Turntable

"John Firth" wrote in news:467e6e3f$0$760$ snipped-for-privacy@master.news.zetnet.net:

Why not try the Dapol (ex-airfix) one, you'll have to motorise it yourself (or gears and hand-crank - whatever you prefer) but it lies on the surface of the table, the only hole you'd ever have to make would be a 1/8" bore for a rod to operate the thing.

Also being a kit you can modify it to your hearts desire alternatively it makes a very good bridge.

Just a thought.

The Hornby one will work with any 12V DC uncontrolled output but can be a bit loud and you will need to build a slight incline up to the turntable for each road. For an alternative costing more, but better in operation, consider Fleischman which I am sure you can UKalise.

Chris

Thanks

I had a hornby one many years ago and that was very loud as well. Believe the motor was the standard X03 used in the locos at the time. It also had plastic ramps to reach the correct level. Will check out Fleischman . I know they have a good reputation.

John

I wanted an N gauge turntable and, as N gauge ones are rarer, finished up getting one from Atlas in the states. I believe they do a OO version as well. It comes as manual but you also purchase a motorising unit that replaces the handle and is enclosed in a hut. It sits on the baseboard (only holes are for wires) and has a Geneva motion that stops it briefly lined up with each track as it comes to it. Can't comment on noise as I haven't got it installed yet. Total cost including packing was £50 so with the exchange rate it was only £25 and it did not get charged by customs. However if you do get one, and are concerned about customs charges, order the table and motor unit separately, that way each package will be under the £18 cut off below which customs apparently let parcels straight through. (the £18 figure came up in an earlier topic in this group).

Yes that might be worth a try. Always wary about the £18 pound rule, applies to all countries outside the EEC I believe.

John

You probably realised that I meant total cost was 50 dollars, not 50 pounds. Conversion halved it to 25 pounds. I only found out about the £18 rule after placing the order but I was lucky and it got through unscathed.

Keith

Yes I guessed that's what you meant. There are a handful on EBay from the US as well

John

The Atlas HO turntable is only 9 inches diameter, thus not large enough for 00 Pacifics. I bought a Heljan kit, which is 13.5 in (98 ft in HO, or 343mm), but it needs a hole cut in the baseboard.

Yes that puzzled me I assumed it should be at least 12in for 00 pacifics

John.

The prototype railways built TTs to suit the locomotives in use at the time - the diameter often limited the locomotives that could be employed. Major depots TTs got upgraded when top rank locos exceeded their length but lesser stations often retained shortish TTs. A too short TT on a layout can be an interesting operation limitation meaning that the bigger locos have to be sent elsewhere for turning. (adds interesting light loco working) The other advantage is that 12" TTs and loco depots are really big, whereas (say) a 9" TT and depot will take about half the space.

Greg.P.

...but spot-on for a 57ft turntable in 00.

(kim)

The ex=broad gauge turntables in Devon and Cornwall were built for Gooch's 4-4-0 yank engines. After gauge conversion they were so short that the Dukes and Stellas operating there had specially built short tenders.

And a similar situation prevented the Dean Singles working through to the Northern division.

The GWR had turntables? What will Brunel think of next? ;-) The point I tried to make was that turntable upgrading was normally behind loco upgrading everywhere other than at major stations. On my own layout the turntable is only large enough to handle a 4-6-0. Bigger locos generally work through. If for some reason a 4-6-2 is allocated for trains terminating it can run straight across the TT into a shed bay but it can't be turned. That requires a light working back to ... It hasn't stopped me buying bigger locos, but the restriction on station operations makes things more interesting.

Regards, Greg.P.

It would do.

I've never had a turntable because I'ven ever really needed one.

But one of my pet hates with the proprietary ones, is that they stop where you wouldn't want them to.

They all seem to assume that the modeller has a roundhouse or similar, and even then they stop in too many other places.

It shouldn't be too difficult for the manufacturers to implement a more flexible indexing system.

Mine is an Arnold one, converted to 16.5mm gauge. It only stops at actual tracks and I keep my finger on the button until it passes the track before the one I want.

OK.

Many of them don't do that.

"Greg Procter" wrote

Indeed the Great Eastern had to stick to very small tenders with some of their more modern locos, simply because their turntables would otherwise have been too small.

John.

There was an interesting, tiny turntable at North Woolwich, whose function was to release a small suburban tank engine.

A Peco N gauge TT with a 16.5mm gauge deck?