Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Photo Essay: Making an Atlas Deck into a True Pit turntable

44174 views
55 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Coquitlam BC
  • 629 posts
Posted by fsm1000 on Monday, October 1, 2007 9:49 AM
Great tutorial. Thanks a million:)
My name is Stephen and I want to give back to this great hobby. So please pop over to my website and enjoy the free tutorials. If you live near me maybe we can share layouts. :) Have fun and God bless. http://fsm1000.googlepages.com
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Ogden UT
  • 1,055 posts
Posted by PA&ERR on Monday, October 1, 2007 10:17 AM

I am impressed!

Great "how to", Mr B!

Bow [bow]

George

"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Rhode Island
  • 2,216 posts
Posted by davekelly on Monday, October 1, 2007 1:11 PM

Mister B,

Thanks so much for posting your bit of Yankee Ingenuity.  I've seen many articles and what not concerning converting the Atlas TT into something more realistic, and yours is tops.  While maybe not for everyone, your TT is definately a way to get a good looking, good operating TT for less than a couple hundred bucks.  I also think you did a fantastic job of explaining how the job was done - the "hey, I can do that too" that ran through my mind while reading your "how to" was the same that I got when reading Art Curren's articles. 

GREAT JOB!!

If you ain't having fun, you're not doing it right and if you are having fun, don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong.
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, October 1, 2007 1:38 PM

I took this overhead the other day.  The scenery all around the turntable is finished now, so I could take a photo with no pink foam in it.

 

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Coquitlam BC
  • 629 posts
Posted by fsm1000 on Monday, January 7, 2008 11:48 PM
Saw this again and thought others might enjoy it too as well.
My name is Stephen and I want to give back to this great hobby. So please pop over to my website and enjoy the free tutorials. If you live near me maybe we can share layouts. :) Have fun and God bless. http://fsm1000.googlepages.com
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Canada
  • 1,284 posts
Posted by wickman on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 12:08 AM

Thanks for bringing this back up , I just finished install a 90' Walthers TT and been researching around for scenicking the area . There's going to be a small built up area in back ontop of the tunnel. Anyone have any suggestions for the groundwork , I've bee trying to find some good pics , I'm not sure how the grounds would be or if the TT ledge would be even with the surrounding area.


  • Member since
    November 2009
  • 1 posts
Posted by boxcar99 on Monday, November 2, 2009 3:52 PM

 Hi Steve.

I'm new to the forum and your page is the first one I opened based upon your redesign of the atlas tuntable deck into a pit tt. Read someplace that your pictorial was excellent. Is is still on the web? I went to the linked page but I couldnot it. Can you please help me.

Thank You and have a great day.

Boxcar99

good luck to you.
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, November 2, 2009 5:17 PM

If you go to the first post of this thread, the description and pictures are all there.  It's the only place that all the parts are together in the same place.

I'm not sure who "Steve" is, but welcome aboard anyway!  Sign - Welcome

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Coquitlam BC
  • 629 posts
Posted by fsm1000 on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 1:52 PM

 Hi Boxcar. I am the only "Steve" off hand that I see here although that doesn't mean much with out nics LOL.

Anyhow if you did mean me I did make a turntable but it was not an atlas one it w3as all made from scratch sorry.

However if you or anyone else wanted a link to my place here it is.

http://fsm1000.googlepages.com

 

Have fun Boxcar and welcome to our little place on the planet. :):)

My name is Stephen and I want to give back to this great hobby. So please pop over to my website and enjoy the free tutorials. If you live near me maybe we can share layouts. :) Have fun and God bless. http://fsm1000.googlepages.com
  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 7,500 posts
Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 4:02 PM
When I saw that truss bridge sitting on the Atlas turntable, I thought "This isn't going to turn out well at all."

Skipping down to the final pictures, I see I was quite wrong. Wow, that's really nice work!

Ed
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Northern VA
  • 3,050 posts
Posted by jwhitten on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 6:20 PM

 that's pretty slick! kudos

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, October 5, 2020 7:17 PM

Mister Beasley, now that it has been so many years since this AMAZING project was put into service...

1) How was the reliability in the long run?

2) What would you do differently?

This is the best Atlas Turntable conversion I have seen. Nice work.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, October 5, 2020 8:50 PM

Kevin

Mister Beasley, now that it has been so many years since this AMAZING project was put into service...

1) How was the reliability in the long run?

2) What would you do differently?

