Turntable
- Thread starter mentor63
- Start date
Thanks.
BTW sgtcarl, did you receive my PM to answer your question?
Today I tried the indexing feature on this TT for the first time and to my delight it worked just as advertised. I wired it with temporary 15VAC power for the drive and temperary track power for the bridge track. It was very straight forward and easy to do! Basically, just move the bridge to were you want it using the arrow keys on the control box and then press "Set". To go to a preset service track location, just press the arrow key for the direction to the desire track. It will slowly move in that direction and stop at the first preset position it encounters. If that is not the one you want, just press the arrow key again and it will continue to the next preset track location, etc..
After the success above I glued in the first three roundhouse stalls. I think it went well, but the adhesive is still not set. The track is already glued with CA to the stall floors and I have the feeders attached to each track also. When it dries I will retest to make sure the tracks are properly aligned. More later, Gary
BTW sgtcarl, did you receive my PM to answer your question?
Today I tried the indexing feature on this TT for the first time and to my delight it worked just as advertised. I wired it with temporary 15VAC power for the drive and temperary track power for the bridge track. It was very straight forward and easy to do! Basically, just move the bridge to were you want it using the arrow keys on the control box and then press "Set". To go to a preset service track location, just press the arrow key for the direction to the desire track. It will slowly move in that direction and stop at the first preset position it encounters. If that is not the one you want, just press the arrow key again and it will continue to the next preset track location, etc..
After the success above I glued in the first three roundhouse stalls. I think it went well, but the adhesive is still not set. The track is already glued with CA to the stall floors and I have the feeders attached to each track also. When it dries I will retest to make sure the tracks are properly aligned. More later, Gary
Mentor could you tell me what dimensions of your table are that the turntable and roundhouse are placed on? I have a diamond 135' turntable that needs installation and am thinking about an extension to my present layout.
mentor63,
yes I did get your PM. thank you so much! My wife informed me she also set up C-130's and one other aircraft, but I don't remember the designation!
sgtcarl
yes I did get your PM. thank you so much! My wife informed me she also set up C-130's and one other aircraft, but I don't remember the designation!
sgtcarl
Floyd: "Mentor could you tell me what dimensions of your table are that the turntable and roundhouse are placed on? I have a diamond 135' turntable that needs installation and am thinking about an extension to my present layout."
Floyd, the engine service area is on a peninsula. Overall it is about 4'x5', but that includes 4 tracks behind the roundhouse plus the services area (cinder tower, coal tower, sand facility, machine shop and repair facility). The TT is about 20" in diameter, then about 2" from TT to the door of the roundhouse and the roundhouse is about 16" to 20" long (depending on whether or not you extend a stall for a Big Boy, which I did) and about that wide at the back. So you really only need about 45" x 24" for the actual TT and roundhouse, but that would not permit any of the associated facilities. That assumes a 6 stall or fewer roundhouse; more stalls means more space needed. I ended up doing 5 stalls due to space restraints and found the the Walthers roundhouse and add-ons are basicallly modular permitting you to build the number of stalls you want; that is, you are not locked into groups of three stalls. I think I am going to really enjoy this area, but it certainly leaves me with very narrow isles around the layout. Hope that helps.
I ended up getting all the roundhouse stall floors installed and one more outdoor service track with all their feeders. I should get the remaining service track and the machine shop, with it's track, installed today or tomorrow. More later,
Gary
Floyd, the engine service area is on a peninsula. Overall it is about 4'x5', but that includes 4 tracks behind the roundhouse plus the services area (cinder tower, coal tower, sand facility, machine shop and repair facility). The TT is about 20" in diameter, then about 2" from TT to the door of the roundhouse and the roundhouse is about 16" to 20" long (depending on whether or not you extend a stall for a Big Boy, which I did) and about that wide at the back. So you really only need about 45" x 24" for the actual TT and roundhouse, but that would not permit any of the associated facilities. That assumes a 6 stall or fewer roundhouse; more stalls means more space needed. I ended up doing 5 stalls due to space restraints and found the the Walthers roundhouse and add-ons are basicallly modular permitting you to build the number of stalls you want; that is, you are not locked into groups of three stalls. I think I am going to really enjoy this area, but it certainly leaves me with very narrow isles around the layout. Hope that helps.
