Turntable Choices

[NYCentral1]

I'm planning out my railroad right now, soon I will have my benchwork finished. I got a track plan done, and now I'm looking for the different things I need.

I have a turntable on my track plan, and I'm looking for choices. I see that Walthers has one, 90', that I'm interested in...How is it? Do they have a motor kit for it? What about Indexing...

Atlas also has one, but its pretty ugly, is there anyway to modify it to look more "normal?"

What about the other brands, like Heljian?

Any help someone?

[scubaterry]

NYC - I have two of the Walthers 90 ft TT. A real bear to make work reliable out of the box. Several threads have been posted on how to modify the kit to make it tolerable. I have one on the layout that is real wobbly (havent removed it to do the mods yet) the other is still in the box. I have been looking closly at this TT looks good and they have several sizes from 90 -135 ft. www.cmrtrain.com/ . Walthers is coming out with a new one RTR for 300.00 haven;t heard much about it. I also have the Atlas TT. It would need lots of weathering to look decent or put up on an upper level out of direct sight. ALthough I have seen some from folks on this forum that make them look really sweet.
I am also a NYC fan.
Terry[8D]

[MidlandPacific]

You should check out Bowser and Diamond Scale - both make turntables. I've heard the Bowser tables are spartan but good performers. And I'm guessing a bit cheaper than $300.

The Heljan table's a bit harder to build up than the Walthers - about the same size, but the base of the Walthers table is a 1 piece casting (not a built-up assembly like the Heljan), so there are fewer potential glitches. On the other hand, if you're modeling the turn of the century, the Heljan roundhouse looks more "period."

[Anonymous]

I built the Diamond Scale model a couple of years ago. It's not cheap, but is quite detailed, and takes a while to build, and has been very reliable for me. The bridge is a lift-off, which I find very helpful for cleaning, etc. As of a couple of years ago, it had no built-in indexing, which was fine for me. If that's important to you, you might look for a recent ad and/or call them. The owner is a very nice fellow, as I recall.

[MidlandPacific]

Both have websites - bowser.com and http://www.diamond-scale.com/.

Can't testify to the quality of the Bowser turntable, but I've done business with them before, and have always been satisfied.

[mlehman]

I'm very happy with my Diamond Scalle 75' turntable so far. I'm still in the middle of building it, but have all the critical work except laying the rails done. I plan on getting back to work on it as soon as I get this last %!*$#~^ paper done.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL

PS There was a relatively recent thread that discussed the issue of turntables within the last couple of months here that has extensive commentary. Just so we don't all feel obliged to reinvent the wheel, etc. Here's the link:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=64114

[jimrice4449]

I have a Bowser 16" for my psgr eng terminal. It's big enough to handle anything but a Big Boy but they also make an 18" if you'll be running Big Boys and a 14" that will handle most Northerns (the Santa Fe 3875 and 2900 classes w/ those humungous 16 wheel tenders being 2 of the exceptions). They make a motorizing kit for it and an indexing kit by Dallee is available. I don't know what the current price on them is but you can try [e-mail] or call them at 570 368 2379 9:00 to 5: EST. I just started installing mine and it seems like a pretty straightforward proposition.

[NYCentral1]

So, basically, we have Atlas, Walthers, Helijian, Diamond Scale, Bowser, etc.

Well, I really would like to avoid spending too much, so I think the Bowser and Diamond S. are out.

I like that 90' Walthers, but what about this wobble problem?

I really don't care about indexing, I just want a good looking table that is motorized. I could handle "seeking out" the right track spots...

[Pruitt]

I've just started assembling the Walthers 90' TT. So far I have the pit scribed to represent separate concrete pads, and have painted it a basic concrete color. So essentially I'm just starting.

[scubaterry]

NYC - Someone here posted a thread on mods to the Walthers 90 ft TT. Maybe they or someone who knows will see the thread here and chime in. Those that did the mods seemed to be happy with the results.
Terry[8D]

[MisterBeasley]

Several people have modified the Atlas turntable into a true pit by mounting the framework below-layout and adding a raised bridge on top of the deck. This preserves the ultra-reliable and rock-solid mechanism, and also the convenient polarity control that comes with the Atlas.

The knock on the Atlas is mostly its appearance, and also its short 9-inch physical size (in HO.) By bashing it into a pit turntable, you can add a longer bridge for bigger engines. It's one of the projects on my long-term plan. Since I model the 1960's and have neither big steam nor today's long diesels, I can live with a small turntable.

The Atlas turntable is fully indexed, but some people are unhappy that it does stop at every index position. I'll have to admit that it's somewhat unrealistic to do that, but the no-problems mechanism goes a long way towards allowing me to ignore that one. Atlas makes a motorizing kit which is plug-and-play. (Or plug-and-operate for those who don't "play" with their trains.)

