Dainty turntable for a branch line

[relaxinghobby]

 

So is this cake box challenge worth while or is it a distraction from our normal modelling and a waste of precious modelling time?

Depends, it depends on if the small cake box sized diorama can later be part of a working layout. If yes, it is worth doing.

So here's mine, from the kit maturing pile I have a PECO n-gauge turntable, I have long planed to convert this into a small 00 scale turntable. Hopefully all I will need to do is add a wider deck and place the rails further apart and somehow adapt the electric rail feed system. Supplied are two lengths of N gauge rail, this has round topped rail and is much narrower than 00 rail so I want to replace it with some to match the PECO code 75 rail on the rest of the layout.

The picture shows the n stuff on the left compared to the new flat bottomed rail, could be PECO code 75 flexitrack or some I'd purchased separately during my DIY track building period.

On the right, for contrast is some code 100, big and chunky from old flexible track.

The turn table is a long flat tray made of a bottom and two sides. It's being glued at the moment and is out of sight clamped together between two pieces of wood.

 

[relaxinghobby]

This photo shows the rail cross sections better.

 

 

From left, round topped n-gauge, then 2 of the square topped 00 rail, old code100 flexitrack.

Edited February 14, 2018 by relaxinghobby

[Hesperus]

I can't wait to see how this turns out

[relaxinghobby]

Work so far done on my turn table cake box challenge.

 

Some thought has been given to the background, I've been going through my small collection of brickpapers and leftover Metcalfe cardboard kits. Maybe I could have the front end of a loco shed with it's doors.

Next is how to mount the turn table, I got a bit of scrap 4mm ply for the base and cut a circular hole in it, not so easy without any power tools, so I used the hand tools that I've have got. My ….. circle cutter is not quite big enough, I found swopping the blade around to the outside to give it just about a big enough span. I had to drill a small hole in the plastic end to insert a pin to act as a blade stop to stop the blade swivelling.

 

 

Basically the circle cutter is really for cutting thin card or plastic and 4mm ply is a bit too tough for it so it is really just scoring a line which can then been followed with a heavy craft knife. After many knife cuts around and around from both sides of the ply a hole is ready. This has made a slightly jagged edge but the people at PECO have thought of that and the turntable tray has a lip to cover up the edges of the hole.

 

 

 

The hand rails are for little n gauge people not giant 4mm types as this is an n kit, so I am extending the height of them, trying to glue on short lengths of plastic rod, will they be strong enough? In the picture of the yellow and blue circle cutter is also a quickeyjigg for cutting the same length sections of material. Made from coffee stirrers, thumb tacks and scrap wood.

 

 

Fixing the rails and an electric connection to them. They are just resting in place here. I've soldered short tags of brass to the bottom of the rails but I still have not got a strong idea of how to do this yet. You maybe able to see the groves in the surface for the n-gauge track, spring loaded contacts press down and up to contact the rails and the connection strips at the bottom of the round tray.

Edited March 2, 2018 by relaxinghobby

[relaxinghobby]

 

Ha Ha some some progress, developing and inventing as I go, well adapting the narrow n-gauge turn table which looks a bit narrow here. The rail was supergllued down one side at a time using a track width jig to hold them down.

 

106 112 138i

 

I've been using CAD techniques to develop the size and shape of the back ground, that's Crayon Aided Design, scraps of cardboard packets and scissors.

 

Only older short locos can use this turntable, trouble is with this combination both the tender and the loco are unpowered, so the loco can't move, it's usual motorised six wheel tender is to long to fit on the turn table.

 

 

[relaxinghobby]

Not being a big cake eater I have no reference cake box to try the sub-baseboard in. Can any cake enthusiasts out there check theirs and tell me what the internal dimensions are. I've assumed they are 8 old fashioned inches square so I've made the mini baseboard a few millimeters smaller than that.

 

 

The sub baseboard is done, all cut from the slightly wonky 4mm ply, glued together and left to set under a pile of books on a flat surface so it has thankfully come out flat but I'll put it back under the weight of the pile for a few days until it's totally dried out. I had damped the top with a hole first to releave some stress that was causing the warping.

 

The next part of the plan is to widen the deck by adding plastic card strips.

 

 

Using the PECO deck handrail holes as a jig to drill new holes in the widening strip, Held by 2 10BA bolts, I'll cut the plasticard to width latter.

 

 

The loco placed in front of the proposed shed doors, to check for height and width, This little green loco is a chopped about Lima H0 4F model with an extended cab and bigger chimney etc, new Hornby Jinty wheels, another unfinished project.

Edited March 6, 2018 by relaxinghobby

[relaxinghobby]

Oh dear it's all gone wonky. I think I was too parsimonious to throw out some warped plywood. I had thought I can fix that so I soaked it for a while a day or so and then let it dry out under a weight. When dry it seemed flat enough and I carried on with construction of the turntable base and now some time later the warp has returned.

 

What to do? Start again with a properly flat piece. Can I reuse the sides?

 

See the gap under the left side, a good 4mm. Its sitting on a flat sheet.

 

[steamtoy]

I like what you have done on your cakebox challenge and looking forward to your next progress update.

[Andy McV]

I'm not sure it's quite as dainty as advertised, but really looking forward to seeing this in motion. Any chance of posting a video when it's finished?

[relaxinghobby]

Some progress. Hopefully, I fixed the warped baseboard by cutting a new one from 4mm MDF, this was resistant to cutting with the tiny knife on the end of the circle cutter. Which is only a little plastic sort of set of compasses that is really meant just for cutting circles of paper or thin card, but it was OK just for scoring a faint circle to follow with a saw.

 

 

I had to borrow a modern battery powered jig-saw, with its variable speed it was easy to gently cut out the circle, starting from a drilled hole. I re-used the supporting under parts that came away from the old turn table base, splitting it with a knife and cleaning up the edges with sand paper. All re-glued and left to dry for a few days flat under a pile if books.

 

 

Some work preparing the low relief engine shed and surrounding buildings using leftover parts from a Metcalfe factory kit. To kill the white edges of the cut cardboard which stand and scream out building made of cardboard, I rub the edges with a soft pencil, or a crayon or a dark coloured felt tipped pen. With the taller building on the left I'm gluing layers of card to the back of the printed Metclaffe wall to give an impression of greater wall thickness at the window recesses.

Edited August 5, 2018 by relaxinghobby

[tomparryharry]

I'm much impressed by your 'dainty' turntable. There is a real size broad gauge wagon turntable in the old Swindon Works. The 28mm broad gauge rails sit astride of our 'normal' standard gauge, but are still made from the earlier rail profile. I'd like to see how this turns out.

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.