Paul, Sounds like you made your decision. I know how excited I was when I placed the order for the 130'. Good luck with the change.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Paul, you will need a power supply for that TT. Got mine from Radio Shack it is 15V unit and works perfect. The drain on the system if you do not use a seperate power supply is very heavy.
The DCC powering of the unit is simple just like it was the rails. the lead tracks should be divided like your track. Picture the dead spot at 12 and 6 on a clock. Make the tracks from 1 to 5 with the tracks same as the yard tracks (red to red and black to black) then from 7 to 11 REVERSE THAT. If right rail is red on the yard side make it black on the 7 to 11 side. The TT handels the reverse problem very well.
I have found that you need to Vacuum the pit every week and check the "FINGERS" in the center of the table this is your power and signal. The only problem qwe have had is dirt in the pit and the contacts in the center (fingers) need a cleaning with contact cleaner (91% IPA) about once a month.
Other than that enjoy it.
Thanks for the inputs. I ripped out the 98' turntable, and plugged the hole in the 2" foam with a scale 98' , actual 2" thick piece of foam that I cut out using the old TT as a template. Boy did I feel bad ripping that old turntable out. LOL!!! It was one of the more satisfying things I have done recently. The pit is still whole, and I glued in the big blue plug with Liquid Nails Foamboard Adhesive.
It sure is alot easier to work with this 2" thick blue foam than it is the old hardshell ways. I get my new TT next Friday, as Walthers had the 90' version in stock. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas and isn't what model railroading is all about.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
I promised photos of the TT with most of the yard. Things are still running smoothly. So far, track/TT track have lined up every time except once, and it was close enough to still work.
Notice that the track is not finished in the back. I need to finish the machine shop in the back. It will have 1 bay for locos or car repair.
We are so glad that we switched to this TT.
Paul, If the 90' is similar to the 130' in depth, it will be close to your Heljan. When we changed from the Heljan to the 130', it made us rearrange our yard also. It was a good thing that we waited to have the TT functioning prior to placing the yard. We need to add a strip on the outside so the RH is not hanging out in space.
Thank you for the answers, I wonder how much Tenax it would take to melt down the Heljan into liquid plastic filler. The previous idea of using one to model an abandoned facility would also work, but I don't have the room. I thought about the 130' very carefully but would have to push my roundhouse into the cold air plenum of the furnace. I model the NYC so Niagras are my largest. If only they had a 100' I could squeeze the Niagra on that. I think the NYC had many 105' turntables and let the end of the pedistal tender and the pilot hang out. Toledo had a pair of 105s at Airline. The Diamond Scale HO 105' is no longer available, and I am about fed up with turntables. I am to the point where I just want to drop one in and be pretty much done. I know I will be doing some tweeking, but I have built them, used surpless radar parts to drive them, used stepper motors to turn them, but never had much luck. And this from a guy who built two brass Kemtron Moguls that work fine, but I just couldn't get the TT to work well. I even tried to use a big masonite disk, reached under the layout and used the 0-5-0 on it, but it just was never right. Now I am older, wiser and I have probably spent more than the price of this one on parts, with about a million dollars labor, and that is at only ten bucks an hour.
I have a 75' double maineline run with a intermidate engine facility, set in Springfield Ohio as my pike runs from Dayton to Springfield Ohio. The place names are correct and the flavor is correct, but the details are not. I will just have to live with the 130 footers small brother. My layout is a large walk in L shape with one 20' leg and one 23' leg with about four feet on the inside of the legs of the L. Now if I can find an eight foot bushing to put into that 98 foot hole I will be all set. My layout is built with 2" flat foam (I do model the NYC), so filling it with a 98' plug using liquid nails shouldn't be to hard.
The bigger problem may be the 1x4 that is under that part of the layout that supports the two inch foam. Just how deep is the turntable from the lip of the pit to the botttem of the mechanicasim? Piece of cake if it is less that two inches, which it probably is not. The 1x2 is off center of the current turntable and the motor, bracket and other associated parts fit, as I put that support in to just clear the Heljan TT mechanism. I to get on tangents, but when it comes to the model railroad what the heck. Thanks again for the info. If I got to move the support I'll move it don't ya know!