I ended up getting all the roundhouse stall floors installed and one more outdoor service track with all their feeders. I should get the remaining service track and the machine shop, with it's track, installed today or tomorrow. More later,
Gary
Update, Feb 24
By way of update, I got all the roundhouse stall floors in, the machine shop in, and all the other tracks leading to the TT. I have tested them and set them into the index program and everything seems to work. I also added all the feeder wires to those tracks. The only problem I found was that when the TT bridge rotates it does not seem to stay at the same elevation. That is, if I stop one end of the bridge at a track it is about 1/32" higher or lower than the other end of the bridge at that same point in about 40 % of the situtations. I have been unable to determine why or how that can happen since the pit seems to be perfictly level. After I noticed that I just programmed the end of the bridge that was at the correct level to stop at the track. Also, I have noticed the "zero" point may be off a bit at times (which means all the preset points are off, since they are all set relative the the zero point), but it is easly corrected, as indicated in the instructions, by just resetting the zero point. Deleting or changing a programmed stop point is just a matter of pushing and holding the the set buttom until it is deleted (Position light - "POS" - comes on), then move to the desired position and press "SET" again until the "POS" light comes back on.
A big part of my apprehension about this part of the layout was that I knew I was trying to put a lot of things into a tight space. I was correct about that and ended up modifying the original plan in a number of small ways. In the end it is going to work about as I had intended as nothing had to be deleted entirely. The turntable itself has turned out to be fairly straight forward, but did require a lot of prior thought and planning. Just take your time. The attached photos show where I am now. Lots more to do in terms of ballast, permanently connecting the wiring, etc., but the main things are in and tested.
By way of update, I got all the roundhouse stall floors in, the machine shop in, and all the other tracks leading to the TT. I have tested them and set them into the index program and everything seems to work. I also added all the feeder wires to those tracks. The only problem I found was that when the TT bridge rotates it does not seem to stay at the same elevation. That is, if I stop one end of the bridge at a track it is about 1/32" higher or lower than the other end of the bridge at that same point in about 40 % of the situtations. I have been unable to determine why or how that can happen since the pit seems to be perfictly level. After I noticed that I just programmed the end of the bridge that was at the correct level to stop at the track. Also, I have noticed the "zero" point may be off a bit at times (which means all the preset points are off, since they are all set relative the the zero point), but it is easly corrected, as indicated in the instructions, by just resetting the zero point. Deleting or changing a programmed stop point is just a matter of pushing and holding the the set buttom until it is deleted (Position light - "POS" - comes on), then move to the desired position and press "SET" again until the "POS" light comes back on.
A big part of my apprehension about this part of the layout was that I knew I was trying to put a lot of things into a tight space. I was correct about that and ended up modifying the original plan in a number of small ways. In the end it is going to work about as I had intended as nothing had to be deleted entirely. The turntable itself has turned out to be fairly straight forward, but did require a lot of prior thought and planning. Just take your time. The attached photos show where I am now. Lots more to do in terms of ballast, permanently connecting the wiring, etc., but the main things are in and tested.
Attachments
WOW what a neat looking job. Looks great on the layout. I may have to contact you for more pointers.
Trainiac77
Member
RoundHouse Used
Mentor, Can you tell me what brand of roundhouse you used? I purchased the 130 TT and 2 Walthers roundhouses (933-3041). I should of thought about this first, but I was wondering if there is a compatibility issue since the stalls on the 933-3041 are at 10 degrees?
Any help would be much appreciated. :thumb:
Mentor, Can you tell me what brand of roundhouse you used? I purchased the 130 TT and 2 Walthers roundhouses (933-3041). I should of thought about this first, but I was wondering if there is a compatibility issue since the stalls on the 933-3041 are at 10 degrees?
