What is the largest steam locomotive that will fit on a 90 ft. turntable?

[Anonymous]

You could do what the D&H did when their engineers miscalculated & designed the Challengers a foot & a half too long for their 102 ft turntables: they turned them on wye tracks in the yard. Kind of defeats the purpose I guess, but it is prototypical.

Wayne

[selector]

Sorry, Dave, I had the wrong name. [banghead]

You are right, but I have my tender hooked....er, well... on the rear notch, so I had to extend the bridge rails out over the lip of the model. Not very prototypical, to say the least, but I also have it 'married' to anothert manufacturer's roundhouse, and needed to place the latter a bit farther away to get tracks to line up...it's too complicated to take the time here. The Hudson is happy, so moi too.


I do have a ? for you, though. How did you get your table placed and nestled so that there is no great change between the spur and the bridge rails and those of the 'house?

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

TBat55, I have my Hudson and tender held together the same way, and it does fit on my 90 footer. Can you fit a larger TT in your layout? Lucky, lucky!!!

As I stated above, the Hudson WILL fit barely. The Hudson measures 12"
from the front of the pilot wheel to the back of the tender wheel. This is with
the drawbar at it's closest setting. The Walthers turntable bridge measures
12 1/4". If you have the drawbar extended to the last notch, better double check
before you start turning. You might leave the tender behind[:D]. Dave

[jrbernier]

Most 'modern' turntables are 'twin beam' types; you do not have to center the engine weight on the turntable bridge. older single span designs(usually before the turn of the century) in the 65' length are single span and need to have the total engine weight centered to balance the bridge. These modern designs just need all of the wheels to fit!
I have a Walthers 90' TT with a new bearing, and an Atlas TT below it providing the power and the indexing for my Atlas Roundhouse. I can get my BLI USRA 2-8-2's on the bridge with no problem. A Spectrum USRA 2-6-6-2 will not fit. As mentioned I can also turn passenger cars, and my SW1 can pull a snow plow off of a radial track, and both the SW1 and snow plow will fit on the bridge together.

Jim Bernier
Jim Bernier

[dinwitty]

I think some lines actually ordered locos to match their power needs and restrict to their turntable size, the size of the tender used can say the limit, change to a shorter tender.
But if the RR had the need, they'd build a new larger turntable.

A 90ft turntable would signify smaller lines not needing the large articulateds.
If your thinking about turning any loco, 120 ft is the way to go.
(18 inches long, for a big boy)

[selector]

TBat55, I have my Hudson and tender held together the same way, and it does fit on my 90 footer. Can you fit a larger TT in your layout? Lucky, lucky!!!

[TBat55]

orsonroy said "we modelers don't worry about balancing". Very true. It bothers me to see an engine being turned when the center of gravity is so far off. I have to think the tender is more empty than full, but I guess it depends on the engine servicing facility and other factors. Most photos I've seen have more space in front of the engine than behind the tender while on the turntable for balancing.

Am I wrong?

I have a BLI Hudson with tender attached in the last pullbar hole and will save for a 130' table.

[dave9999]

My BLI 4-6-4 Hudson will BARELY fit on the 90' turntable... I'm talking wheel to wheel with nothing
to spare. The good news is that I have found a new Wathers 130' turntable for the amazing low
price of $205. Pretty good considering the online guys want $254 (the cheapest I have found)+S&H

My LHS is ordering it in for me at cost.
And people say LHS are overpriced... not if you give them enough business. This is the same shop
that got me the P2K E6 A/B with DCC sound for $200. And my Allegheny for $330(and this was back
when they were selling for BIG BUCKS). Good luck, Dave

[wt259]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tatans

Possibly any engine just under 90 feet.

[;)]LOL I was gonna suggest about an 89"6" engine.

[Don Gibson]

1DIESEL
1 FULL LENGTH PASSEGER CAR
SOME STEAM
Atlantics
Pacifics
Moguls
Mike's
Consolidations
Deecapods
ALL Switcher's

& DEPENDING ON THE TENDER LENGTH.

Q. for you. Are you willinng to spend $250 for one?
Q. what steam engine do you have?
(Atlas' 90' may be the only act in town.) or build a Wye.

[selector]

I thought I posted an answer earlier, but it doesn't seem to have appeared.

My BLI Hudson barely sits on a 90 footer, but the pilot and couplers hang way out in space. Still, it works.

[IRONROOSTER]

Bowser lists lengths for each of their locomotive kits http://www.bowser-trains.com/ you might want to start there. Just about everything up to a Decapod or Mountain will fit and they may just squeeze on since their wheel base is a little shorter than over all length.

A good book for these questions is "Model Railroader Cyclopedia, Volume 1: Steam Locomotives" by Linn Westcott .

Enjoy
Paul

[orsonroy]

Actually, an engine only needs a WHEELBASE of 90 feet to fit onto a 90' turntable. We modelers don't have to worry about balancing a TT, so we can cram any old engine onto it that'll fit.

And a USRA 2-6-6-2 is a surprisingly SMALL engine, and is actually smaller than the AMC Berkshire. Exchange the USRA long tender for a more correct USRA short (like the C&O and W&LE did to theirs) and the engine will fit onto a 90' TT.

[WilmJunc]

I guess my question should have been: What types of steam engines are less than 90'?

[tatans]

Possibly any engine just under 90 feet.

[howmus]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

Berkshires, most Mountains, small Northerns. POSSIBLY the USRA 2-6-6-2.

The 2-6-6-2 Will not fit unless you do what they did on some prototypes. That is: jack up the back half of the tender so that it clears the track. Turn the loco, and then set the tender back on the tracks, and run the engine off the turntable........ LOL

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by WilmJunc

What is the largest type of steam locomotive (with tender) that will fit on the Walthers 90' turntable? Now that I have it constructed, it looks too small to use with most steamers and close-coupled diesels.

ROUGHLY ONE that's engine & tender is 12"

[orsonroy]

Berkshires, most Mountains, small Northerns. POSSIBLY the USRA 2-6-6-2.

[WilmJunc]

What is the largest type of steam locomotive (with tender) that will fit on the Walthers 90' turntable? Now that I have it constructed, it looks too small to use with most steamers and close-coupled diesels.