70-71 Foot Turntable Pit Help Needed


autocoach

Active Member
I am seeking help find a to find a pit for an HO 70 foot turntable which I am building for my new layout. HO 70 feet scales to 9-7/8 inches(244 mm.). The prototype is the Southern Pacific turntable at Port Costa which contrary to some sources is actually 70 feet according to SP records not 75 feet (some modelers have used 75 foot length for turntable this in order to use the 75 foot Diamond Scale turntable bridge and pit casting.)

Traditionally modelers have built up the pit from plaster and other casting materials. However, I am using a lighter type of construction with foam board and need to find a plastic cast 70 foot (or up to 71 feet..I can pad the TT bridge length) turntable pit that would 4-5 scale feet deep. Interestingly the 130 N scale turntables scale to about 71 feet in HO which would be acceptable. However I have yet to find a pit by itself or an unmotorized Heljan (same as Walthers) N scale 130 foot turntable kit. I don't want their motorized version.

Any help (or if you have an old Heljan/Walthers N scale kit you want to part with cheaply) would be welcome.

If anyone has 3-D printed an HO 70 foot turntable pit, please let me know. It would take a large 3-D printer to make such an object.

This is the layout at the moment:
View west with tentative water tank.jpg
 
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All I need is a Heljan/Walthers N scale 130 foot turntable pit. I am scratchbuilding the bridge. I have an SS Limited 70' foot turntable kit based on a Rio Grande prototype but the kit is cast pot metal and the bridge girders are way too deep. Plus there is no pit. Only instructions on how to build one from plywood and plaster. That won't work with the lightweight foam board construction of the rest of the layout.

I am actually on my 3rd or 4th rebuild of the turntable bridge as I located another picture of the Port Costa turntable and have more info.

At the moment I am contemplating diving into the initial wiring of a few tracks so I will finally after 8 months be able run on a "train" again. I have dug out my old NCE SB3a, transformer/power supply and PowerPro throttle. I am contemplating and NCE EB3 for power districts each with their own bus. I don't know if you have followed any of my other threads here or on other media. This started February 19 of this year when the roof of my townhouse sprung a leak and part of the ceiling of my office/train room collapsed.
 



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