Any help would be much appreciated. :thumb:
Trainiac,
I have been out of town, so sorry it took so long to answer your question.
I have the Walthers 130' TT, 933-2829, but the roundhouse I have is made up of the modern roundhouse, 933-2900 and the add-on 933-2901. I installed the roundhouse 1 15/16" from the TT as per the instructions and it seems to work; however, I do not have any info about the 933-3041 roundhouse you have. I somehow got the idea that the angle of the stalls determined the distance from the turntable, but I am not an expert. You may be able to try just the floor of the roundhouse you have and see if the extended stall tracks from the roundhouse would meet at the center of the TT. It seems like it would have to and that it would just be a matter of determining the distance from the TT to the stall. Hope that helps.
Gary
I have been out of town, so sorry it took so long to answer your question.
I have the Walthers 130' TT, 933-2829, but the roundhouse I have is made up of the modern roundhouse, 933-2900 and the add-on 933-2901. I installed the roundhouse 1 15/16" from the TT as per the instructions and it seems to work; however, I do not have any info about the 933-3041 roundhouse you have. I somehow got the idea that the angle of the stalls determined the distance from the turntable, but I am not an expert. You may be able to try just the floor of the roundhouse you have and see if the extended stall tracks from the roundhouse would meet at the center of the TT. It seems like it would have to and that it would just be a matter of determining the distance from the TT to the stall. Hope that helps.
Gary
There are days when I contemplate the same project that I think it would be less of a hassle - and less expensive - to just install a Wye to turn my locomotives. :cry:
Trainiac77
Member
Gary thanks for the reply. I actually drew a line from the center point from where the turntable was going followed by a second line 10 degrees off. Then I slide the Roundhouse flooring piece in between the lines until the lines met on both sides without going over the lines. I then traced the front of the RH flooring piece between the 2 lines. Then I cut the hole for the TT using my router and a circle cutting jig. Low and behold when I dropped the TT in, the center of the traced line was 1 15/16" from the edge of the TT. Too bad I failed geometery in high school! now I see why it was important -- for TT building and placement. (Now if I could only type!)
Trainiac,
Glad to hear it worked out for you. Now you are over that hurdle and on your way. I remember being very concerned about getting that TT/roundhouse positioning done properly. I'll look forward to your photos. I'll add a few of mine and of the area around the TT. Gary
Glad to hear it worked out for you. Now you are over that hurdle and on your way. I remember being very concerned about getting that TT/roundhouse positioning done properly. I'll look forward to your photos. I'll add a few of mine and of the area around the TT. Gary
Attachments
Trainiac77
Member
Mentor.
One of these days I'll get some pictures up. For now there are only holes in the table. I have 2 more 3 stall round houses coming tomorrow and I'm bidding on a couple more on ebay. I'd like to have an almost complete circle of roundhouse. I just completed the concrete coaling tower by Walthers and this weekend I hope to start laying track.
BTW - your engine facility rocks! Keep the pictures coming.
One of these days I'll get some pictures up. For now there are only holes in the table. I have 2 more 3 stall round houses coming tomorrow and I'm bidding on a couple more on ebay. I'd like to have an almost complete circle of roundhouse. I just completed the concrete coaling tower by Walthers and this weekend I hope to start laying track.
BTW - your engine facility rocks! Keep the pictures coming.
Trainiac,
Sounds like the worst is behind you now. A big circle of a roundhouse would be really impressing! In the end I had to go from 6 to 5 stalls for space considerations. I'll look forward to seeing your pictures too.
Did you have any problems with the securing studs that extend below the lip of the TT or have you not gotten to that yet? They are so close to the depressed TT pit that I found it very difficult to get at them all, but it worked out in the end.
