I have a Walthers Cornerstone turntable which has code 83 rail and I am using code 100. Do i really need to purchase a transition track or can it be fabricated or can I do just some judicious shimming and filing of the ends of the code 100?
What is everyone's experience and advice?
H
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
Hi!
I would do one of two things........
Either change out the turntable tracks to code 100, or change out all the tracks leading to it to code 85 rail. I would probably find the second the best alternative, and would use the special transition track joiners to go from the 100 to the 85 track.
While you could file the lead in rails to match the code 85, I suspect it would be a much more difficult job than either of the above, and would certainly not have as good results.
For what its worth.....
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Just shim the roadbed to any approach track/s and to the stalls, or set the turntable elevation to the code 83 railhead. some filing at the turntable edge may be nec for railhead alignment.
Edit: Just noticed mobileman replied the same......
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
My own bias would be to leave the turntable rails alone. The chance of not doing it right with replacement rail -- at my level of "craftsmanship" that is -- is too great.
I used code 100 rail on all four tracks of a bridge, but only the two main line tracks in the center stayed Code 100. For the two outer edge tracks (industrial leads or spurs) the tracks are code 83, eventually transitioning to code 70. I am using Code 100 even though it is too big, for its mechanical strength and resistance to roadbed/benchwork warping in a basement that sees some extremes of humidity in the change of seasons. I weather the sides of my rails which helps visually.
I used the Walthers/Shinohara code 100/83 transition track (about 6 inches long) and it looks very convincing -- you hardly see the transition especially once the rail is weathered. It completely eliminates even the slightest "bump" between rail sizes. It is a bit pricey but I was able to get some at Walthers on their "damaged packaging" table for a couple of bucks and then bought more at full price. It could be possible, cutting the plastic treads beneath the rails, to make the transition track sort-of flex track, but again the piece is only about 6 inches long.
I also have some of the Atlas transition railjoiners code 100 to 83 and I have to say that while it is the less expensive way to go, and more accurately replicates how most rail transitions are done --at the ends of rails -- it does not totally eliminate the bump.
I have seen, but not bought or tried, the Micro Engineering insulated transition rail joiners. M-E makes quality stuff I know.
Recently I saw some welded rail where the transition was a weld not a rail joint -- that looks more like the Walthers transition track.
Summary -- I'd leave the turntable rails as they are and go with the Walthers transition track. They also make one that transitions Code 83 to Code 70 but I see that is currently out of stock. BK enterprises makes 83 to 70 but I have not seen that product.
Dave Nelson
If the TT track ends at the edge of the TT, you could also shim up the entire turntable so the code 83 rail head matches the code 100 rail height. Or just raise the TT bridge that the trains go onto. If you're useing cork roadbed you could also shave down the roadbed height a tad over a span of like 6 inches or more (so it's less noticable) so the rail height of the 100 will match the 83. For that matter could shave down the height of the ties too but ties can be small so that wouldn't be as practacle.