Turntable options

[mike_lawyer]

The Fleischmann turntable looks interesting.  It seems to have the reliability of the Kato, but is longer and looks more prototypical.  Not as long as the Walthers, but looks interesting.

[rodsup9000]

Question - are there any differences between the versions of the Walthers 130 foot turntable?  I have seen some older versions on Ebay, maybe those are more reliable?  I have only tried the most recent version, and have not been super impressed with reliability.

 Mike,
 I have 2 (one is brand new and never out of the box) of the old original turntables. I had one up and running on the layout for about 10 years. It worked flawlessly and I never had any problems with it, other than having to re-zero it when I removed the bridge to clean the wipers.
 I might sell the new one.

[Jimbo]

The Fleischmann turntable looks interesting.  It seems to have the reliability of the Kato, but is longer and looks more prototypical.  Not as long as the Walthers, but looks interesting.

Mike,

I have no experience with the Fleischmann turntable, but if its European roots don’t bother you, then you might want to consider the old Arnold Rapido turntable.  Although it, too, has a European look and heavy details, it can be improved appearance-wise and its mechanism is very robust.  It indexes very nicely, and is wholly an electromechanical design… NO electronics.  Biggest downsides are the bridge length (7.5” - slightly longer than the Fleischmann unit… long enough for a Con Cor Hudson or a Bachmann heavy 4-8-2, but forget about anything longer) and the fact that it’s loud enough to wake the dead.

Regarding the Walthers unit… 130’ turntables were extremely rare, given that few locomotives needed them, and even those railroads used creative solutions on occasion to turn longer locomotives rather than spend gobs of capital to upgrade their infrastructure for a few locomotives, especially since diesel locomotives were already on the horizon when the largest steam locomotives started rolling.  Nothing Platte, NE?  Sure.  Memphis, TN?  My guess is no.  Pennsy’s duplex locomotives often had to be turned on a wye.

Still, turntables look cool, and if you plan to use it to display some favorite models, the Walthers unit is probably the best choice.  If you have (for example) PRR M1 locos and want to turn them on a turntable, then you need to know that the Arnold Rapido and Fleischmann units are a no-go.  Your best bet in that case would be the Walthers Unit.

Jim

[trainforfun]

Too bad you had problem with the Walthers one , mine was installed at least 15 years ago and still run perfectly , I have 14 tracks around all memorized .
At first I was able to control it on my DT400 from Digitrax and one day it quit working , I still can use the turntable controller .
 

[wm3798]

I had the 130 footer on my WM layout.  I can't remember what I did, but at some point the controller just up and died.  (it was the first generation non-DCC version)  After trying to find a replacement controller without success, it became a static display until the layout was dismantled and the yard was taken over by Conrail, and the pit paved over.

I was very disappointed that after dropping 300 quid that Walthers offered nothing in the way of parts support.  I was only offered the opportunity to drop another sack of money for a new DCC model.  Their support really sucks.  Or at least it did back in 2011.

Lee

[mike_lawyer]

I have had both mechanical and electrical problems with all 3 of the new Walthers 130 turntables I have tried.  First one had a gear issue, the second one had an electrical issue, and the third one just stopped working entirely after about two weeks.

Another issue I had was that there is vertical play in the turntable, making it hard to get the rails to line up vertically with approach tracks.  This makes it easy for steamers to derail if the rails are not vertically level.

[mike_lawyer]

Anyone know of custom turntable kits in N scale?  CMR discontinued their N scale turntable, and Diamond Scale has not responded to any emails and may be out of business. 

[Mark5]

Anyone know of custom turntable kits in N scale?  CMR discontinued their N scale turntable, and Diamond Scale has not responded to any emails and may be out of business.

I meant to call Diamond today, but ended up kinda busy today. Will try next week.

[mike_lawyer]

I meant to call Diamond today, but ended up kinda busy today. Will try next week.

Is the phone number on their website correct?  I tried calling last week and the voicemail was for a catering business.

[Mark5]

Is the phone number on their website correct?  I tried calling last week and the voicemail was for a catering business.

Uh oh. I will still try next week and ask for Larry. Will report back.

I'm sure this is a side business, so maybe the catering is the bread winner (all puns aside).

[Sumner]

Anyone know of custom turntable kits in N scale?  ...

The...



... turntable I designed has been a very popular download on thingiverse and cults, hundreds of downloads. It takes a 3D printer of course but you don't need to own one.  There are a number of print services out there and your library, a school or a friend might also be an option depending on where you live.  More info and print file links here....

https://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Turntable/Turntable-Index.html

I designed a controller for the stepper motor but there are other options.  One option that is gaining a lot of popularity is DCC-EX's EX Turntable control....

https://dcc-ex.com/ex-turntable/index.html#gsc.tab=0

... You need to have a DCC-EX command station but it could only be controlling the turntable if you wanted and you can build one (DCC-EX Command Station) in less than an hour for less than $50 if you shop for parts and some are putting them together for less than $25 with a bit more work.

Sumner

[mike_lawyer]

The...



... turntable I designed has been a very popular download on thingiverse and cults, hundreds of downloads. It takes a 3D printer of course but you don't need to own one.  There are a number of print services out there and your library, a school or a friend might also be an option depending on where you live.  More info and print file links here....

https://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Turntable/Turntable-Index.html

I designed a controller for the stepper motor but there are other options.  One option that is gaining a lot of popularity is DCC-EX's EX Turntable control....

https://dcc-ex.com/ex-turntable/index.html#gsc.tab=0

... You need to have a DCC-EX command station but it could only be controlling the turntable if you wanted and you can build one (DCC-EX Command Station) in less than an hour for less than $50 if you shop for parts and some are putting them together for less than $25 with a bit more work.

Sumner

Sumner, awesome work, I am definitely intrigued!  Two questions - how long is the turntable bridge?  And second, do you have full assembly instructions available?

Thanks for your help!

Mike

[mike_lawyer]

Some cool news  - NYRS is releasing an HO scale turntable this summer.  I emailed them today, they said they are going to release an N scale version of their turntable in the near future, along with a new indexing system.  Should be cool!

https://nyrs.com/

[Mark5]

Some cool news  - NYSR is releasing an HO scale turntable this summer. 

NYSR? 

[mike_lawyer]

NYSR? 

Sorry, mistyped it - NYRS.  I edited my post to add the link to their website.