Does anyone know of a commercially produced HO scale turntable that has a bridge deck longer than 90 scale feet? Im looking for something in the 105'-115' range. The space I have for second turntable in my staging area will not allow for another 130' turntable. My Model Railroad is a point to point with a mid layout yard (Rigby Yard, South Portland, Maine). I need at least a 105' TT so i can turn my B&M road power (Berkshire, FT A-B, etc) at the staging yard with out having to pick them up.
Diamond Scale turtables.... has anyone assembled one of these? Also Custom Model Railroads TTs, anyone put one of these together?
My TT is a 75' Diamond Scale. It does require some careful work, but building one is not difficult in terms of the skills required, more in attention to detail. You get everything basic to building the bridge and pit. You have to figure out the details of power distribution, railings,etc for the bridge,
One critical decision is the drive. It wasn't cheap, but my New York Railway Supply drive is great. Ease and accuracy of operation are what makes or breaks TTs and the NYRS drive makes that easy.
This is a pic of mine before the area was scenicked, etc.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
If handling the locos is the issue, maybe this will help:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/552-43
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Are you sure that you cannot make room for the 130' turntable?
The 90' is 12.5" in diameter.
The 130' is 18" in diameter.
So, a 110' would be 15" in diameter.
The 130' turntable only requires another 3" of space.
Rich
Alton Junction
If the turntable is only to be used to turn locomotives in a staging yard, could you use a wye instead? It would be simpler and cheaper, but would need a different space.
Again, if you are just using this to turn the engines, you could mount an inexpensive Atlas deck turntable below your layout, put a 2-inch thick cylinder of pink foam on the deck and a disk of 1/4 inch plywood on top of that. Then you can put the track on the plywood. You might be able to figure out a way to mount the motor drive upside-down and avoid having to use the tall cylinder.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
richhotrainThe 130' turntable only requires another 3" of space.
I could fit it, if the President of the railroad would conceed on losing another 3-5in of living space in that area, but she is standing firm, so I as the planner, surveyor, track layer must find a smaller table, that can still turn an FT or P2K Berk.
BMMECNYC richhotrain The 130' turntable only requires another 3" of space. I could fit it, if the President of the railroad would conceed on losing another 3-5in of living space in that area, but she is standing firm, so I as the planner, surveyor, track layer must find a smaller table, that can still turn an FT or P2K Berk.
richhotrain The 130' turntable only requires another 3" of space.
You need to stage a hostile takeover of that railroad.
Is this a hidden turntable or do you have 'open to the sky' staging?
If the former, you could probably make a suitable turntable on a hunk of wooden yardstick pivoting around a nail on the flat plywood bottom of the pit. Let the rail ends overhang a bit and modify the rail joiners on the lead tracks into power wipers. 0-5-0 power and eyeball alignment, possibly with alignment marks on the free end.
Even if intended to be visible, scratchbuilding a TT isn't that big a deal if it doesn't have to be powered and won't have auto-alignment. Here, the ring rails (suitably gapped so the carrier wheels won't short the DCC feed) replace the rail-end wipers. There are a LOT of relatively uncomplicated prototype turntables - you don't need to model the Santa Fe pony truss design.
Maybe my thinking is biased by my background - years with hands in the machinery. I never spend money when I can make the same thing from inexpensive materials.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with scratch-built turntables)
Check these manufacturers for other turntables in Ho, N and O
AAA turntable; they made precision turntable in different size and special order on request but don't know if they are still in business.
CMR-Custom Model Railroad; they made or may be they have offer turntables in N and HO. I have a 130' in Nscale its also a precision turntable.
Of course Diamond scale and in the past Bowser which had also offer turntable of different size; maybe You can find one on the second hand market
To close this review I highly recommend the use of a NYRS control for your turntable; its a step by step motor control in fact, whith memory which give an extremely accurate control of the move of the bridge, they work for all scale (www.nyrs.com)
Anyway a turntable is a precision machine which need careful adjustement to work perfectly.
Marc
Marc_MagnusCMR-Custom Model Railroad; they made or may be they have offer turntables in N and HO. I have a 130' in Nscale its also a precision turntable.
How hard was it to assemble (easier/more difficult than a branchline passenger car kit). Im thinking the Diamond scale ones might be above my skill level. The CMR ones appear to be more in my comfort zone. Also the TT needs to be long enough to fit a 2-10-2, which I think is now the longest loco. The President keeps buying longer motive power...
Marc_MagnusOf course Diamond scale and in the past Bowser which had also offer turntable of different size; maybe You can find one on the second hand market
Bought a Bowser O guage TT back in 2006. It showed up with a warped bridge. I joined the navy right after it showed up so it sat around until this year. The this past Christmas the storm drains on my mothers street backflowed into the basement and soaked the TT. Nail in the coffin (pit changed dimension) and bridge warped more and electronics got submerged.
The CMR turntable is a laser kit, pieces are cut in translucid acrylics like plastic; I used Plastruct liquid glue to build it.
Some details like bridge and guardrails are carboard laser cut; I didn't use them and replaced them whith a plastic (Evergreen) planked bridge and new handrails in brass.
I don't remenber any trouble to build the kit because of the precise fit.
The translucid acrylics support easily acrylics paint; I paint mine whith an airbrush and Golden acrylics paints for artist.
It's a highly precise model, which include small roller bearing on the wheel bridge.
If I remenber well rails are not included in the model.
There is no many details included in the kit, so I used some Diamond scale parts and homemade ones.
The model is controled whith an NYRS TT control system which I highly recommend; his price is the price of a good steam loco.
This N scale 135' TT was built 10 years ago, however, the model is stored in a box and never return any locomotives
because the construction of the steam terminal was delayed because of family troubles.
You could check around online, like E-bay etc. re the Diamond Scale ones. Once in a while somebody changes scales or time period and sells an assembled working turntable there.