Hornby Turntables - When Did Steel Rails Stop?

[M.I.B]

I  need a basic turntable for my fiddle yard.  I have a modified Heljan for the scenic section.     So trusty old Hornby it is, probably via a well know auction site.   But I don't want steel rails.

 

From which model/year did Hornby use nickel silver rails on the turntable?  Perhaps it's best to describe using a picture of the box.

 

Failing that, how hard can it be to slip out the steel rails and slip in shiny ones?

 

Thanks

 

 

[wainwright1]

Don't forget that the code of the rail on the old steel rail will be coarser that the newer nickel silver.

 

Ray

[Butler Henderson]

Surely both are Code 100. I think the change came when production shifted to China. However buying a second hand one in a box labelled made in China will not neccessarily be a guarantee that the rails are nickle silver as mispackaged second hand items is not uncommon IME.

What might be one on ebay has a starting price of £50 with £6 postage

Kernow for example are selling them new for £59.99 plus £4 postage

 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

3 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Surely both are Code 100.

The Triang turntable was definitely available in 'Super 4' form which means steel plated code 125 rail. Whether the profile would be anything like current code 125 N/S is 'questionable. As above, I would be very careful before buying a s/h item to make sure that the description is correct, as packaging and content mismatches are  all too common.

[andyman7]

5 hours ago, wainwright1 said:

Don't forget that the code of the rail on the old steel rail will be coarser that the newer nickel silver.

 

Ray

 

No, Triang-Hornby changed to Code 100 rail in 1970 and the 'new' 1978 Turntable was always Code 100.

 

The change to Nickel Silver rail was made to the track range in 1993.

 

3 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Surely both are Code 100. I think the change came when production shifted to China. However buying a second hand one in a box labelled made in China will not neccessarily be a guarantee that the rails are nickle silver as mispackaged second hand items is not uncommon IME.

What might be one on ebay has a starting price of £50 with £6 postage

Kernow for example are selling them new for £59.99 plus £4 postage

 

 

No, it was before the move to China. The very last locomotive to be made with an X.03 motor and Magnadhesion was the R866 Battle of Brighton 'Fighter Pilot' deleted at the end of the 1989 season. That cleared the way for the change from steel rails, the track was still made in Austria by Roco under contract although 'special' pieces such as the isolating tracks (and the turntable tracks) were made in Margate,  

[MartinRS]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the rail type. The worst case scenario is you have to remove the old rails by cutting the chairs on the inside of the track to remove it if it won't slide out easily. Just cut a length of rail from a piece of straight set-track to length, pack the underside of the rails (if required) and fix it in place, maintaining the correct distance between the rails with a couple of roller gauges.

I've thought about doing something similar with and old Tri-ang 3mm TT turntable to convert it to TT:120.

[Butler Henderson]

1 hour ago, andyman7 said:

 

No, Triang-Hornby changed to Code 100 rail in 1970 and the 'new' 1978 Turntable was always Code 100.

 

The change to Nickel Silver rail was made to the track range in 1993.

 

 

No, it was before the move to China. The very last locomotive to be made with an X.03 motor and Magnadhesion was the R866 Battle of Brighton 'Fighter Pilot' deleted at the end of the 1989 season. That cleared the way for the change from steel rails, the track was still made in Austria by Roco under contract although 'special' pieces such as the isolating tracks (and the turntable tracks) were made in Margate,  

It's a great pity Pat Hammond's books on Triang/Triang-Hornby/Hornby end in 1996

[kernowtim]

6 minutes ago, Butler Henderson said:

It's a great pity Pat Hammond's books on Triang/Triang-Hornby/Hornby end in 1996

I am still waiting to get volume 3 at a reasonable price!

I seem to remember that the deck rails were held in place by a contact strip at each end, which powered the outlet track, it would cause a brief short circuit when used on my zero 1 operated layout,

However it was probably over 30 years since I sold my turntable so may be completely wrong!!

[Legend]

I think there’s a degree of confusion here . Some people are writing about the old R408 turntable from Tri-ang Hornby days , while M.I.B I think is actually asking about the newer disc turntable introduced in 1977 . This was always code 100 but initially supplied with steel rails . At some point M.I.B believes it changed to Nickel Silver , and I’m sorry but I don’t know !  
 

Also wish Pat Hammond would update the story from 1996 . Would be very interesting , the demise of Sanda Kan , manufacturing shortages, the need to find other suppliers , design clever etc etc . 

[M.I.B]

Thanks all, especially Legend.

 

I just want a recent electric (not " turn the water crane" ) Hornby turntable, with NS rails.

 

Got some good pointers now.  Thanks All.

[kernowtim]

I had the handraulic version, bought new probably around 1979 and operated by turning the water crane, but soon added the motorising kit, which meant reversing the spindle the water crane fitted in, and adding an X04 motor to turn the drive gear instead,  remember it was very noisy, and the water crane would still turn. I Think the later ones were just electric operation, has extra outlet traçks and the water crane was deleted!

Edited February 25 by kernowtim

[M.I.B]

27 minutes ago, kernowtim said:

I had the handraulic version, ............ I Think the later ones were just electric operation, has extra outlet traçks and the water crane was deleted!

 Thank you for putting the "turn the crane" version into perspective.     

 

I'm using this in a fiddle yard with entry/exit on the same road so I only need one track.     But it  does have to be remoted via watts and amps as opposed to fluids.

[Butler Henderson]

The old Triang R408 turntable was always Super 4 track. With the introduction of the code 100 System 6 it was provided with Super 4 - System 6 convertor tracks retaining the Super 4 track on the turntable itself (R408U). A System 6 version was planned (R602) but sadly cancelled leading to the eventual introduction of the toy like current turntable.