This is why people spend over $200 on a quality turntable

[Driline]

Here is my Freebie heljan HO 14" turntable I got from a friend with a $25 motor add on kit that I purchased.

Now I understand why people will pay over $200 for a NICE quality operating turntable like walthers. Man what a POC (edited to piece of crap ) my system is!

Several problems include the following

1) Using CA glue to attach the motor to the cheap plastic shaft. (Not a good idea)

2) Soldering wires to the brass rings which can melt the cheap plastic shaft.

3) Dis-similar metals.....Brass ring & copper contacts does not make for good clean contact.

What I thought would be an inexpensive alternative turned out to be a dud. Now I'm not so sure I can swallow over $200 for a turntable. The alternative would be to remove it and fill in the hole with more yard tracks.......

Hmmmmmm not sure what to do.....

Here is my current track plan...

[zeis96]

Why not try a different, cheaper brand?

[SpaceMouse]

I may learn to share your pain.

I just got an Atlas TT with the motor drive. My intention is to pit-bash it and in the process extend the bridge to 10" to accomodate my son's Consolidation. I'm not sure how much of the original TT will be there when it's done. IT may be worth it to buy a Walther's--but it wouldn't look right.

[davekelly]

Space,

I seem to recall an article years ago (MRR? RMC?) where this guy used the Atlas turntable and then mounted a bridge on it by using a 35mm film canister as a shaft.  I don't remember if the Atlas platform served as the pit (and thus rotated along with the bridge) or if he extended the shaft more through a stationary pit.  Perhaps a search of the article index will help.  I do remember thinking it looked pretty cool.  Probably not as nice as the new Walthers ones, but pretty good considering the total cost expended on the project.   

 

[Driline]

Why not try a different, cheaper brand?

 

LOL

[rrinker]

 I have that issue of MR in my collection somewhere. I'm pretty sure the Atlas table formed he pt floor - so the pit floor turned but as I recall the author said it didn't really detract from things too much. Plus it was hard to beat the cost. I don't see why you couldn't use something longer than a 35mm film cannister as the connection - maybe a tall pill bottle? As long as it's decently round and not oblong. And then mount the Atlas unit even lower so the base doesn't show, just a hole in the middle of the pit for this drive shaft to poke through. Paint the raw edges of the hole flat black and it will hide well under the bridge.

 

                                 --Randy
 

[tstage]

I remember one of the MR books where the author used a stereo jack connector as the center axis pin or shaft.  Inexpensive and a lot heartier than plastic.

Tom 

[MisterBeasley]

This may be the one you're thinking about:

http://www.2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pid=11.html

I'm building my own, but I was determined not to have the pit floor rotate with the turntable.  So far, I've got the bridge built and attached.  I used an Atlas deck bridge, which I basically sliced in half horizontally to make it lower.

The Atlas deck bridge has an advantage that I never even considered.  The rails to the bridge come as separate pieces which must be slid into the tie mounts on the bridge.  This allows me to micro-adjust the rail position after the bridge is glued into place, which I found was one of the trickier things to do accurately.

This is about as far as I've gotten right now, and I haven't had a lot of train-time lately because we've been going skiing a lot.  Right now I'm working on the bogey design for the trucks that run on the pit rail.  I found that this bridge really needs to be supported at the ends, because the mounting flexes when an engine moves over it, and will not maintain alignment with the fixed rails around the rim.

[Lego_90]

Very creative... I wasn't going to do a roundtable because the cheap ones aren't big enough and the big ones are way too expensive for my taste.  I may consider trying something like this though.

Nice work!

[SpaceMouse]

I was thinking of the one Fergie built.

[tstage]

Yep, that's the stereo jack and connector version.

Tom 

[Anonymous]

I am not worrying about 300 dollars for a completely built Walthers TT, but looking at the other custom TT's especially the Stereo Jack Version... makes me think hmm...

Believe it or not, the famous Atlas 9" turn table with the flat surface is pretty useful in my area. Ive had to kind of get down from my high horse and consider what can be done with those with help from other local modelers who made it work.

[Lego_90]

I stumbled across another link for the stereo jack version: http://www.simplytrains.com/pages/hints&tips/turntable/turntable2.htm

I wonder if I could modify an HO 9" TT to fit my N scale layout.  9" would be perfect for my longest steam.  (At present anyway)

[Driline]

Well, I've decided I'm going to keep my el cheapo turntable for now. I've reglued the shaft and everything is working OK for now. Although I do need to add some sort of wire brush apparatus to the copper strips so that it makes better contact on the commutator shaft.

I sometimes also have to press my finger on the turntable to even the track a bit better when the loco is entering or exiting, but this seems only a minor inconvenience as opposed to dropping another couple hundred dollars for a new walthers unit

That stereo phono plug by the way is a GREAT idea if you were building or modifiying one from scratch.

[rrinker]

 Keep in mind the stereo plug ones aren't powered - those are designed to be turned by hand. Fine if that's what you want. The conversions with the Atlas turntable are motorized and indexed.

 

                                                --Randy
 

[SpaceMouse]

 Keep in mind the stereo plug ones aren't powered - those are designed to be turned by hand. Fine if that's what you want. The conversions with the Atlas turntable are motorized and indexed.

   --Randy

But there's no reason why they couldn't be motorized. I may be wrong, but on Fergie's TT it looks like there is a small gear next to the socket and an inch & a half gear on the male.

[Driline]

I have a silly question.

Do the real turntables turn in both directions CW & CCW?

[SpaceMouse]

I have a silly question.

Do the real turntables turn in both directions CW & CCW?

I think it matters which hemi-sphere your in.

[Driline]

I have a silly question.

Do the real turntables turn in both directions CW & CCW?

I think it matters which hemi-sphere your in.

I mean do the real ones have the option of changing direction?

[tstage]

Frank,

Yes, I believe they do.  If not, it sure would become aggravating if you kept overshooting the track you wanted to get on.

[Grouco Marx entering an elevator says to the operator]

"Twice around the block, driver...and step on!"

Tom 

[davekelly]

There are some advantages, I think, to using the Atlas TT for a drive over the stereoplug.  By getting power to the new bridge rails by running wires from the Atlas rails to the new rails, you don't have to worry about the polarity issues, the Atlast TT (I'm almost positive) does that for y ou.  Also there is a rudentary indexing devise already there.  Perhaps not sufficeint for all tracks but would come in  handy for the lead and perhaps a couple of others.  I would also think that it would be easier to square up the new bridge on an already squared up Atlas TT than trying to square up a phone jack.

[Anonymous]

I will try to get a photo of the one at the LHS, we dropped an atlas into the portable layout under construction there. I have been having challenges with being able to be there on saturday mornings for the group.