Paul, the 90ft is the SAME as the 130 ft. Just smaller. Same design, drive motor and indexing. the ONLY things you must remember is that:
1. DO NOT ERASE ZERO from the factory settings
2. Put nothing in the dead zone
3. Read the instructions.
Ours have been in a nd running for about 2 months and other than oprtator error no problems. they do require a VERY CLEAN pit so that the drive does not hang. The trimming and filing of thet rail ends at the pit per the instructions shlud be done so you do not PICK the trils coming off. We are turning a model of every major articulated modeled and have no problems. Even to almost 10 lbs brass works just fine.
We are propbably going to get a 90 ft for phase three wicj comes AFTER we build phase two. The CFO is fine with building phase two, 650 ft addition of main line track and a 14' x 26ft yard (Jersey City with the 30 stall roundhouse) Phase three would takes us the other way to Wilkes Barre (90 ft table and 24 stalls) which is only a 8' x 19' yard plus 175 ft of branch and main line.
We have the space, money and time the question is help to build it. Have to take out all the subwalls I put up in the basement and move the storage shelfs. That would give us 1875 sq ft to work with.
Sorry for the tangent but the brain kicked in and ran off at the keyboard.
this is teh Ashley yard:
Paul,
We scrapped our 98' Heljan because it would not run smoothly. It thumped alot. We never did get to actually putting a loco on it. The 90' Walthers would have been too short,and the hole for the 98' would have been too large. It was messy changing to a larger hole,but well worth it. So far, we have not had any hangups with the 130' TT. You can run it manually or set the stops.
This is our first weekend actually operating the TT. An extension needs to be added to the benchwork prior to wiring the RH. Then we will find out about the multi stops. Changing the size of the TT affected the footprint of the TT/RH.
The large Locos look great on the 130'.
Now that we are discussing the walthers turntables, and the good and bad seems to more up to the person than the turntable. Do we have a concesus of the 90' built-up turntable. I do have the Heljan 98' turntable, it uses an 0-5-0 to turn it. I would like to install a a good automatic that I don't have to tweek to much. I would prefer a 105', but I can live without turning Niagras. I will still be able to turn Hudsons on a 90' with some overhang, but there is nothing unprototypical about that, especially compared to using the 0-5-0!!! I have a six stall Korber roundhouse, so it is important that the stops are not at a fixed degree seperation, and reading the past posts would indicate you can set the stops anywhere (within reason.)
George,
With our yard, I am finding that you have to concentrate on the direction of the throw switches. I understand your RED light problem.
Yesterday, we went up to the Tacoma History Museum to view the Puget Sound Club Layout. We were anxious to see it because it is heavy with NP. On the way, I needed to hit the lumber yard (at LHS Tacoma). We now have 4 more NP coal cars and a NP box car. Somehow I passed on the caboose.
Glad you guys had a great time. We need to get another controller for company. I thought that 2 would be enough. WRONG.
Miss sue the TT is a Murphy design. What I have found out is that leaving the factory ZERO point as the line up for the approach track was the best way to install. The 2nd table I got fancy and tried a different alignment. No good, pulled the table a turned it. The Ashley table is quirkey and has a mind of its own. The Nanticoke table is just perfect. Ashley was the one that I had to pull.
The trick that I used was to read the instructions and since I am not in SC I can not be sure with out looking, BUT it recommends clockwise to program I think. The tanle goes past the point then backs up to align. If you program all the points in that direction (both ends) it is a happy camper.
I tried using a random direction program and it was not as good. Nanticoke was done accodring to the books and Ashley was the random one.
One side note, Got the Spectrum Y3a Saturday and can not wait to get back to SC and try it. Got the N&W markings. Also picked up another J3a BLI Hudson NIB for $150.00 could not pass that up. I am now One engine short of having all the big Steam I am trying to collect and run.
Can not wait for the pictures.
They guys ran the layout Tuesday night and I ran the passenger train from the CTC using the CCTV and it WORKED!! talk about luck! I think they had 10 or 12 runnning along with the Berkshire I was running. Found some minor track problems and major operator problems. The RED light means stop not go through the turnout!!
We were able to get most of the yard down and wired. (At least all the turnouts are down.) I have decided to scratch build an engine shop at the far end of the yard, so I need to get that floor done and wired. I seem to be running in too many directions at this point.
The TT works great with one track in. Once both ends were set, it has not missed. Is it possible that when we add several others that it may not be as accurate?
Pictures to follow soon.
