Turn Tables Question

[North Bound]

Hello All-
My wife bought me a train set for Christams two years ago from some comments I would make every now and then - that from a kid I always had an interest in trains. Little did she know that her husband "caught the bug". Now there is no stopping me! Anyway, I have browsed this site for a couple months and am very impressed with the knowledge and help everyone has. I have so many questions, but rather than hit you all with them now I have just one. I want a round house in my layout, and I am looking at the turntables - what are the pro's and con's to manual vs automatic ones? The cost difference is quite a bit, but wasn't sure if the automatic was worth it.
Also, I have never belonged to a chat site, or internet group before, so learning how to post, icons, etc. So once I get the hang of everything, I will post some Pics of my layout and let you critique it before I commit more resources to it!

Thanks
(N scaler, enthusiastic and loving it).

 

[UP2CSX]

Welcome aboard, North Bound. Do you have a first name we can call you? Makes it easier than typing out your screen name every time.

There's a real good summary of how to post pictures here at http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2069. It's easy to do once you get the hang of it.

The pro's to automatic turntables are that it works if you can't reach the turntable and it will automatically line up to the right track with the push of a button. The con is the cost. The Pro's for a manual turntable is that they are easy to operate as long as you can reach it, it keeps you or your crew more involved in running the railroad, and it's cheaper. The con is that it will not automatically line up to a track (also known as indexing). You have to do that by hand so that means you need to be able to not only reach the turntable but be able to see the deck track and all the diverging track even if there are other locomotives in the way. Unless it's a small turntable that would normally be operated by hand on a real railroad, most modelers will spend the extra money and get a motorized turntable with automatic indexing. There are some really good and really bad turntables out there so make sure you ask here before deciding to buy anything.

 

[North Bound]

Thanks. I didn't realize the manual ones would "settle" into certain positions. Makes sense to me. I am in the process of building the round house (8 stalls). I have only seen the Walthers built ups as far as the automatic ones. Are there any comparable to those?

Thanks again. I never realized there was so stinking much to learn in this hobby. But it has been fun. I really have to decide what facets of this hobby I want to spend the most time with and which ones I can let slide for awhile.

Bryan

 

[North Bound]

OOPs, I meant to say that the manual ones would NOT settle into certain positions!

Bryan

 

[UP2CSX]

Bryan, some manual turntables will automatically index to the right track and others won't. You are limited to the indexing built in to a manual turntable and an 8 stall roundhouse is probably too many tracks for an automatic indexing manual turntable. I'm in HO so I don't know a lot about the N scale versions but I suspect you're going to need a turntable that allows you to set index positions to match your roundhouse leads. That means an automatic, motorized turntable.

 

[Lateral-G]

All TT's are not created equal and I have found you get what you pay for.

I model narrow gauge so it was a bit harder for me to find one that would suit me. I settled on a Diamond Scale Products TT. It was expensive and required skill at assembly. Not a problem for me but could be an issue for a newbie or modeler that likes RTR or OOB stuff. It is manually operated and non-indexing. For my operations this was OK. It can be motorized and indexing but to do so requires skill with electronics and mechanics. For me, although I can do those things, it was too much cost and effort for what I really wanted or needed. Your needs may be different.

I have read reports on guys that bought a cheapie Atlas 90' TT and it was just that...cheap. I've read that folks have bought the 90 and 120' Atlas ready to install versions (for upwards of $299) and seemed happy with them. Of course they may have had to make 'tweaks' to get them to work since these expensive versions are based on the same 'cheapie' versions with bells and whistles added.

I agree it's not easy to find information on TT's. There are no reviews published anywhere that I can find. Most endorsements come by word of mouth or experience or talking to others. I do know that you want the main TT shaft to be well supported with at least two bearings (especially if you plan to have large or heavy locos on the TT).

hopefully you can find what you need....

-G-

 

[North Bound]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will go for an automatic one. I am not the greatest with tweaking things electronically yet. That is the fascinating part of this hobby - you have so many different facets to it. But I will have to ask a few guys around here so as I don't spend a couple hundred dollars on one that will just bring me frustration.

Bryan