I think you will really like how easy the Walthers 130' TT is to index and operate. The best part is that if you make a mistake, it is easy to delete and redo each position. BTW, I wired the TT track and the roundhouse/service tracks around the TT through a separate bus and on/off switch so I could turn off the power for engines in that part of the layout when I am not working it. Per the instructions, I wired the TT motor to a separate power supply. Gary
Sounds like the worst is behind you now. A big circle of a roundhouse would be really impressing! In the end I had to go from 6 to 5 stalls for space considerations. I'll look forward to seeing your pictures too.
Did you have any problems with the securing studs that extend below the lip of the TT or have you not gotten to that yet? They are so close to the depressed TT pit that I found it very difficult to get at them all, but it worked out in the end.
I think you will really like how easy the Walthers 130' TT is to index and operate. The best part is that if you make a mistake, it is easy to delete and redo each position. BTW, I wired the TT track and the roundhouse/service tracks around the TT through a separate bus and on/off switch so I could turn off the power for engines in that part of the layout when I am not working it. Per the instructions, I wired the TT motor to a separate power supply. Gary
Funny that there are several of us installing turntables around the same time. Although I guess a bit late for Trainiac, here is how I'm going about using the same Walthers engine house he has. Only I am using a 110' turntable, by CMR. The roundhouse kit box shows a dimension of 11.97 or so inches from center to front of roundhouse wall. In order for the stalls to line up with the turntable, this distance from center will be the same regardless of turntable size. The front of the house and the edge of the pit just get closer with a big turntable. I located where the pit had to be and cut for turntable. Sitting in place, I put a tape measure on it, and placed the 11 15/16" mark on the center. Then I put the snapped together floors up to the end of the tape. I could easily sight down the stalls across the table and see they lined up. When I was sure they were in teh best possible position, I outlined them with a pencil, marking where I will need to cut for the pits.
Edit: Oh, the pencil in the pic shows where the 130' pit edge would be.
Can't say for sure yet that this is a good way to do it, but it seemes logical.
Edit: Oh, the pencil in the pic shows where the 130' pit edge would be.
Can't say for sure yet that this is a good way to do it, but it seemes logical.
Looks like a great start, Gary! That makes sense that the distance is the same if the angle of the stall tracks is the same. It just leaves more room between the stalls and the TT if the TT is a smaller diameter. I always wanted to include a TT and am glad I did, but they do consume a fair amount of space. Good luck and thanks for the photo. We'll look for more as you keep going. Gary
Trainiac77
Member
Mentor,
One thing I should have looked at in the beginning when I was in purchasing mode was that the 130' Walther's TT is code 83. I didn't realize that until a couple of night ago while I was installing more Roundhouse floors. I run code 100 completely! I did fine that Walther's sells a transition track, but they are about 6 bucks a whack! I'm up to 12 stalls now and have another 9 on the way (sold off a couple of unused engines to pay for them!), That would be at least $138 (21 stalls and 2 lead in tracks) of conversion tracks. My wife just got laid off so the extra money is gone. I think I'm going to have to make my own. Do you use these? I wonder what they look like. Any help would be much appreciated.
One thing I should have looked at in the beginning when I was in purchasing mode was that the 130' Walther's TT is code 83. I didn't realize that until a couple of night ago while I was installing more Roundhouse floors. I run code 100 completely! I did fine that Walther's sells a transition track, but they are about 6 bucks a whack! I'm up to 12 stalls now and have another 9 on the way (sold off a couple of unused engines to pay for them!), That would be at least $138 (21 stalls and 2 lead in tracks) of conversion tracks. My wife just got laid off so the extra money is gone. I think I'm going to have to make my own. Do you use these? I wonder what they look like. Any help would be much appreciated.
Trainiac77
Member
All you have to do is pull the 83 rails out of the ties with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Just be careful not to break too many of the little rail holders. Then just feed 100 rail into the slots.
Like with flextrack, you can take one rail completely out easily. Just do that, but with a bit more care (and force sign1).
Like with flextrack, you can take one rail completely out easily. Just do that, but with a bit more care (and force sign1).