I am thinking about adding an Atlas turntable to my layout. Please advise pros/cons to the Atlas brand. This turntable is the only one I can afford. Is it worth it or should I forget the idea all together.
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Could make your own. I needed a 30" turntable to turn my largest locomotives (Premier ATSF Texas and a Premier SP GS4) and I didn't want to pay $1.5k+ for a Ross or Milhouse River unit. About $100 later I built my own. It's made of plywood with balsa details. Slip ring connector mounted underneath transmits power to the track on the bridge. I haven't motorized it yet, but I will in the future. For now I just rotate it by hand.
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Hello LOU1985, It looks good. I thought about trying to build one and seeing yours has me leaning that direction. What material did you use for the ring the turntable rotates on?
dan 77 posted:I am thinking about adding an Atlas turntable to my layout. Please advise pros/cons to the Atlas brand. This turntable is the only one I can afford. Is it worth it or should I forget the idea all together.
It's worth the trouble if you can use a turntable on your payout (and have the space).
The Atlas turntable is a really great option - and it's been re-worked from its first iteration. A very solid lower-cost option.
There are other Turntable options. A forum search should yield several threads on turntables.
I recently purchased the latest version (upgraded) of the Atlas turntable. My layout isn't ready for it, but I bench tested the rotation. The indexing isn't perfect. You have to finesse the power to the turntable motor. When I install it on my layout, I'm going to try powering the turntable motor with a programmable timer module.
dan 77 posted:Hello LOU1985, It looks good. I thought about trying to build one and seeing yours has me leaning that direction. What material did you use for the ring the turntable rotates on?
Ring/pit rail is the outer rail of a circle of 027 track. The center of the turntable is a 4" lazy Susan bearing. There is a 1/8" piece of ABS plastic under the ends of the turntable that rides on the pit rail. All power and ground comes from a slip ring connector under the turntable pit.
Just check out the train shows. I have purchased many of them in recent years for friends and six for myself. Typical cost is +/- $100. Yes, some tinkering is necessary but you will spend about 10% the cost of new.
They come in all sizes, manual and powered.
In my experience there are no $600 to $800 used TTs. When someone no longer wants or needs a TT they just want rid of it.
Like most everything else in this game, new can be expensive and used is dirt cheap.
Hey Guys, Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
