Turntable

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C

Chemdawg

Member
I am looking for a turntable for HO Scale that would be large enough to turn my steamers and tenders. My newest USRA 2-10-2 is longer than most of the turntables I have been looking at. I am using all Bachmann EZ track in my setup, and I know bachman makes one that's already motorized. However, it's only 10" At the table.

So who makes a table that is big enough, that has a motor drive with it or available for it, and is indexable. I want to be able to index it to specific spots, or control it with DCC

One other thing. Although I'm using Bachmann track, I can make a turntable for standard track work. I will do what I have to do to MAKE it fit.

Thanks in advance.
 
This may not be much help, but Walthers is showing a 110 ft turntable. But it may not be available until later this year. I didn't have room for that big of a turntable, and found that I could just about accomodate a wye in the same space that would fit a large turntable plus engine house. Besides, my kitbashed 2-10-4's and 4-car Zephyrs won't fit on a turntable anyway. The real railroads sometimes had a similar problem and had to resort to wye-ing their big steam.

Others may have a better suggestion for you.
 
Since I have chosen to go with Bachmann Eztrack for my WHOLE layout, the bachmann turntable for HO would have worked GREAT with my setup. Everything was already there. Motorized with indexing, ez track connectors, etc.. Tower Hobbies has it for 110 bucks complete. I wouldn't argue with the price, but the table is 10". My 2-10-2 is more like 12 to 14" with tender. All the diesel locos I have would work though. I'm almost thinking if I saw a whole turntable taken apart, that I could make my own out of materials on hand or that I can buy at my LHS.

I spend alot of time racing RC monster trucks during the summer months, and have made parts myself plenty of times. So I wouldn't think that making a turntable would be too complicated.

I'd guess that for the drive unit, a motor assembly out of an old record player would work if you used a variable drive to slow it down. Small drive, LARGE sprocket on the table..... Or even a belt drive..... Might have to get my gears upstairs turning and think up my own turntable setup.
 


I know guys who used an Atlas turntable. They keep it mainly in tact with motor, indexing etc. You just countersink it more and build your kitbashed track unit/pit on top...80% of the build/set up is done for you.
 
Chemdawg said:
Yeah, that's the one they have on their site. It's only 9" though. Not large enough.
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Thats what I'm saying..use this for the base and build the deck bigger. We cut a cake pan down on a lathe to make the pit for another kit bashed table.
 


I'm gonna try and draw this out. But what I think I'm going to do is purchase the atlas table and motor drive for it. I will use something like a DH163 digitrax decoder (From another post I saw), to use this as DCC. I will use my digitrax controller to turn the table. However, to get it to stop where I want it to line up is going to be the trick. I am going to go to work and see what kind of sensors we have for the machines. Maybe some kind of light sensor that will allow it to stop automatically at a set position. Or maybe not stop, but have a light come on or something showing it's lined up. As far as the track goes, I can make my own table, and use a piece of ez track on the top of the table to line up with what is coming in and out.....

Time to get out the pen and paper...
 
The table should have auto indexing and will pause at each track section if powered normally..they pause at each spot allowing you time to turn it off if thats your selected track. Good Luck..Should be a fun build!
 
Yes I even think its built into the turntable and even happen when you hand cranked it..(not 100% sure but I think it is.) Am thinking it pauses momentary at each index.
 
Trucula said:
Yes I even think its built into the turntable and even happen when you hand cranked it..(not 100% sure but I think it is.) Am thinking it pauses momentary at each index.
Click to expand...

Yes it has indexing. Its through the use of a "Geneva motion". This uses a series of grooves cut into the bottom of the TT to give it its indexing. The gears turn another gear that has a pin on it and as this pin moves around, it engages these, moves the TT and then stops as the pin disengages from the grooves. Make sure you get a newer TT. It has a lot more "stops" built into it.
 
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Cjcrescent said:
Yes it has indexing. Its through the use of a "Geneva motion". This uses a series of grooves cut into the bottom of the TT to give it its indexing. The gears turn another gear that has a pin on it and as this pin moves around, it engages these, moves the TT and then stops as the pin disengages from the grooves. Make sure you get a newer TT. It has a lot more "stops" built into it.
Click to expand...

I must be pretty dumb here. How exactly does this work if it's powered by a motor? How does the motor stop when it gets to one of the stops? And whatever this system is, is there a way to index it with a dcc setup? Where you can select a number and it goes to that one?
 
There was a tutorial on the net that showed how to build a TT using the Atlas drive and some gears from model race cars to obtain the right angles, I tried to get it for you but the link is broken....the atlas wouldn't line up with the roundhouse, so by selective gearing it can be customized...indexing was as CJ described, by the geneva mechanism built into the atlas unit.

The idea was to attach the gears to the center of the atlas TT and then build the larger one above it.
very clever, personally I'd buy the large one and be done with it.
 
Chemdawg;

There'd be no reason to hook it up to a DCC decoder. When the turntable moves, it moves one track at a time. You can't select which one, it just has to stop at each track till it gets to the one you want. A DPDT switch is all that is needed. Just turn the motor off when it gets to the track wanted. Also, if you wire it the way Atlas describes in their instructions, you don't need any auto reversing or even manual switches. I installed one on a buddy's DCC layout about a year ago and it works very well.
 
Chemdawg said:
Since I have chosen to go with Bachmann Eztrack for my WHOLE layout, the bachmann turntable for HO would have worked GREAT with my setup. Everything was already there. Motorized with indexing, ez track connectors, etc.. Tower Hobbies has it for 110 bucks complete. I wouldn't argue with the price, but the table is 10". My 2-10-2 is more like 12 to 14" with tender. All the diesel locos I have would work though. I'm almost thinking if I saw a whole turntable taken apart, that I could make my own out of materials on hand or that I can buy at my LHS.

I spend alot of time racing RC monster trucks during the summer months, and have made parts myself plenty of times. So I wouldn't think that making a turntable would be too complicated.

I'd guess that for the drive unit, a motor assembly out of an old record player would work if you used a variable drive to slow it down. Small drive, LARGE sprocket on the table..... Or even a belt drive..... Might have to get my gears upstairs turning and think up my own turntable setup.
Click to expand...
My Spectrum 2-10-2 measures exactly 12" from pilot wheel to rear tender wheel. The Walthers 90 turntable has a 12 3/4" bridge. It will just fit. It is an expensive turntable but it is worth the money, included the motor and automatic indexing .
 


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