Wye? Because the turntable won't fit!

[dave9999]

I had planned on ordering the new Walthers 130' turntable, but
after numerous attempts at finding the perfect spot for it,
I decided on a wye. I had the oppurtunity to see one of these turntables
the other day and they are huge. So I went to the LHS and bought
the track I would need to build a wye. I also added a few tracks for
parking some of my locos when not in use.

Anyway, now I can turn my locos and I saved a bundle by not buying the
turntable... which means I have more $$ to spend on other things. A
new loco comes to mind!![:p] Dave

Here's a picture. Can't wait to do the scenery.

[grandeman]

Sounds like a plan to me. I like it!

[Anonymous]

makes sense to me. i used a turntable becuase i couldn't mkae a wye fit. Im the exact opposite of you dave

[ereimer]

ahh but those big steam locos would have looked great on a turntable [:(]

[selector]

I am happy you found a solution, and nobody said you had to live with that solution for ever. If you eventually decide on a smaller one, or find a way to shoehorn that other monster in, then do it!

I like what I see.

[rrinker]

I see I'm not the only one with an old bag hanging on the benchwork to throw scraps in...

--Randy

[NZRMac]

I had the same problem as Jay, I got a 98' turntable from Heljan.
And a roundhouse from Atlas. I had to shorten the front of the roundhouse to make it fit the turntable ( or bend the tracks )



Ken.

[selector]

Ken, I bent the tracks. My Atlas Round House didn't match the 90" Walthers table. However, that little problem was the least of my worries. Getting the motor to turn the bridge reliably, now THERE was a problem. I am happy to report that it now works like a charm.

[Pruitt]

Okay, Crandell, spill the beans, please!

I just bought one of the Walthers 90-foot turntables and will start assembling it soon. I've heard that the mechanisms are cranky and hard to get functioning smoothly. What did you do? I'd much rather follow your lead than blaze my own trail, and I'm sure there are some others would would benefit from your work, too. I'm all ears (or eyes, as the case may be)!
[?][?][?]

[selector]

Okay, Mark. First, a disclaimer: because I built everything in a whirlwind in a short time, I cannot claim to have followed the instructions to the letter, so I might have left out, or changed, a step in the TT's construction. IOW, I may have been the source of error.

That said, I found that I had to shim the motor (I am asuming you'll motorize?) so that it would mesh reasonably well with the large black gear attached to the bridge spindel. I folded over some paper, or light cardboard, and wedged that between the motor and gear housing and the long side of the motor, itself. I didn't overtighten the little screws, either, in case the whole system was going to reject the shim catastrophically.

Then, I found that the bridge, and therefore its big gear, wobbled excessively, and the shim was not the whole cure. So, I cut plastic, or thin styrene left over from a plastic model, and glued two rectangular pieces between the nether side of the pit and the big metal washer that would otherewise be against the pit, uppermost on the spindle. I placed a piece on either side of the spindle. See pic below.



That cured the wobbles. To this day, it works well.

Another problem (sigh): the pit isn't round....at least, in my case. So, even with everything motoring as it should, the bridge binds at places. Test yours in place to ensure that you don't have that problem. Test with a heavy loco. Both directions, complete revolutions. If you're good, then good for you! If not, get out your Dremel, and a burr wheel, and grind away. Go light, because that pit wall is only a mm thick, or so.

Lastly, I found that the wipers, the brass ones that provide power to the bridge rails, were not dependable from revolution-to-revolution. They shifted, or the metal rings were not aligned so well and forced them to shift over time. Sound locos were hit and miss as the bridge turned. So, I did two things. I wrapped one of them with insulating tape nearest the retaining screw so that no shorts would ever occur if one of the wipers came loose. Next, I ground the wipers in a bit, on the top and bottom edges, so that they fit more reliably onto their respective metal rings. By doing so, the result was a wiper that was noticeably 'pinched' right where it runs against the ring, with a proper-sized tab at the open end. Otherwise, the wider wipers can ride up on the adjoining plastic spacers, and ...well, it gets very aggravating.

Oh, and I screwed a plastic spacer/retainer onto the very centre bottom face of the spindle to ensure that the bottom wiper stayed in place.

I'm sweating just thinking about all this. I sure hope I have helped if you encounter my troubles, but I hope, sincerely, that you don't.

[NZRMac]

Crandell, How about a few pics of the mechanicals please that would be great.

Oh you've done that already!! It's a bit different to mine but thanks anyway, back to the drawing board.


I did think about bending the tracks but I needed the space so cut the front of the the house off.


Ken.

[dave9999]

Crandell,
I also had major issues with the Walthers 90' TT. As a result, it now sits in a
closet! I am glad to see that you were able to correct the problems with yours.
I guess I could dig mine out and see if I could get it working correctly. But,
this would not solve the problem of turning the Allegheny or the E6 A/B.
The turntable is just too short.

The bright side of the whole thing is that I don't see this layout as my "dream layout".
I'm sure one day this layout will join my prior three in layout Heaven. Unless I drop
dead tomorrow, I WILL build a layout big enough for a 130' turntable[:P]. Dave

[selector]

I rue the thought of starting a 'dream' layout anytime in the future because this one was so darned costly. I thought I could build one with a few hundred dollars, but a few thousand was more like it. However, if...IF..I ever do get the bug, and the cash, I will definitely invest in a big, indexed turntable. I'll know not to mix brands with the House, too. Of course, I can recycle the current roundhouse if I get the bigger table.

[rexhea]

The "Wye" is a good idea Dave. I have one for my passenger trains where I can turn the whole thing around at once. Much better than running over to the turntable or cheating by hand.
I noticed in your photo album a picture of the speaker installation in a P2k FA1. I have an AB unit with the DSD150 decoder in the B (very weak sound). WIll you email me some pictures of that installation? I need to make some adjustments.

"ROLL TIDE"

REX

[jimrice4449]

As a space saving move using a wye instead of a TT doesn't make sense. If you can fit in awe a TT will fit. If the wye can be incorporated into the overall track plan it cuts down on expenses. All other things considered, the prototype would go with a wye instead of a TT in a situation where there's only 1 or 2 engines to service but that's due to $$$ not space considerations

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jimrice4449

As a space saving move using a wye instead of a TT doesn't make sense. If you can fit in awe a TT will fit. If the wye can be incorporated into the overall track plan it cuts down on expenses. All other things considered, the prototype would go with a wye instead of a TT in a situation where there's only 1 or 2 engines to service but that's due to $$$ not space considerations

Jim,
This may be true... In the real world. But believe me when I say, the wye fits,
the Walthers 130' TT doesn't. Let me rephrase that, the TT would fit, but after
adding a roundhouse and all the spur tracks, I would have to operate my
trains from the hallway.[:)] Dave

[rexhea]

To me, the ideal plan would be to have a wye for the yard lead going to the classification yard and a turntable. Without this combination, there is always one direction where the loco will still have to back out of the yard when continuing on the mainline. I believe it was a John Armstrong book I saw this in.

Yeah, I know...lots of space and money, but I still wish I had designed my main yard with this combo. [:(]

REX [:)]

[Pruitt]

Thanks, Crandell!

Now I know what to keep an eye out for, and how to fix it. Your experience will be very helpful!!

[robengland]

I gave up and sold my Walthers 90' as scrap for $20 and bought a Diamond Scale. It is indeed a monster and I hope I can find room for it on my new layout.