge withou some support around the circumference...the lip of the pit.; it would tilt. The housing is perhaps 4" in diamter only.
Note that there is a pair of railings protruding above the bridge deck, and attached to the outer edges of the deck. That ads about 5/8" in height, and of course the arch rises even higher.
yeh, its a little hard to visualize. Is there anything actualy underneath the pit?? Where is the indexing and motorized unit?? UNder the pit, or is it hidden inside the bridge itself? I may need to find one I can see with my own eyes and take a tape measurer to it. Im looking pretty much at the distance from the absolute underbody of the aparatus to the rail height hopefully being no more than around 2-3/4" for me to be able to use it.
But hey, thanks for taking the time to help out, its much apreciated.
I have one, so I went and meaured a couple of things to see if I could make sense of the claim and your question. I get roughly 3 5/8" meauring the distance between the deck of the bridge, with the bent metal hook on the tape end sitting between the rails, and the tip top of the arch. From the arch tip down to the elecrical cowling nestled under the pit is more like 5 3/4"...maybe a full 6"...hard to measure since it is under the yard and behind facing lumber at the yard front.
N.B. - mine is the built-up indexed kit, not the older kit with the motor housing below the pit. That would add a full inch.
Hey guys, have a quick question about various turntables that are on the market.
Well, right now im looking at the Walthers 90' turntable. Now in ther specs it says that the bridge is 3-5/8" tall.... now is this the measurment from the bridge to the top of the arc, or the measurement from the bottom of the unit to rail height????
It matters to me because i am working on the brainstorming for a floor Xmas layout. So, the layout will be on the floor, and probaly will not be thicker that 2.5-3" And obviously if the 3-5/8" is the distance from the bottom of the unit to rail height this isnt going to work out for me... but it doesnt seem to be that deep in the pictures.... can anyone with this 90', or the 130' table chime in on what the actual depth is, from the bottom of the unit to rail height????
Thanks for all the help guys!!!
---Joe