Lynn_C wrote: claycts wrote: Lynn the TT uses an optical reader that starts a "0" as defined by the factory. Before you set anything you put in your track AFTER you find where the dead spot on the table will fall. Hi George, Thanks . . . I appreciate the tip. I think I am going to get one of these and convert it to use on my On30 layout. I had a look at the instructions that Walthers has on their website so I realize about that dead zone you mentioned. Now once you have the TT in place with due consideration for the dead zone, I had wondered if tracks leading into the TT couldbe placed virtually anywhere (other than the dead zone of course) around the circumference and not have to be concerned that the tracks could end up *between* steps and not end up aligning properly. As you mentioned, the requirement to program each end of the bridge to align with each track tells me that the steps are small enough that this is not a problem. Lynn
claycts wrote: Lynn the TT uses an optical reader that starts a "0" as defined by the factory. Before you set anything you put in your track AFTER you find where the dead spot on the table will fall.
Lynn the TT uses an optical reader that starts a "0" as defined by the factory. Before you set anything you put in your track AFTER you find where the dead spot on the table will fall.
Hi George,
Thanks . . . I appreciate the tip. I think I am going to get one of these and convert it to use on my On30 layout. I had a look at the instructions that Walthers has on their website so I realize about that dead zone you mentioned.
Now once you have the TT in place with due consideration for the dead zone, I had wondered if tracks leading into the TT couldbe placed virtually anywhere (other than the dead zone of course) around the circumference and not have to be concerned that the tracks could end up *between* steps and not end up aligning properly.
As you mentioned, the requirement to program each end of the bridge to align with each track tells me that the steps are small enough that this is not a problem.
Lynn
Yes, you control that. There are 4 preset locations that you can erase and then start your own. Just DO NOT erase Zero. I use the zero as the arriving track location then 10deg after that. If you do a 10 deg array you can see how they come up with the 60 locations.
I have found that before every session to push the ZERO button on all the TT's so that they are strating from REAL zero. The table is very good about finding it's points after programming. Read the instructions and you will see that you must program both ends of the table at every point. I did not and of course blamed the table not me forgetting to read ALL the instructions.
I am working on the location for the 3rd one IF we build phase two.
rrinker wrote: Bet you just need to run the calibration routine. If it stops within a step of the actual point, it hans't lost its memory - if it forgot the programmed stop it wouldn;t stop anywhere near where it's supposed to. The whole thing works by 'knowing' how many steps from a fixed starting point you set the stop - so if it's close that just means the calibration has slipped and the start point is no longer where it's supposed to be. --Randy
Hi Randy,
It's nice to hear all the positive comments about this TT.
I have a question about the programmed stops around the circumference. With the controller counting steps to know where each stop is, is it safe to assume that final location of each track is done AFTER the TT is mounted and each stop is programmed?
Does this present any challenges to get the tracks aligned with round house doors. I guess this would depend on how small the steps are I guess.
Thanks for your help
gear-jammer wrote: claycts wrote: Fianly got a picture of our Ashley yard This is the larger of the the two yards. At least the roundhouses fit this time!! George, Is there any reason to place an insulator on the edge of the roundhouse? Or is your rail/track in the roundhouse one piece to the TT? As soon as I paint the floor, I will be to that stage. The Walthers RH has a pit that I have decided to leave off. It would be too messy to cut a hole in the bench work. Black paint should do the job. The angle is such that the change will never show. Is Krysti building the other RHs? Sue
claycts wrote: Fianly got a picture of our Ashley yard This is the larger of the the two yards. At least the roundhouses fit this time!!
Fianly got a picture of our Ashley yard
This is the larger of the the two yards. At least the roundhouses fit this time!!
Is there any reason to place an insulator on the edge of the roundhouse? Or is your rail/track in the roundhouse one piece to the TT? As soon as I paint the floor, I will be to that stage.
The Walthers RH has a pit that I have decided to leave off. It would be too messy to cut a hole in the bench work. Black paint should do the job. The angle is such that the change will never show.
Is Krysti building the other RHs?
Sue that is one piece to the TT. I will build the roundhouse at the table after it is painted and weathered. Krysti si walpapering the drawiing room so this one is on me.
The pits on this are painted black. I ahve a real pit in the other one.
I am at the what to do next stage. I should continue on with the soldering and wiring for all the feedback circuits and the local dwarfs and signals. Have been running using the CTC and CCTV like a video game. Works great, was worth the money and effort to do it.
gear-jammer wrote: George, I had a long work week(5 days). I will be back to my 2 days per week next week. That means I will have more time for the layout. I just ordered 3 Peco turnouts and a Walthers 30 degree crossing for the yard. Maybe we will get to use the turntable this weekend. I started working on the Walthers roundhouse on Sunday. I had some trouble with my rock painting and decided to take a break. I will try to get a picture of the Plymouth when it finds its way out of the garage. Too much rain in the forecast. Sue
I had a long work week(5 days). I will be back to my 2 days per week next week. That means I will have more time for the layout. I just ordered 3 Peco turnouts and a Walthers 30 degree crossing for the yard. Maybe we will get to use the turntable this weekend.
