Turntable woes

[skagitrailbird]

Thanks for the comments. Maybe the upgrade route is the way to go. 

That brings up another question:  Walthers would charge me about 80 USD to install the upgrade. Would that be $80 well spent or should I save the money and do it myself?

[Blind Bruce]

I second the motion to spend the bucks for the upgrade! I have had no trouble indexing either of my 90' DCC TTs. The newest one is a pain to learn however but once programmed it is flawless.

[rgengineoiler]

Just a side note.  I have a Diamond Scale 130' turntable that I saved from my old layout and have installed in my new N scale build.  To stop it from collecting dust, junk etc. I saved a clear cover from a Subway party sandwich tray from a family gathering and I keep that covering the turntable when not in use.  This also protects accidential hits to the mast in the middle and has taught me to be careful around the turntable with elbows etc.   Doug

[selector]

Skagit, if I were you listening to me, I'd listen up real good.  $100 is a cheap upgrade for a TT you know works otherwise.  Not only that, it ought to start the clock ticking on a new warranty.  Delivered and on sale, you'll still pay three times that for a new one.

Secondly, I found crud in my final drive housing on the very same TT after it had been used rarely, maybe 20 times, after the first two years of service on my layout.  I don't cover my TT, but I also never use it without removing the bridge, covering the well with tape, and then vacuuming carefully.  Yet, it began to act up.  I removed the cover and was astounded at all the dog hairs, bits of ground foam, and other stuff that a very tiny squirrel had stuffed into its new home over the past two winters.  Either that or a beetle.  Anyway, to be serious, the thing really needed to be cleaned out.  I'll probably tackle it again before I use it the first time on my new layout because it has been three years.  The job takes maybe five minutes, double it to ten for befuddlement and apologizing to Honey for cursing out loud about it.  It works fine when it's clean, and that's all the instructions say to do....

-Crandell

[dante]

skagitrailbird

Presently I am disinclined to spend any more money on this turntable, especially since I have heard/read many negative comments about the DCC version of the Walthers TT’s.  I can use the TT in manual mode, lining up the bridge track to the stubs by eye (difficult due to the location of the TT).  But is there another better choice?  Is anyone making HO scale TT’s, preferably 90’, and if so, can they be indexed? 

 

I have the Walthers 90' DCC turntable, and it works very well, including the indexing.

Dante

[skagitrailbird]

I may be in the market for a new turntable.  My built up non-DCC Walthers 90’ HO scale turntable that will no longer index.  Once started in either direction the bridge does not stop until I push a button to stop it.  The TT was purchased new two to three years ago and was installed on my layout about a year ago.  Although installed and powered up, the TT saw very limited use—I estimate 2-3 hours.

In August 2013, after talking to two repair folks at Walthers, I sent it for repair.  Although no promise of free repair under warrant was made, neither was there any mention of the possibility of a repair charge.  I have followed up two or three times over the intervening four+ months, being told each time that they are “really backed up” in the repair department.  Only today was I told that the electronics have failed and non-DCC replacement parts are unavailable.  Furthermore, Walthers is not honoring any product back up so in order to get the TT running with indexing again I will need to purchase the DCC upgrade at a cost in excess of $100.

I was also told there was a lot of gunk in the TT mechanism.  When I asked what was meant by “gunk” I was told it looked like scenery materials.  This is not possible since I have not yet started on scenery.  My layout is in a finished room of my house and is naturally clean.  Only rarely do I have to even clean the track. 

Presently I am disinclined to spend any more money on this turntable, especially since I have heard/read many negative comments about the DCC version of the Walthers TT’s.  I can use the TT in manual mode, lining up the bridge track to the stubs by eye (difficult due to the location of the TT).  But is there another better choice?  Is anyone making HO scale TT’s, preferably 90’, and if so, can they be indexed?