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Turntable, or sleight of hand?


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I'm still finalising the track plan for my classic L-shaped terminus-to-fiddle-yard layout, and I find myself struggling somewhat with a facility to turn tender locos.  Handily, the space inside the curve to the fiddle yard would accommodate a moderate-sized turntable, but for various reasons I'm not in a position to start cutting a big round hole in my baseboard.  As far as I can see that rather limits the choice of products, to one of the above baseboard RTR offerings such the relatively large and rather toy-like Hornby one, or the Dapol (ex-Airfix) kit.  Even the Dapol one would need some "civil engineering" to get the height of the connecting tracks correct.  There's also the issue of providing electrical connectivity to the rails on the table, and some worrying doubts about the longevity of the wheels under the table and the circular track they are supposed to run on, which are both plastic and don't seem very hard wearing.

 

I'm beginning to think that it might be easier to introduce some kind of scenic break for locos to disappear behind, and turn them manually using eg a Peco loco lift.  I've roughed out a track plan that might accommodate this but to be honest it looks more than a little contrived - including the use of a Streamline curved point, which seems difficult to justify in a loco yard.

 

Anyone else faced this kind of dilemma, and come up with a satisfactory solution?  Even some reassurance - if such is possible - about the use and longevity of the Dapol turntable would be very welcome!

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If you take a look at the latest post on my layout thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/26270-gateside-northbridge/page-4 you will notice a contraption at the top of the first photograph with a short length of track on a stick just above the board - this is my left field answer to your problem!  Think you can work out the procedure, distract the observers, drive loco on, push up the dowel and spin it round, drop it back down.  Observer is immediately amazed - What happened there?  :O

 

Jim

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...distract the observers, drive loco on, push up the dowel and spin it round, drop it back down.  Observer is immediately amazed...

Ah, the old "look, a squirrel!" technique. Unfortunately, as I will usually be the only observer, I am unlikely to be amazed. Nice idea, though.

 

For added operation you could do what happened at Stockport. I can remember lots of light engine movements as a result of using a triangular junction outside the station limits to turn locos.

No room for a triangular junction I'm afraid.

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No room for a triangular junction I'm afraid.

You don't need to include the triangle, that's just another part of the "rest of the universe" the FY represents.

 

Turning achieved off-stage via cassette, loco-lift or a TT at the far end of the FY as preferred. 

 

John

Edited by Dunsignalling
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Why not build the Airfix/Dapol turntable but fix it solid.  Then mount that on a round or square piece of ply so that when you turn the piece of ply, that turns beneath any lineside scenery, the whole turntable assembly including your loco turns as well.  I have the same conundrum myself and was thinking to use a length of C&L rail to form the rail for the turntable and replace the plastic kit wheels with N gauge wagon wheels....

 

Regards,

 

Steve

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Turning achieved off-stage via cassette, loco-lift or a TT at the far end of the FY as preferred.

 

Ah, OK - not that different to my original thoughts.  I don't have much room in the FY to turn light engines, unfortunately.

 

Why not build the Airfix/Dapol turntable but fix it solid.  Then mount that on a round or square piece of ply so that when you turn the piece of ply, that turns beneath any lineside scenery, the whole turntable assembly including your loco turns as well.

 

Interesting idea.  I might look in to doing something like that but maybe with 1mm plastikard rather than ply.

Edited by ejstubbs
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I have further considered the suggestion that I made, having found the turning mechanism from an old Ikea Lazy Susan.  The mechanism consists of two metal plates, around 4" square that are connected together with ball bearings.  My thought now is to attempt what I suggested using a piece of melamine faced chipboard that I have available.  Around the edge of the chipboard base I will glue a thin strip of card to represent the turntable pit wall and cut the outer part of the circle to form a square to make it easier to install the turntable into a layout.  I will try to remember to take some pictures when I make a start, so that if it is successful, I can post details.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

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I am awaiting delivery of a 2" x 2" lazy susan bearing (they are readily available on eBay without cannibalising kitchen equipment - this is the one I've ordered).  This is compact enough to fit under the table of the Dapol turntable.  I am planning to experiment to determine whether it could effectively remove the need for support at the outer ends of the table.  If so then I can arrange for the table to be installed so that the supplied wheels are actually a fraction above the circle of rail, and thus eliminate any risk of wear to either component.  If it doesn't work then the bearing has only cost £2.43 - and will almost certainly come in useful for something else at some point in the future.

 

Credit to RMWebber DavidCBroad for helpful advice and suggestions in the use of the Dapol turntable.

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I wanted a loco turning facility at the end of the fiddle yard transverse. The baseboard is melamine chipboard at the end so the simple answer was to make up a turntable from copper faced fibreglass pcb board.

 

post-1191-0-12918500-1522237183_thumb.jpg

 

I was able to turn up a centre bearing, but that could be a brass rod in a tube set into the baseboard. The little things in the corners are simple bearings, the brass ends are guitar springs "ball ends" running on brass rod. held by some bits of scrap etch.

 

The picture show the TT before fitting the locking sliders.

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I wanted a loco turning facility at the end of the fiddle yard transverse. The baseboard is melamine chipboard at the end so the simple answer was to make up a turntable from copper faced fibreglass pcb board.

 

attachicon.gifPhoto 1 - New TT.JPG

 

I was able to turn up a centre bearing, but that could be a brass rod in a tube set into the baseboard. The little things in the corners are simple bearings, the brass ends are guitar springs "ball ends" running on brass rod. held by some bits of scrap etch.

 

The picture show the TT before fitting the locking sliders.

 

 

Rather a "plucky" little number there !  :jester:

 

Joking aside, its a very nice looking solution.

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I wanted a loco turning facility at the end of the fiddle yard transverse. The baseboard is melamine chipboard at the end so the simple answer was to make up a turntable from copper faced fibreglass pcb board.

 

attachicon.gifPhoto 1 - New TT.JPG

 

I was able to turn up a centre bearing, but that could be a brass rod in a tube set into the baseboard. The little things in the corners are simple bearings, the brass ends are guitar springs "ball ends" running on brass rod. held by some bits of scrap etch.

 

The picture show the TT before fitting the locking sliders.

 

Neat. Not only are incoming engines turned, they also end up 'right line' for working back!

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