Michael Tondee

When I started this new layout venture one thing I knew I wanted was a turntable. The layout is small but I still knew I wanted one.  It was on the plan from the get go and even though I had to use an Atlas one out of the SCARM library to represent it on my plan, that brand was never an option.  I first had in mind scratch building something along the lines of what M.C. Fujiwara has done on his N scale modules and on a HO railroad he is refurbishing for a client  but those are manual and I was going to want to figure out a way to motorize it. Then I kept looking at the Walthers built ups and even though I knew I could not afford it, the 90 foot version became something I coveted more and more. I was first thinking of some type of two stall enginehouse but when  you start looking at TT's you invariably end up looking at roundhouses and a three stall deal didn't seem out of the realm of possibility.  So even though I knew I could not afford the turntable I wanted, I asked for the roundhouse for my upcoming birthday but  I did keep some subtle hints about the TT floating around with the railroads CFO (my lovely wife) . I didn't think anything would come of it, I just figured I'd get the roundhouse and go from there but lo and behold during a conversation today we figured out a way to make the TT happen as well. So the old " Black & Blue" will soon be the proud owner of a 90 foot TT!  Now I just need to figure out if I'm making the right decision in going with the "older" roundhouse model over what Walthers calls the "modern" roundhouse but I think I am being that my line is supposed to be an older smaller railroad. I have to wait a bit anyway to get all the ducks in row but I'm a happy camper right now.

Regards,

Michael

Michael, A.R.S. W4HIJ

 Model Rail, electronics experimenter and "mad scientist" for over 50 years.

Member of  "The Amigos" and staunch disciple of the "Wizard of Monterey"

My Pike: The Blackwater Island Logging&Mining Co.

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ChagaChooChoo

Congrats!

And Happy Birthday!  (mine is actually on Oct. 8th.....)   I got the 90-foot turntable, and the "old" roundhouse too.  Looking forward to installing them.  I do have a couple steamers longer than the turntable, but will have a couple TT approach tracks that go straight across the TT and past the roundhouse, to park the long ones outside the roundhouse.  I bought the Walthers motor, too, to drive the turntable.  Putting a simple decoder will permit using DCC to make it run.  I don't see a need for indexing it, I plan on just running it manually.  With DCC it's pretty easy to go very slowly when you get close, and stop exactly in line with the rails.  A club I used to belong to had the linear diesel transfer table operating that way, and it was easy to align with DCC (or DC, for that matter).   I have one kit of the roundhouse, but want to get another to have 6 stalls.  I also "procured" the Atlas roundhouse kit, and will kitbash it to be an add-on to the walthers, under the pretense that the Atlas sections were built first, and several years later the Walthers sections were added as expansion. 
Now all I have to do is decide which coal tower I like the most.....

Just my 1.1 cents.  (That's 2 cents, after taxes.)

Kevin

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Michael Tondee

Thanks....

My birthday is October 15th.  Actually I'm going to get the Walthers built up DCC turntable that already has the motor included and has indexing.  It can also be controlled via DC with the included control box. I once used one of their older and cheaper turntables when I was in N scale and it took a lot of work to make it work reliably.  My "secret"  that finally got it working pretty well was powdered graphite. The only caution I would give you in bashing the Atlas and Walthers roundhouses is that it's my understanding that the stall spacing is different with the Walthers being 10 degrees and the Atlas being 15 degrees if my memory serves.

Michael

Michael, A.R.S. W4HIJ

 Model Rail, electronics experimenter and "mad scientist" for over 50 years.

Member of  "The Amigos" and staunch disciple of the "Wizard of Monterey"

My Pike: The Blackwater Island Logging&Mining Co.

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