As it comes out of the box, the Atlas turntable matches perfectly with the Atlas 3-stall roundhouse. Both have 15-degree stall spacing. I think the new Walthers turntable uses a 10-degree spacing. The smaller spacing allows more slots around the circle, but it means that the stall tracks must be longer so the tracks can separate enough for side clearance before you can park an engine on them.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NYCentral1

...I like that 90' Walthers, but what about this wobble problem?..

It's a real challange to build to work reliably, but it's not impossible if you can do some fabrication.
The Walthers and Heljan kits use the same drive. I built a Heljan TT, but not as the instructions show, and it works fine. Lot of modelers say the Walthers / Heljan TT's are junk. If you are not careful in the assembly, then yes it is junk. The instructions are a little more than an exploded view and I deviated from the instructions discarding the part with the gear on it and made my own driveshaft so I can remove my bridge (see photo 1). I also modified the electrical pick up for the bridge track (see photo 1 & 2). The drive coupling is my own fabrication (see photo 1).

One very important step in the assembly is the lower bearing plate. The bridge hight has to be just right. The trucks on the ends of the bridge (I scratch built mine) should ride very lightly on the pit rail, most of the weight should be carried by the bearing. The Heljan kit has a lower bearing plate that glues into the center hole of the pit. That has to be positioned just right (I found that out too late and had to use a .010 shim from a generator pully on an old VW bug to raise the bearing). The bridge is attached to the upper bearing plate and my drive shaft is attached to that. The shaft has to be centered perfectly as possible. I did that by slipping a brass tube through the factory hole, to use as a locating tool and slid the new drive shaft over that. Once the driveshaft was attached, the tool is removed.

I also mounted the electrical pick up differently. I seperated the two wipers and mounted them on the ends of square brass tubing and attached to the wooden base. They wipe the brass rings which are mounted on the drive shaft and connected to the bridge rails. I made the driveshaft out of brass tubing and insulated it from the power pick up rings with heat shrink tubing. The rings are made from brass tubing also. I found it was easier to solder the feed wires to the rings before installing them and then solder those wires to the bridge feeders. The connection of the motor side of the driveshaft was made from of the guts out a Eurostyle strip connector(see photo 2). On the other end of the connector I made a "T" from round brass rod which fits into a slot cut into the driveshaft. The bridge assembly just lifts up to remove and clean any debris that might fowl the bearing.
The polarity is corrected by a MRC power reversing module.

photo 1


photo 2



If you want the bridge to turn smoothly, you have to be very careful with how the bridge rides on the bearing. The trucks on the end of the bridge must be free wheeling and aligned correctly. Build the basic bridge structure, but without gluing down the track. Dry assemble the basic bridge assembly / pit / drive parts (without glue) to see how everything fits in the pit. Note the rail hight too. Take into acount the weight of the locomotive and the sag of the plastic pit too. Plastic pits flex and will sag a just a wee bit. It can benifit from bracing or support (see photo 4).

In fact you might want to build a stand or jig to hold the pit up while you work on it. Just cut a hole in a piece of plywood and put short legs under it.

If you plan on building a roundhouse too, both turntable and roundhouse should be built on the same platform or base. The turntable comes first, then the round house base and tracks. Makes track alignment easier than to try to put a turntable in after the roundhouse is built.

photo 3


photo 4


finished TT

[tstage]

There's also Custom Model Railroads (CMR):

http://www.cmrtrain.com/turntable.html

They have a 90', 105', 120', and 135' turntable available in HO and a couple in N-scale. From the pictures it looks like a nice product. However, I don't have any experience with them. The in dexing motor comes separately because it's available through another manufacturer. The basic indexing motor runs about $88. I heard only good things about the newer (and more expensive) Walthers turntables.

Tom

[NYCentral1]

Well, It would be nice to have one of the new ready built Walthers tables or one of the CMR products...Maybe down the road, when I have the "big" layout with Niagaras, Mohawks, and some F and E unit diesels. But for now, I will have a Consolidation, SW switcher, maybe an 0-8-0, all pulling 10 car and under trains on 22 inch curves.

So, in other words, a $200 - $350 really nice turntable just doesn't suit what I'll use it for on this layout, (i.e. a fun way to have places to park my engines when I'm not using them, and then get them out one by one to send them off on "assignment").

So, in this respect, the Atlas table would be perfect size/price/operation wise, I just want to know how to modify it a bit to get rid of the plastic look. I like the 90' walthers, but it's not worth getting the table and motoring kit and dealing with operational problems.

Can the Atlas table be easily painted, like painting the brown "pit" black? Does anyone have photos or instructions on how to drop it into the ground and put a different bridge on it? Thanks everyone for their help.

[Budliner]

check this atlas cheepo



14 doller
ATLAS TURNTABLE
http://2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=11.html

[Anonymous]

An Atlas TT would be a good choice. The older models index at every 30 degrees and the later models index at 15 degree. At some point the latest models also automatically reverse polarity.
Take a look how Bob Grech dressed up his Atlas TT in his post in a reply to Alexander13's thread on Atlas Turntable & roundhouse, Good or Bad?