This is the best Atlas Turntable conversion I have seen. Nice work.

-Kevin

Thanks for posting to this. 

Mr. B.--Ditto above.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, October 5, 2020 9:42 PM

Yes, I still have the turntable and roundhouse.  I did move a couple of years ago.  The system still worked when I took it down.  It's still largely in one piece and would probably work fine when I reassemble it.

The noisy drive is somewhat mitigated by having the mechanism recesssed into the thick foam layout surface rather than sitting on top of it.

I think a simple girder bridge would have been more appropriate than all the I-beam work of the truss bridge.

I built this with Code 100 track, because the layout was all Code 100 then.  I like Code 83 better now, and would use that.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, October 5, 2020 11:08 PM

MisterBeasley
I think a simple girder bridge would have been more appropriate than all the I-beam work of the truss bridge. I built this with Code 100 track, because the layout was all Code 100 then.  I like Code 83 better now, and would use that.

Thank you for the information.

I believe I have a project for my 2 foot by 4 foot module I am going to assemble. This will be great for it.

It looks like with your system I could easily add one inch to the bridge on each side to bring the length to eleven inches. That should accomodate a USRA mikado.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 12:07 AM

SeeYou190
It looks like with your system I could easily add one inch to the bridge on each side to bring the length to eleven inches. That should accomodate a USRA mikado.

I'm going in the opposite direction. I'm going to make the TT smaller--8-8 1/2 inches.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 12:48 AM

FWIW, here is my version of adding a pit to the Atlas turntable. In this case the bridge has been extended on both ends by about 1 1/2".

After all the work I decided not to use it, mostly because of the noise.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 6:09 AM

This is one old thread worth reviving. Yes

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 12:01 PM

I went to MB Klein and added the Atlas turntable and motorizing unit to my cart. $70.00 for the two items. Not bad. When I get a few more items in my cart I will place the order. 

It will be at least a few months, or maybe a couple of years before I get to this project anyway.

At least now I have inspiration and good examples to follow.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 7:49 PM

Kevin
It will be at least a few months, or maybe a couple of years before I get to this project anyway. At least now I have inspiration and good examples to follow. -Kevin

Mine will be a 8 1/2" round hole in the layout with an Atlas Turntable at the bottom.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 9:10 PM

SpaceMouse
Mine will be a 8 1/2" round hole in the layout with an Atlas Turntable at the bottom.

I looked quickly, but  could not find a video of the Atlas turntable in action. Does anyone know what the effective RPM is, with it stopping every 15 degrees?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 9:21 PM

This is certainly an old tread by Mister BYes

My turntable will be a mountain wilderness servicing faculty out in the middle of nowhere.

I have high hopes of it looking really cool underneath the high rocks and all the Tall Timber Pines.

It will probably not be the perfect setting for the largest turntable I can build there because I need a challenger to be turned on that turntable.

But none the less a challenger will be turned at that turntableYes

 

 

 

TF

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 9:23 PM

Track fiddler
It will probably not be the perfect setting for the largest turntable I can build there because I need a challenger to be turned on that turntable. But none the less a challenger will be turned at that turntable

How long is an N scale Challenger? It should be about 9 1/2 inches. 

The Atlas HO scale turntable might be a candidate to become an N scale turntable following Mr. Beasley's conversion.

Just thinking...

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 9:37 PM

The Challenger is 122 ft long.

Which is 9.15 inches in N scale.

A nine and a half inch turntable would handle it.

Since I'm not planning to have any Big Boys on my layout, ...I think that will work.

 

I would take it one just slims the HO turned track down thinner because the circle is all the same except for the tracking rail.  And one could always modify the depth of the pit of the HO in comparison to N scale

 

Sounds like a plan!  I take it the HO turntables are cheaper

 

 

 

TF

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 11:11 PM

SeeYou190

I looked quickly, but  could not find a video of the Atlas turntable in action. Does anyone know what the effective RPM is, with it stopping every 15 degrees?

-Kevin

 

The Atlas turntable requires a power source.  I used an old DC power pack, so I had a convenient speed control.  I never measured it, but I used 8 or 9 volts, and got about a 1 RPM rotation rate.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 1:25 AM

MisterBeasley
The Atlas turntable requires a power source.  I used an old DC power pack, so I had a convenient speed control.  I never measured it, but I used 8 or 9 volts, and got about a 1 RPM rotation rate.

That is fantastic.

1 RPM is what I shoot for with my Bowser Turntables.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!