I am purchasing a HO scale 130' Walthers unit. Does any body have any experience installing one of these kits. How to layout the round house and how to connect to DC. I am not running DCC.
I model the late 40's up to the early 70's. UP SP and ATSF are the roads I model. My lay out is a microcossum of SO CAL LA . Cajon Pass Barstow, and the inland empire.
autodan,
I have the N scale version, but it should be the same as yours. The TT comes with a template with all the dimensions on it. For the hole, you can use the template, or just use the pit itself and trace around it. Make sure you trace around the base, and not the lip. You want the hole smaller than the lip so that the lip lays on top of the plywood. In order to get the rails to match up, make sure you put the same roadbed you are using for your track underneath the lip of the pit. If you are laying track directly to your subroadbed, then you don't have to put anything underneath. Different track brands have different tie thicknesses, so you may have to do some shimming, but no big deal. As for the roundhouse tracks, these should also be on the template, but if you already have that kit, it would be wise to lay out the stalls and line them up accordingly. Have fun. It is an expensive kit, but in my opinion, well worth the money. I've had mine for several years and it works great.
Scott
I have the older version of the Walthers HO Cornerstone 130' turntable and a 9-stall roundhouse
One of our fellow members, Motley, just installed the new DCC version.
What do you need to know?
Rich
Alton Junction
Thanks Scott
Incidentally, the Walthers web site has the instruction sheet for the turntable which you can download.
I just received the kit last night,installed the pit. Now I was wondering if I should install the sheet cork under the edge of the pit or lay the cork up to the edge of the pit.? How did you or any body else do this.
It all depends on how you intend to lay the approach tracks to the turntable.
The bridge track on the turntable is set vertically to the edge of the turntable.
So, if you lay your approach tracks on the surface of the layout, then the turntable should be placed on the surface of the layout. If you lay your approach tracks on a cork roadbed, then the cork should extend under the edge of the turntable to assure vertical alignment with the bridge track.
On my layout, the turntable is raised since my approach tracks are laid on roadbed.
But, if I had it to do over, I would lay the approach tracks and the turntable on the surface of the layout since the turntable is located in the yard as part of an engine servicing facility.
Autodan:
Back in the late 80's I purchased a turntable from Walthers and it was in kit form, so was the roundhouse. It took time to build both but I Ifinally completed the project. The turntable was a challenge, trying to fit all of the electronics in the base. Now they come already built and it is a lot easier.
But I never hooked it up until several years ago after moving to Tennessee where I have built a new road, the WTRR. I hooked the turntable up to its own transformer, I run DC, and turned the dial and it worked for the first time. It runs in both directions. I have tried to attach to this reply the original reply I wrote sometime ago with a picture.
Good lluck,
Robert Sylvester, WTRR
What I am going to say will go against what has been said here. I purchased the kit model as seen below. I built a fairly good sized railroad in South Carolina starting in the mid-ninetys'. This turntabe was built with motor and everything and placed in the pit for a scene on the railroad.
It was there for many years yet I never hooked it up eventhough it was wired. When you build the kit you have to do all of the wiring, and it is tricky.
When I started the WTRR 6 years ago in Tennessee I decided to install it in its present place as you see in the picture, only this time I decided to hook it up. The motor had never been used and I built this turntable years ago. I hooked it up to a transformer and decided to use the reostate inorder to power the motor and I could vary the speed. It worked, in both directions. Smooth and the motor still rotates either way even today when I turn it on. So, all I can say, it takes patience to build but it worked for me.
The best,
richhotrain It all depends on how you intend to lay the approach tracks to the turntable. The bridge track on the turntable is set vertically to the edge of the turntable. So, if you lay your approach tracks on the surface of the layout, then the turntable should be placed on the surface of the layout. If you lay your approach tracks on a cork roadbed, then the cork should extend under the edge of the turntable to assure vertical alignment with the bridge track. On my layout, the turntable is raised since my approach tracks are laid on roadbed. But, if I had it to do over, I would lay the approach tracks and the turntable on the surface of the layout since the turntable is located in the yard as part of an engine servicing facility. Rich
It may be helpful if you are using cork for the roadbed to get some of the large rectangular sheets of cork and cut a hole in them for the TT to fit through. That will give the TT lip something that supports it all around.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mlehman It may be helpful if you are using cork for the roadbed to get some of the large rectangular sheets of cork and cut a hole in them for the TT to fit through. That will give the TT lip something that supports it all around.
Mike, thanks for that clarification. I didn't mean to imply that only the cork roadbed extending from the approach track under the edge of the turntable would be sufficient. Obviously, if you are going to raise the edge of the turntable to the height of the cork roadbed, you need to do it all around the edge of the turntable to keep it in balance.
Here are some pics of my recent installation of this same turntable you have.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Looks good from here, Michael. Did you remember to bevel the flange face of the lead rails' ends?
Crandell
This is another turntable on the WTRR, please excuse the pictures, my lighting tecnique is a little to be desired, they are better today, these picutres are from a few years ago.
It is a Walther kit, again, the roundhouse is by Vollmer, also a kit. I spent alot of time putting it all together then painting everything. My subroadbed is blue foam. So, I cut a hole to match the turn table base and it slid right in. I did use some styrene shims around the rim of the turn table to bring it up to the level of the track and it fit perfectly. The approaching track fits right over the rim and matches with the track on the actual turn table.
Again, I had to wire the turn table, this is an older kit so it did not come completely assembled, and once again the wiring was tricky but it is attached to its own tranformer and it works, rotating in both directions.
But it works and has done so for several years.
These are earlier pictures of the WTRR, need better exposure and lighting.
This is an evenving shot as the big Santa Fe emerges from the round house.
Thanks Rich, After carefully looking at how the bridge aligns with the turntable height. I used sheet cork all under the round house and turn table edge. Although it was difficult to get the hold down screws to engage the lip of the Turn table I got it to work. Now all I have to do is wire it up, since I am using the DC system. And lay the approach track. Whe I get it roughed out I will post some pictures.
Good work, so far.
Looking forward to more photos and a progress report.
selector Looks good from here, Michael. Did you remember to bevel the flange face of the lead rails' ends? Crandell
Yes I beveled the rails.
Motley selector Looks good from here, Michael. Did you remember to bevel the flange face of the lead rails' ends? Crandell Yes I beveled the rails.
LOL
Good for you Michael.
I installed my 130' turntable over the cork roadbed since my yard was on cork. Just be sure to layout the turntable with the 'no track' area located where it won't interfere with any of your lead or roundhouse tracks (per the instructions). I used a straight track tool to line up the bridge tracks with each approach track. See photos. I love the turntable and it works great.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Finally done with the major construction and wiring