[MisterBeasley]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gsetter
The older models index at every 30 degrees and the later models index at 15 degree. At some point the latest models also automatically reverse polarity.

I've still got my old one from the 1960's sitting in a box. It had 30-degree indexing, but it did the polarity thing even way back then. It was still working, by the way, but I bought a new one to get the 15-degree indexing. I also picked up a new motor drive for it. The old one would work most of the time, but it would occasionally stall out.

[NYCentral1]

So, with 15 degree indexing, it stops at every place right? How many places is that? Would it be better to get the older 30 degree one so you wouldn't have as much stopping and starting?

[scubaterry]

I ordered an Atlas TT several years ago thinking I was ordering the Walthers 90ft TT. I took one look at it and put it in storage. After reading these posts I was intrigued and took it from its box and checked it out. I am now excited that I can finally use it. I model the NYC and NKP. I will have a separate Loco yard for each. The NKP currently only has 2 GP-7's, 1 GP-9 and two lite Mikes 2-8-2. I can use the ATlas for the NKP and I all ready have the Walthers 90" for the NYC. I am moving soon so most of my Rolling stock is packed. So I have two questions. How long is the BLI Lite Mike w/tender (too lazy to unpack it) and if you motorize the TT is there a way you can hook up a decoder to the motor to control the TT from your Throttle? Thank you for your help
Terry[8D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NYCentral1

So, with 15 degree indexing, it stops at every place right? How many places is that? Would it be better to get the older 30 degree one so you wouldn't have as much stopping and starting?

You are correct. There is a time delay between stops, depending on how much voltage your giving the motor. A 30 degree has less stops, thereby it's faster.
My first round house has 10 degrees between stalls so it didn't index correctly to every stall.
When I said the latest 15 degree TT would automatically reverse polarity, I meant it would correct it when you reversed the direction of the locomotive. With the earlier TT's, the polarity of the bridge rails would have to reversed using a double pole double throw switch, if the locomotive was changing direction.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by scubaterry

..... How long is the BLI Lite Mike w/tender (too lazy to unpack it) and if you motorize the TT is there a way you can hook up a decoder to the motor to control the TT from your Throttle? Terry[8D]

Sorry,don't know the answer to the first question, but you can use a DCC mobile decoder to control the turntable operation. I would also choose one with back EMF for better low speed control.
The motor may draw at least one amp, mybe more. You should test it with an amp meter first. Then order the correct size decoder. You wire it as you would a locomotive decoder.

If you need to control the polarity of the rails, use an automatic reverse module.

[jbloch]

The Walthers website states that its 130' TT can index at 60 different positions, i.e. 6 degrees?

Jim

[NYCentral1]

I have another question about this...

How long is the BLI Mikado? I need to see if it will fit on the 9" Atlas table.

Thanks

[simon1966]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NYCentral1

I have another question about this...

How long is the BLI Mikado? I need to see if it will fit on the 9" Atlas table.

Thanks

Its about half a tender too long. I just tried it.

[Anonymous]

Hi:I use the Atlas HO turntable on my N Scale layout because there was no N Scale turntable at that time.I mounted it on a plywood base and attached it underneath the cutout.I built a raised bridge and used fine sandpaper for the pit floor.As the turntable stops at HO scale spacing,I use a DPDT center off switch to blip it into position.It works great and looks good.Also built a 3 stall roundhouse to go with it with plans from an old MRR back issue.This was certainly a less expensive way of having a turntable on my layout.When I figure out how to transfer photos to these topics,Ill add a picture of it.

Joe Caboose

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if you can turn a BLI Hudson on a Walthers 90' TT? I've heard the 90' TT will turn an engine with a 12" or less wheelbase. The BLI Hudson is just around a 12" wheelbase (I measured my new one today).

[NYCentral1]

Thanks, thats too bad, I guess I'll have to use something else besides the Atlas...

[Anonymous]

I just got a Heljan #804 manual turntable (on sale, fits my budget, I'll live with it [:)] BUT, the instruction SHEET is sorely lacking. Does anyone know what order, and which direction all the bottom plates, shim plates, intermediate plates, etc, etc go on?? It has a poor pic, but I can't tell which side of the plate shuld be up, which ones are above the pit and which ones are below.....I guess i'm getting too old for this!! :) Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

TIA,

John

[NYCentral1]

Yeah, I have the same question, what's the largest engine the Walthers 90' will turn?

The largest engines I'll have are a Mikado and a Hudson...Think those will fit? The ad says it can hold up to a 12 3/8" engine.

[rexhea]

Terry:
I started out using toggles to jog/run my TT motor on my CMR and then TEFFY talked me into installing a decoder. Man, I have never been happier. It will go from fast to a speed so slow you can barely see it move. Another plus is that anyone with a throttle has access to it by dialing in the address.
Just use a cheap decoder...nothing fancy will do the job.