I started working on the Walthers roundhouse on Sunday. I had some trouble with my rock painting and decided to take a break.
I will try to get a picture of the Plymouth when it finds its way out of the garage. Too much rain in the forecast.
The modern makes a nice kit. I wish the bricks where better Like the Pola kits. see how easy they weather. Good castings.
Walthers
I have (4) more to build, will try some different weathering since they are supposed to be the newer roundhouse in the towns.
I think there are more than people think in this position. I am lucky that my dads business is almost on cruise control. He started it back in 1963 and still perking along. He passed on in 1984 and my mom in 1999. Krysti keeps the thing running and i do the R&D on some things. Had a LONG work week last week a whole 6 hours!!
Krysti and I joke about how ruff things are when we have to go shopping!!! LOL. We are supposed to have a training session tonight so people can see how the CTC and CCTV works and try and get a handle on this layout. It is very simple BUT it looks like a wet bowl of pasta when you see the track plan.
Sue, I assume you have seen pictures of some of my toys. Trying to find time for them. Just the was and wax thing is a couple of weekends.
I have not driven the "F" car since July and the Porsche and Vette have been sitting longer tham that. Forget about the others they very seldom see the light of day. Maybe I need to put DCC in them.
I have a '41 plymouth that I expect my husband to keep running. We have not had it out much this year. It is a drive in fair weather vehicle because the power of a street rod can be dangerous on wet pavement. The tires churp when back out of the garage.
Too many hobbies.
rrebell wrote: claycts wrote: gear-jammer wrote: George, Our house is about 2300 sq. ft. I can not imagine a layout room that size. Our 13' x 13' is a good starting point. The room is actually 13' x 28', but we would have to remove a climbing wall and find a place for our weight room equipment. We did not get our track to the TT this weekend. Larry had to take off for California. We got the frogs powered for three turnouts and another siding in the yard completed. I think that we are going to make some changes to the original yard. The larger TT, and the Walthers 3 stall RH, have taken up some space. I finished placing the geodesic rocks on the section that I have been taking photos of. Hopefully, I will have photos tomorrow. We even found time to ride our dirt bikes, and share the layout with a friend who stopped by. Sue This is a whole top floor he had added just for the trains. He has a seperate A/C and power panel. I think 30 breakers just for lights and the layout. His problem is like mine AGE!!! I could gave went to the full 1800 sq ft of the basement but thought that would take longer than I have to get it to at least some scenery. The CFO (Krysti) wanted me to build what ever I wanted so budget just build it. We are adding CCTV for the Dispatcher feeding back 4 cameras to a 28" LCD which looks to be to small. If this works out then I will start on some scenery. We tried running without the cameras but with the 2 room type of arrangemwnt you can not see most of the layout at any one time. Well it is annib. on the 15th so will see what she wants to do. Probably drive her Corvette or her Jag I guess. He should start a club, if this area has an outside entrance then that would be ideal. A lot of people need a place to run trains and if someone else is footing the bill for materials they ussually have no problem with the providers ideas. Since this could be a new club he could write his own bylaws in stone, then open it up to membership.
claycts wrote: gear-jammer wrote: George, Our house is about 2300 sq. ft. I can not imagine a layout room that size. Our 13' x 13' is a good starting point. The room is actually 13' x 28', but we would have to remove a climbing wall and find a place for our weight room equipment. We did not get our track to the TT this weekend. Larry had to take off for California. We got the frogs powered for three turnouts and another siding in the yard completed. I think that we are going to make some changes to the original yard. The larger TT, and the Walthers 3 stall RH, have taken up some space. I finished placing the geodesic rocks on the section that I have been taking photos of. Hopefully, I will have photos tomorrow. We even found time to ride our dirt bikes, and share the layout with a friend who stopped by. Sue This is a whole top floor he had added just for the trains. He has a seperate A/C and power panel. I think 30 breakers just for lights and the layout. His problem is like mine AGE!!! I could gave went to the full 1800 sq ft of the basement but thought that would take longer than I have to get it to at least some scenery. The CFO (Krysti) wanted me to build what ever I wanted so budget just build it. We are adding CCTV for the Dispatcher feeding back 4 cameras to a 28" LCD which looks to be to small. If this works out then I will start on some scenery. We tried running without the cameras but with the 2 room type of arrangemwnt you can not see most of the layout at any one time. Well it is annib. on the 15th so will see what she wants to do. Probably drive her Corvette or her Jag I guess.
