The Nth Degree Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I've been a little too ill to work on my layout which has given me plenty of time to fiddle with planning and other idle work. This definitely comes under the latter! I've got a fascination with turntables at the moment, which will save me building plenty of points on my current layout in progress. While laying in bed I came up with an idea of having a curved piece of track on a turntable. "Excellent!", I thought, what a great idea - I could divert whole trains into sidings with a curved track, where you can only turn an engine with a traditional straight track. "Ooh, how about having TWO tracks on a turntable?..." This was getting exciting. I got up and set to work. Unfortunately, I found several examples of each of my ideas. Deflated didn't describe my feelings. However, no layout exists where both types are used together, so I set about designing one. The runaround turntable turns around engines - there'd have to be small industrial locos to use this trackwork - the 'point' is designed to be a bladeless type described here, or it could be the sprung type: http://thecentralstation.myfreeforum.org/archive/always-straight-point-for-reversing-loops-no-tie-bar__o_t__t_282.html The other turntable can either run trains around the circuit or divert them into the loading siding. From there, the train can run back onto the mainline or go into the factory. What do you think? Can it be improved further? The object of this layout design will be to have no points at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 7, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hmm - interesting train of thought but I think you should put the factory against a scene divider and have a second double track turntable inside it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 A fairly small space one can be found here http://carendt.us/sc...ge93/index.html Jaxcilli Industries3 V.2 - about as small as you can get in standard gauge HO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hmm - interesting train of thought but I think you should put the factory against a scene divider and have a second double track turntable inside it. I thought about that too Mike, also having another bladeless 'point' connecting to the mainline. Thanks. A fairly small space one can be found here http://carendt.us/sc...ge93/index.html Jaxcilli Industries3 V.2 - about as small as you can get in standard gauge HO That site is exactly the one that ruined my dreams! There's several examples of the twin turntable and at least one curved track turntable, from what I remember. Very difficult finding anything unique. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 You are right - there is VERY little that hasn't been done before by somebody else - I have vague memories of a layout game that was based on square tiles with jigsaw connectors that had tracks printed/moulded on them which you could rotate curved tracks to divert trains - however the fact that it has been done before doesn't mean it isn't a good idea - it just means that you have independently re-invented the wheel - keep working on it - there may be a clever trackplan in there! How about a turntable with a diamond crossing on it that can switch berween three tracks? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 How about this. As before except when you run the wagons into the factory you can disconnect and run back onto the mainline for another load or other duties. Again, as before, the 'interconnects' (I'm not calling them points or turnouts as there's no moving parts) have a default direction of straight so you can only join a mainline, not divert off it. I think it's cracking. I may even make it, but in a bigger scale to my normal 2mm. Would a Sentinel shunter work? I just love those little things. What work did they typically do? I'm guessing they were sold into private industry too? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 47137 Posted March 10, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2012 The Usborne wind-up train book has a 'turntable' with points and crossings, which adds some variety to operation of what in the book is a sort of two-dimensional rabbit layout ... Perhaps you could shoehorn in either a short Y point or a short crossing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 That's lovely Richard, I'll look out for that book for my son. Thanks for putting it up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Of course, the Listowel & Ballybunion had (have) turntable points of just the form described, and I daresay a few raised track miniature lines do too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 47137 Posted March 12, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 12, 2012 That's lovely Richard, I'll look out for that book for my son. Thanks for putting it up. Some relief here ... I wondered if it looked a bit off topic. It is great fun. Going back to your layout: if you cut a Peco Y point in half near the joint in the point blades, you will make a piece of 'interlaced diverging track' which might fit onto the right-hand turntable - like my sketch. This would give you an extra route, and the possibility of an end to end route as an alternative to the continuous run. I think this could work well. I modified a point like this for my layout and didn't use it only because I didn't actually need the space saving it offered. The important bit was to keep as much track of the point as possible, so the entry to both routes at my label 'A' is fairly true. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
srd Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Very difficult finding anything unique. I've always fancied trying out nested turn tables. You have one turn table that is big enough to take a loco and a couple of wagons, and at one end of it is a turn table that is big enough to take just the loco. Train drives on, loco is uncoupled, bigger turntable turns, and a set of cogs inside it automatically turns the smaller one at the same rate, thus when the bigger TT has done 180 degrees, so has the smaller one and the loco is at the other end of the train _but_ still facing the same direction as it started - basically the same as a run-round loop but without the extra length of having a pair of points in it. Now I've just got to find a use for it And no doubt if I did find a use, someone would immediatly show me a picture of one that they'd built years before. Anyhoo, I like 'pointless' plans ('cos I'm rubbish at getting points to work properly in the smaller scales), so look forward to seeing how the 'Pointless Manufacturing Company' progresses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 Two neat ideas, thanks both. I will look into building something like this when my current project ends (or stalls!). It may be worth justifying a bigger scale than my usual 2mm though, or could work as 009 narrow gauge so I don't have to radically change working practices? I've updated the plan a bit to provide another route round the board. Ignore the curves on this though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim Read Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hello Nth, Looking at this I wonder if a Stepper motor might work to operate the turntables: http://proto-pic.co....-stepper-motor/ this ones only a fiver and has 48, 7.5 degree steps. It would be really interesting finding out how to power the thing as well :-) Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I wonder if the torque on that is up to the job of turning a table with a heavy loco on it without substantive gearing that might well reduce the precision of the steps? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim Read Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hello Kenton, It would depend upon the bearings and the balance I suppose, I used to see two guys turning a GWR King on the TT in the roundhouse at Tyseley sheds, we used to sneak in as kids from the back entries in Roma Road :-) Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CourthsVeil Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hi Kenton, those stepper motors usually provide more than enough torque for the above purpose - especially when geared down. However, one should bear in mind that these thingies need a driver circuitry in order to work; just connecting them to a battery pack will result in nothing. Armin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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