thanks for the info guys. I see very little trouble now for progress.
My experience only. Make sure you have access to maintain the Atlas (belts, electrical contacts) besides that, as reliable as a small black Chevy,
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
I have two Atlas turntables. One is about 10 years old, from when I came back to the hobby and started building this layout. The other from the early 1960s. The new one has more track slots, indexed at 15 degrees vs. the old one at 30 degrees. Other than that (and of course changes to the Geneva drive mechanism to accomodate the track spacing) they look identical.
If you've sealed your plywood, everything should work very reliably for a long time. The Atlas roundhouse comes with a plastic apron that aligns perfectly with the turntable and locates the tracks precisely, too. It's about as goof-proof and rock solid as a turntable can be.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
thanks for the advice thats the reason for asking for it to find someone who has more experience from time. I have been doing this for about 10 years but this is a point i do not have extensive experience on. the plastics today and qualitys have changed since the past and the internet has to much bs and drama on it for proper info and i need proper info.. My boards also have been painted with shellac to seal them.
So you currently have 1/8 inch gaps between the turntable deck track and the roundhouse stall tracks, and also the lead track(s) coming in, and you're worried about that changing?
If this happens, it's not the turntable's fault. It is a reliable and solid mechanism, made from plastic which will not warp
What you have to be careful of is how everything is mounted. If your subroadbed is plywood, make sure it's painted so it will not absorb moisture in periods of high humidity. When you see pictures of buckled and warped model rail, it's not the rail but the subroadbed that's the problem.
thanks for the reply but i need a question answered. first yes after removing my beach and lsd modular board i can reach it but things can happen you want to avoid. I need to know if one eight of a inch will in time expand to a greater lenght i tried it last year for a test and it was fine but physics is a issue with time. So will the above stated amount be ok now or with time to avoid derailments.
If you're asking about the long term accuracy of the Geneva motion mechanism in the Atlas turntable, have no fear. It is very reliable. I've had one in use for about 15 years that's hidden under a snowshed. I need just enough of a sightline inside to make sure it's done the full 180. There's never an issue with rail alignment.
Keep in mind, you still need to be able to reach it.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I am looking at all areas to be hidden and have limited acess so bear with me. my turntable lead tracks are one eight a way in some areas . I have had sucess so far with no derailments but physics can come into play here and moving it back is not a option so will i have future problems guys i need real experienced opinions. like i have said before i am looking at all problem areas but this has been tested as a modular board and it worked. all atlas products for ho trains also.