Turntables - Pros and Cons

[Brew Man]

Good afternoon

I am soon to build a new layout in my recently boarded loft. The plan is to build a (hopefully) 12' x 6' or at least 10' x 6' quadrangle, i.e. with a hole in the middle where I will sit to operate and carry out construction or modifications. On my current 6' x 4' layout I have a reversing loop which traverses diagonally the inner loop and that works fine. However, as there will be a hole in the middle of my new layout such a loop will not be possible, so I am thinking of a turntable, especially as there will be a lot more space to accommodate one.

My question is, should I go for the Hornby R070 which is reasonably priced and does not require a hole cut in the base board, or the likes of a Heljan which is much more expensive and does require a hole cutting?

What do members think? All views appreciated.

[96RAF]

Turntables take up a lot of real estate and having had one on a couple of earlier layouts I must confess they didn’t get used much.

I suppose because I never get round to operating the layout. I tend to play trains not run them properly.

I have a new R070 sitting in a box whilst I make my mind up if its worth the hassle of making room for it on the layout.

[Brew Man]

Thanks, Rob. Yes I see a number of disadvantages with them, such as only being able to turn the loco round and not the whole train, and as you say the space they take up. That is what I like about the diagonal across the loop, being able to set the direction of the entire train. I might be able to fit in a 'Wye', I'll have to wait until the base board is built so I can properly see what space is available. If I could make the tail of the Wye long enough then I could reverse whole trains on it.

Alternatively I could have the equivalent of the diagonal loop but would have to run a much longer path round the quadrangle from one side to the other. Though thinking about it, that might not work. Again it's a matter of space. Each side of the quadrangle will be 2' wide with a 2' gap in the middle.

[96RAF]

Much like mine BM, but I have 3’ side boards to play with.

I am beginning to wish I had planned a walk in centre access with a four foot offset turnaround at each end rather than the folded eight with a slide out access ‘door’. I already had a standard garage plan from way back on that principle I could have used and developed. I don’t really want to rebuild any boards, but . . .

[atom3624]

I suppose if you can slightly offset one corner, the tt could go there.

I was going to joke and say for 'cons' ask a passenger pulled by Flying Scotsman going backwards and speed limited ... !!

Trying to maximise the radius, there may be an opportunity in one corner perhaps?

Just a thought.

Al.

[Brew Man]

@ 96RAF

Mine will not be as sophisticated, Rob. It will be a case of a fixed quadrangle and crawling underneath. It will save having to align removeable or hinged boards. Although my back and one hip are stuffed, I think I'll be able to crawl under the available space without much effort.

@ atom3624

Thanks for the suggestion, Al. As this thread progresses I think I'm talking my self out of turntables and warming to the idea of a 'Wye'. It's whether I can fit one into the confines of 2' wide boards.

[atom3624]

Agreed, a 'Y' turnaround seems to be the favourite in full scale nowadays.

One of the corners could be used, and even going into a hillside - so the 'act' is hidden from display?

Al.

[Brew Man]

Good suggestion, that would be perfect if it can be achieved.

[37lover]

I have an used turntable for my previous layout that I now wish I had incorporated into my current layout. Part of the challenge in running "train" is to turn the loco! But I do have a "Wye", as yet not operational, on my layout and make no mistake you need a fair bit of room. Mine is actually in an adjacent room, tracks spur off my outer loop and into the room next door, where the dead leg of the Wye extends along the length of a side wall. I've got a small camera linked to my computer so I can check the position of the train. I've got several infra red sensors and I am thinking of rigging up something to either back up or replace the camera.

[Brew Man]

A small sensor on the track perhaps where you want the train to clear. Clearly if I fit a Wye the length of the tail will be dictated by the longest train I will be running.

[Rog RJ]

The advantage of the Hornby turntable, apart from being surface mounted, is that it is self aligning (automatic indexing) so the rails line up.

Disadvantages, noisy, it stops for a while at each index position, it's not ideal on DCC, it's rather toy like, the bridge end contacts can easily get mangled and the tracks are raised above basebord level.

I have one and the reason I bought it was the auto indexing which I considered to be essential for me but to be honest, it doesn't get used much.

 

[Tony57]

Hi

In regards to a turntable, are you going to model a mainline steam engine shed at a terminus station or major station where locos are changed which then need to be turned to go back to where they started from? If yes then one would be useful if no there is no need for one.

On a second issue with a bad back and hip how low can you bend over and still move, it may be worth while in making the boards about 4 foot off the floor if possible for a walking duck under or use a wheeled computer chair as a means of getting into the middle under the board. Being a minor stroke victim I know my agility is a lot less than it was and I can not duck under a 3 foot high board any more.

[Brew Man]

Yes, I've pretty much gone/going off the idea of a turntable but I still want the ability to change the direction of a train - up line down line. I think a Wye is going to be the way forward though I'll have to see what I can fit into a 2' wide section.

I won't have a problem crawling on hands and knees under the layout to get to the middle as it will be just short of a metre off the floor.

