Great care was used when building the supporting benchwork and setting the TT level to the extent of using laser levels. Triple checking my work and re-installing the TT, perhaps I would get it to work for a few revolutions correctly. Either the indexing would be off or it would skip teeth intermittently. Many times I thought I had the problem corrected and then it would fail again. Maximum frustration level reached December 2016 and I removed the entire TT and benchwork. I had contacted Walthers concerning 2+ year delivery date on backordered ES44ac locomotives ,perhaps the TT was mentioned. At that point I did not push the matter and they offered no further concern. I was done with that mess. As to the SD70ace/SD60m locomotives..all where 2016-2017 Christmas gifts.Had to repair broken snowplows, couplers, handrails and just poor assembly. My latest problem was a UP 8310 SD70ace sputtering down the tracks. Had to completely disassemble the drive train and "reform" the wipers in the truck assemblies for electrical power from the wheel to circuit board. Several axles had no continuity. When I turned the locomotive over, the bottom retainers where dripping oil. Upon disassembly, both trucks where packed solid with grease and I mean solid! Reminds me of the old days when you hand packed front wheel bearings on vehicles. What I found goes against everything I ever read regarding lubrication practices for model trains. Long story short...I was able to correct that problem taking great care and alot of time as the wipers are very delicate. I have 300+ HO and 65 "O" gauge locomotives. To date I have been able to make repairs without sending anything back to manufacturer. This has been my personal experience with Walthers products and I will not buy their products again. Hopefully others have better luck. By the way, after waiting for 2+years and recent performance, I cancelled the ES44ac order with Walthers. I ordered from Scale Trains and they where delivered 3 days later......very satisfied with their product. Time to move on!
EMDSD40, if you want to bash Walthers with your issues, you should start a separate thread. This one is about solving a turntable issue.
So far as your turntable issue, if what you are describing was happening with the new turntable that came out several years ago, it sounds like the board issue that is now being corrected by Walthers. If so, I suspect Walthers would exchange the board with a new one as they are doing with mine.
If it was the old turntable, it's been pretty well established that it was a dog. Adding it to this thread concerning rail height of the new turntable is not very relative.
Onewolf rrebell I had the same issue but not to your degree. Fix was to use styrene shims, can be cut out of sheet goods and gotten in most every height. Just cut and tested, then caulked them in place when I caulked the turntable in. I'm a little slow and I'm having trouble invisioning what you shimmed to fix the problem? Shimming the approach tracks will make the problem worse as my approach tracks are resting firmly on the turntable 'lip'. Shimming the turntable track would help raise it, but does not seem feasible. Thanks for the reply/info.
rrebell I had the same issue but not to your degree. Fix was to use styrene shims, can be cut out of sheet goods and gotten in most every height. Just cut and tested, then caulked them in place when I caulked the turntable in.
I had the same issue but not to your degree. Fix was to use styrene shims, can be cut out of sheet goods and gotten in most every height. Just cut and tested, then caulked them in place when I caulked the turntable in.
I would think that shimming the pit would raise the lip a corresponding amount and worsen the stituation. Am I missing something?
Before I actually do anything, I want to hear what Walthers thinks should be done. It sometimes takes several days for an answer as they have to research the issue in order to have a suggestion.
Using shims under the lip of the pit would make no difference as long as the rails are laying on top of the lip. The turntable part is still to low. I don't have one of those so I don't know can the end part underneath be lowerd from the deck part . I see one screw in the instructions but can't tell if its possible to shim that part down which would raise the deck. Only other thing would be to shave off some from the top of the lip.
I haven't examed the bridge yet for possible modification. Any modification to the turntable itself would require very careful consideration, IMO. I mess with the bridge as little as possible for fear of damaging something.
Ideally, the mechensim that supports the bridge, which includes the support wheels and the drive gears, could be adjusted downward about half a rail height. I haven't looked carefully, but I doubt that possibility exists. Of course, any raising of the bridge would run the danger of affecting the contact of the wipers in the center.
Sorry, didn't see the rail was already sitting on pit wall, worked with code 70.
