Transfer Tables/Traversers

There is an interesting transfer table being used on the Proto 87 shunting layout based on the PRR -

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There was an article in RMC some months ago. Look in the magazine index.

Brawa (HO), Marklin (HO and Z) and MiniTrix (N) make traversers - all you need is a very fat wallet! The problem with a traverser is that it needs driving at both ends simultaneously or it will twist and jamb. You could use racks and a longtitudinal shaft with matching gears or two nuts/threaded rods geared together, or as I did bell cranks and a "Z" linkage under the baseboard. It was not particularly elegant but it worked fine.

Another possibility which appeared on a few prototypes was the "sector plate" which was basically a small part of a turntable which only turned far enough to line up with 2 or 3 tracks where the length of a station was severely restricted. It saves the length of a turnout on a station platform.