[Bulleidboy]

If you are running steam locomotives you cannot beat having a turntable on your layout. I have two Peco t/t's, both have Locomotech motors which are mounted (hung?) from the central turntable shaft and turn at 2rpm and are extremely quiet. Both t/t motors are operated via H&M Clipper with a switch directing power to whichever t/t is in use. The t/t at the end of the fiddleyard allows a loco to be uncoupled from its carriages, turned, run down a track always kept free of stock, and then recoupled to the other end of the carriages it was attached to in the first place. The second t/t is located next to the loco shed on the scenic part of the layout.

[37lover]

A small sensor on the track perhaps where you want the train to clear. Clearly if I fit a Wye the length of the tail will be dictated by the longest train I will be running.

 

 

I think I would aim to fit sensors along the whole length of the tail, with closer spacings at each end and have a mimic display to show which sensors are "blocked". Although the length is important I think you will find getting the two feeds more of a problem because of minimum curve radii. If you go with a Wye please keep us informed on how you arrange it.

[sir john]

After much research and soul searching I purchased the heljan turntable. Its expensive but brilliant once set up you just scroll to the the number of the track you want and off it goes no lining up by eye perfect every time

Regards John

[Tony57]

Hi Brew man

Another way of changing the direction of travel is the use of a run around loop, a number of preserved railways use this method. With a passenger train set of coaches have a brake end each end of the set, with goods trains have a brake van each end.

This way the loco stops uncouples moves forward passes a point the point changes the loco then reverse back pass the coaches or trucks past another point which changes the loco moves forward couples to the coaches or trucks then moves off in the opposite direction either on the same line or another line.

A number of tender steam locos were designed with running in reverse as normal practice as well as all tanks. Diesels and electric locos being double cabbed use the same method, but instead of going backwards the driver changes cabs and drives of forward in the opposite direction

[ColinB]

I have the Heljan turntable. Originally I had an old Triang one, which did look more realistic than the Hornby one, but it was so noisy. Anyway the plastic disintegrated so I was forced to replace it. The Heljan one is wonderful and as a previous contributor said, once set up it always stops at the correct position. It is also amazingly quiet.

[Lyd 85B]

Like Bulleidboy, I have a Peco t/t powered by a Locomotech motor, controlled via a standard decoder. This enables the speed of rotation to be even more finely controlled via F2 and F3 buttons on my Digitrax Zephyr, and the whole thing is almost silent in operation. It has been in situ in a garden shed for at least five years, requires no maintenance and has always worked faultlessly. It adds a huge amount of authenticity and interest to the layout.

[Brew Man]

The more I think about it all the more undecided I become. I think it might be quite/very difficult to fit a Wye into the layout because of the space required for the curves. A turntable and a brake at each end of a train would be a reasonable solution, and although a TT requires a fair bit of space, it is nowhere near the space needed for a Wye. If I were to go the TT route it would be a choice between Peco and Heljan, though the Heljan is pretty expensive. They do look good though.

[Brew Man]

@ BB and Lyd 85B

Which Locomotech motor do you use, indexed or non-indexed?

[Bulleidboy]

Hi Brew Man

I bought my Locomotech motors before the indexing system was available. As my layout is only 10x7 with basically a turntable at each end of the room I can see clearly when everything is lined up. The H&M Clipper does allow for very slow running and I usually get it right. The other thing I spent time on was making sure the track was perfectly flat on the approach to the T/t - nothing worse than seeing a loco wobble as it goes onto the t/t.

Also, if you are using the t/t purely for turning and not access to storage tracks, I think you could fit the Peco t/t into a 15" square. This picture shows the t/t in the shed area, and neatly placed in a corner. BB

[Stephen in Kerry]

@Brew Man - apologies if I am 'hijacking' your thread.

This is a pertinent thread for me too, as I am about to spend a lot of money on my first ever layout. I've gone for 'Trakmat Extension 4 in the Horby Trakplans book (latest edition).

As you may already know, it includes the Hornby R070 turntable. This is quite expensive and, as others have mentioned, looks a bit less relaists than some others. They might also be a too tricky for me to fit, sunken in the baseboard, for a beginner like me.

If it was your layout, would you include it or use the space for something else - and what?

[Bulleidboy]

Hi Stephen - I would certainly go for a turntable on your layout. The Hornby and Peco t/t's are about the same price, however the Peco one does look realistic. It is a fairly straightforward build, and cutting a hole in your baseboard is not a difficult job. If you decide to go with the Peco version, and you have yet to build your extension board, check where the cross members will be on this board and cut any wood away before assemble and before the turntable well is fitted - it's easier to do during construction rather than after. The Locomotech motors, when I bought mine, were £35.00 they are really worth the extra. Some of the "Turntable motor kits" are cheaper but make so much noise. BB

[Stephen in Kerry]

@Bulleidboy - That's very helpful, thank you. I would rather have a more realistic turntable, assuming it fits in the space in the Hornby Trakmat layout I mentioned.

Do you know if it's easy enough to cut the hole without a router?

By the way, I have (only today) found out who Oliver Bulleid was! :)