You will not be able to adjust the wheels running on the rails at the perimeter of the pit bottom, Deane. They are on fixed non-adjustable plastic frames. The only recourse you have, short of getting a different turntable or rail code for the lead, is to set the oncoming lead rails into a groove on the pit lip. It's relatively quick, permanent, and efficacious.
I found that I have more (enough) pieces of the Peco code 75 track so I am going to use it for the service tracks and see if I can get satisfactory results using it and judicious dremeling. :)
Thanks for all the comments/suggestions.
I'll update once I am done.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
Onewolf I found that I have more (enough) pieces of the Peco code 75 track so I am going to use it for the service tracks and see if I can get satisfactory results using it and judicious dremeling. :) Thanks for all the comments/suggestions. I'll update once I am done.
I ended up using Peco Code 75 for 10 of the 12 roundhouse service tracks. The tracks on either end of the roundhouse are Atlas Code 83 as are the four garden tracks. I ended up using a Dremel to fair down the code 83 track height as it passes across the lip of the turntable. The Peco code 75 required much less fairing, but I'm not fond of the Peco code 75 ties (they are wide and widely seperated so it looks to me more like narrow gauge track). That's why I ended up using the Atlas code 83 for the garden tracks: it looks much better.
Using the Dremel to grind down the track was simple and painless. Locomotives are much smoother (still a slight bump if you're paying close attention) crossing onto/off the turntable.
Is the rail truly sitting on the apron? I see what looks like a shadow under the nearest track in that last pic - try sliding a sheet of paper under it.
Peco 75 (and 100) is British style track, which is why it looks 'odd' Only their Code 83 is North American style.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Does the use of Peco Code 75 track really solve the problem though?
That bridge track sits too low, and it doesn't seem that even Code 75 approach tracks would solve that problem.
Rich
Alton Junction
I would have just sanded down the lip to match the bridge track height......there appears to be enough material there so it won't affect support. If need be also sand down the bottom of the approach tracks ties. I would not file and grind down the track. Use #80 grit sand paper on a block of wood. I have a hard rubber sanding block by 3M for sanding down Automotive body's, would be perfect for that. It also appears to My eye anyway....that one end is higher than the other, could just be a shadow.
Good Luck!
Frank
This thread prompted me to look at the 130' one on our club layout. Ours has the same problem but perhaps not to the same extent. Locos move on and off without any great problem. However the electronics have been toublesome. Initially it was powered off the DCC bus but any short circuit on the system corrupted the programming. A change to a separate power supply solved that problem but did mean we couldn't use the DCC throttle to operate the TT. A short while later the electronics stopped working altogether so we removed it all and now use a DPDT switch and push button to operate. Certainly not Walthers finest piece of work.
bagal
The older one that was not dcc run has better electronics, go fiqure.
My Walthers 90' turntable has the same problem on the roundhouse side of the table, but not on the main tracks leading to it. It's not yet permanently installed, but I think I'll simply use a cut-off disc to remove material from the base of the too-high rails. Mine wasn't the powered version, but I used a motor and gear train from an old scanner to power it. However, whether it's powered or, with the gears not in place, pushed around manually, it's not a very smooth-operating item.
Wayne
This off topic but I really like your roundhouse. Is this a kit or did you scratch bulid? Great looking either way.
Onewolf....Using the Dremel to grind down the track was simple and painless.....
I would have used a cut-off disc or a file to remove material from the base of the approach rails where they sit atop the turntable's pit. It would not only work better, but would look better, too.If, as mentioned in an earlier post, the turntable is supported on only the wheels at its outer ends, and not at all on the centre shaft, it would be easy enough to use strip styrene of suitable thickness to increase the height of the ring rail in the pit, which would, in-turn, raise the height of the bridge and its rails. Once painted, I doubt that anyone would notice the modification.
hi
i'm sitting here looking at one of these TTs still in the box waiting to be installed. Purchased about 6 months ago from, i was told, newly refreshed stock. All these issue with this thing are bummin me out a little :(
Can anyone tell me if these mechanical and software issue have been resolved? i bought the DCC ACM with the turntable as well and have that wired into the layout as of now.
Kinda wondering what i have in store for myself. I'm using PECO code 83
thanks in advance. This is a great source of info. I have hours of reading ahead of me :)