gear-jammer wrote: George, Our house is about 2300 sq. ft. I can not imagine a layout room that size. Our 13' x 13' is a good starting point. The room is actually 13' x 28', but we would have to remove a climbing wall and find a place for our weight room equipment. We did not get our track to the TT this weekend. Larry had to take off for California. We got the frogs powered for three turnouts and another siding in the yard completed. I think that we are going to make some changes to the original yard. The larger TT, and the Walthers 3 stall RH, have taken up some space. I finished placing the geodesic rocks on the section that I have been taking photos of. Hopefully, I will have photos tomorrow. We even found time to ride our dirt bikes, and share the layout with a friend who stopped by. Sue
Our house is about 2300 sq. ft. I can not imagine a layout room that size. Our 13' x 13' is a good starting point. The room is actually 13' x 28', but we would have to remove a climbing wall and find a place for our weight room equipment.
We did not get our track to the TT this weekend. Larry had to take off for California. We got the frogs powered for three turnouts and another siding in the yard completed. I think that we are going to make some changes to the original yard. The larger TT, and the Walthers 3 stall RH, have taken up some space.
I finished placing the geodesic rocks on the section that I have been taking photos of. Hopefully, I will have photos tomorrow.
We even found time to ride our dirt bikes, and share the layout with a friend who stopped by.
This is a whole top floor he had added just for the trains. He has a seperate A/C and power panel. I think 30 breakers just for lights and the layout. His problem is like mine AGE!!! I could gave went to the full 1800 sq ft of the basement but thought that would take longer than I have to get it to at least some scenery. The CFO (Krysti) wanted me to build what ever I wanted so budget just build it. We are adding CCTV for the Dispatcher feeding back 4 cameras to a 28" LCD which looks to be to small. If this works out then I will start on some scenery.
We tried running without the cameras but with the 2 room type of arrangemwnt you can not see most of the layout at any one time.
Well it is annib. on the 15th so will see what she wants to do. Probably drive her Corvette or her Jag I guess.
He IS in the same club as me Georgia Carolina model railroaders. The background is this. He and I have the space, funds and time so we are building two railroads. Mine is the 1950's style bowl of pasta that John Allen and Armstrong made famous. And Don's is a 20th century liniar design that you walk along with. We are building these so the club members have someplace to run. The deal was simple Don and I supplied the money, material and space and the club helps with the labor. I am way ahead of Don since I am taking all of 2006 off to build this to an operating stage less the scenery.
This experience has been more fun and a bigger education than I thought it would be. In 2007 I have some collector cars to finish for the 2008 show season and my wife wants her 1971 "E" type Jag finished so the trains will be on Tuesday and Thiusday nights instead of 8 to 10 hours per day.
I love it. You are so right. What ever happened to customer service?
claycts wrote: AFTER YOU READ THE INSTRUCTIONS (do not ask)
AFTER YOU READ THE INSTRUCTIONS (do not ask)
My favorite line from Home Improvement - "Those aren't instructions, they're the manufacturer's recommendations . . ... "
Add to that: Every thing fits on it perfect, big Boy, Challenger, Cab Forwadr, Y6b. The programming, AFTER YOU READ THE INSTRUCTIONS (do not ask) is very easy. On one I have 14 stops on the other 32 stops and no problems. Power with a $7.95 transformer from the shack and all is well.
I spent $36.00 for a drive, $29.95 for the 90 ft table, $125.00 for sensors and readers for the index and over 50 hours tring to make it work. Then it worked and the drive made it turn so jerky that it almost derailed a pilot truck.
It is worth the money.
gear-jammer wrote: Our 90' foot TT is on the floor under that layout, where it is far enough out of the way that we will not be tempted to give it a swift kick. Too many hours were invested on that jerky thing. The 130' Walthers sure runs nice and quiet. Sue
Our 90' foot TT is on the floor under that layout, where it is far enough out of the way that we will not be tempted to give it a swift kick. Too many hours were invested on that jerky thing. The 130' Walthers sure runs nice and quiet.
Keep talking some more... half tempted to give up a loco purchase for one of those. What you said about jerky vs nice quiet is quite the testamony.