Hello too everyone:
The HO layout that I would like to build will be the D&H Saratoga Springs, NY yard. In the yard were two (2) opposing roundhouses w/ a 60' turntable between them. I've yet to find one that small. They all seem to start @ 90' or do any of you veteran RR's know where I might look to find one. I'm still in the research faze of this project so please bear w/ me & my questions that may or may not irritate some of you. None-the- less I thank you in advance for your help.
Respectfully, Vince
The Atlas turntable is 9 inches in diameter, which makes it just over 65 feet in HO scale. To make it look more like a normal turntable, it could be recessed into the 'ground' and a girder or truss bridge built on top of it. The new bridge could be built exactly 60 feet long, with the approach tracks and turntable pit walls overhanging the Atlas assembly. Then all you have to hope is that nobody notices that the entire pit floor rotates...
OTOH, scratchbuilding a true-to-prototype turntable isn't all that difficult. All it takes is patience enough to have all the parts fit correctly. By going that route, you could model the actual D&H turntable, assuming that you have a fairly detailed photo of it.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with 2 turntables, one of which does NOT turn locomotives)
Diamond Scale produces kits for a 65' small girder turntable and a 60' timber truss turntable.
http://www.diamond-scale.com/products__turntables.htm
Mark
Freshwater Models was producing a fine kit for a 60ft Sellers turntable. I'm not sure whether Jack McKie has any left or not.
Fred W
Fred & all who replied thus far:
I went to the Freshwater Models website & found no mention of turntables. I didn't e-mail them because it sounds as though he is quite busy & I didn't want to bother him until I could find a means to look at his turntables. Thanks very much too all who have responded w/ help.
Regards, Vince
Too everyone:
I should have looked a bit farther before e-mailing Fred. I found his page that showed the tables but unfortunately they are all sold out. Too bad but thanks too all just the same.
Vince
This is the turntable I built, based on an Atlas unit:
I did a photo-tutorial on its construction:
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/99558.aspx?PageIndex=1
It was a very satisfying project, from my perspective, but it was also a lot of work. I'm still happy with it, even though the indexing isn't perfect. Someone above mentioned the problem of the rotating pit floor, a "pitfall" that I managed to avoid. If you're really trying to follow a prototype to the letter, this may not be your best option, but it is something that you might want to look at for ideas.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
vincerg Too everyone: I should have looked a bit farther before e-mailing Fred. I found his page that showed the tables but unfortunately they are all sold out. Too bad but thanks too all just the same. Vince
Jack McKie and most small model railroad suppliers produce in small batches. They will usually re-run an item when they sense sufficient demand to sell most of another batch. Calling or e-mailing is the best way to find out if and when another batch will be produced. OTOH, if you need (want) it now, this process won't work for you.
E-Bay is another possibility for out-of-production stuff. One British model railroading magazine ran a survery of its readers and determined that 75% of kits purchased have yet to be built. Often, when an mr realizes he is never going to build a particular kit, or it no longer fits his present layout, he will sell the unbuilt kit on eBay. I've done this with items I realize I'm never going to use or want - it makes for a more peaceful relationship with SWMBO. But so far I haven't sold anything I plan on using in the next 5-10 years.
Mr. B:
Yes I recall looking through your tutorial & was impressed as H_ _ ll to say the least. Was the TT a 60'er or did you make it one? On the other hand could I just use a 90' TT w/o offending the Gods of model railroad building. I would not be afraid to build one as you did or die trying but if it wouldn't matter all that much is the 90 an option or a serious no-no? As I recall, & believe me when I tell you my brain has trouble remembering things over 50 yrs., the pit walls were of huge arc shaped stonework & the floor of the pit was earthen. The turning bridge I think was like your bridge structure. I'm almost positive on this but I'm trying to get a better picture close-up of the TT to be 100% sure. Up to now getting the photos I have has been quite the operation by itself. Well this reply has dragged on long enough & I do apologize for that. Thank you all once again for your help, I really appreciate it all.
Best regards, Vince
You didn't make it clear what era you were modeling. I am assuming (probably wrong thing to do) that you are talking about 1920s at the latest with a 60ft turntable.
The gallows and A-frame turntables didn't work very well above about 65ft - you generally needed a pit for bigger. Sellers turntables were available in 60ft and 70ft sizes (there may have been others that I don't know about), with 60ft being the biggest seller by far. Once turntables got to the 90ft range, they got away from the center pivot bearing taking the entire load. The larger turntable depended on the pit ring rail near the edge to take a substantial part of the load. The earlier turntables required the locomotive to be reasonably balanced on the center pivot bearing except when entering and exiting the turntable.
Most smaller 2-8-0s, and virtually all 19th Century locomotives will fit on a 60-65ft turntable (including the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0, IIRC). Model locomotives tend to be slightly longer than their prototypes, one reason being the increased tender to engine separation. But we don't need extra length to balance our locomotives on the center pivot. In fact, in most model operations, as long as all the wheels fit on the turntable, the engine pilot and tender end can hang over the end of the bridge track.
my thoughts, your choices
This is a standard 65-foot Atlas turntable, 9 inches across. I used a 9-inch Atlas truss bridge for the turntable bridge, so that was 65 feet also.
If you have the option of using a 90-foot turntable, I would go for it. The short Atlas fit perfectly in the space I had available for it, and it also is the right size for the short transition-era diesels I model. But, as I've been slowly turning my layout into a dual-era one and running steam, I find that the turntable will only accomodate the shortest of steamers, like the 0-6-0 in the picture which barely fits on the bridge.
If you are modelling the steam era, I would definitely use a bit of "modelers' license" and go with a longer turntable. The number of available steamers that would fit on a 60-foot bridge is pretty small, so you are likely to find your locomotive options pretty limited if you must stick to that size turntable.