Guys...I am going to ad a 8'x16' classification yard,coaling,water,sand and steam shop to my layout.Can anyone recommend a pre built turntable?It would have to be able to handle full scale 4664's and 4884's etc.Thanks.Nick
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There is usually 2 or 3 detailed threads per year concerning turntables on the forum. Here is a recent thread that deals with space concerns.
Best choices are IMO:
You may also want to check the Korber website for a 304 house, additional house stalls, and extensions. All three websites have information about space concerns, and details that need to be reviewed about a TT and RH add to a layout.
All three Millhouse, Ross and Korber are forum sponsors.
Best wishes with your project.
Mike CT
Millhouse is the way to go IMO. Al builds a quality product that will handle the biggest engines.
Nick, Al @ M/H and Steve @ Ross each make really nice turntables.
However...... if your pseudonym is for real you will only be satisfied with a AAA turntable. Even uses powered wheels to prototypically drive around the ring rail.
Considerably more but it has some precision bragging rights. www.aaaturntables.com
Thanks a bunch guys.You were a big help.
The only pre-built, ready to operate turntable is made by Atlas. It has been discussed on the Forum many times over the years. It boils down to get consistent operations you need to mount it on a flat, level tabletop.
It might not have a pit like the others, but it is prototypical. Its length might be an issue if you want to turn an articulated locomotive. It is also the cheapest one out there.
Jan
For me the only two choice's to consider were:
I went with Ross because at the time Milhouse did not offer auto indexing and my TT was not real close to the main operating area and I wanted positive control on the TT and ROSS offered it.
I have had a Ross Turntable installed and operating for more than 3 years. It is a top quality unit and it has never had so much as a hiccup in operation. Based on my personal experience, I highly recommend the Ross.
Good luck. I'm sure you will be fine with either of theunits recommended by others here.
I wouldn't say the Ross or MRS are pre-built... both excellent choices but quite a bit of work involved with either. Well worth the effort when finished, but you will spend some time building the bridge with all the railings and lighted cab.
We went with the Millhouse 34" and couldn't be happier. We hooked a ERR DC Mini Commander to it and control it with the Cab1/Cab2 remote. We are going to upgrade it to Al's indexing kit with TMCC control next year.
We are quite a bit further along with this but there's no current pictures. One of the videos has footage of the completed bridge and operation, I think update #3 starts out with the turntable.
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Laid off sick,yes I was checking out your turntable on one of your update videos.You were saying it works so good that you we not sure if you would even need the indexing kit.I have scratch built everything on my layout including a 9ft operational lift bridge.I am looking to get a turntable ready to go.Life has to get easier one of these days.I'm ALSO partying at my pool in the summer not playing with trains.Keep those videos going.
Steve at Ross Custom Switches is a founder sponsor to this forum and I would highly recommend his turntable. I received one of the first turntables that Steve built and it has operated flawlessly since I installed it. You can buy a cheaper unit than Ross, but I personally believe that you cannot buy a better turntable than a Ross unit.
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I don't think we would even want the indexing kit IF the TT was closer to the edge of the layout. It runs very smooth, and at 200 speed steps, soooooo slow. The problem is, the more whisker tracks we add around the pit, the harder it is for us to SEE over there to get a perfect alignment.
Could we get away without having the indexing kit? Yes absolutely. It might take a couple tries to eyeball a perfect alignment but it can be done.
Would we rather have the indexing kit? Absolutely, because it's another toy to play with and with the precise points of alignment, spot on every time.
Not to mention, the way Al has it programmed, it increases and decreases speed based on distance of travel automatically. It's really COOL to watch it work.
Originally Posted by rockstars1989:
Laid off sick,yes I was checking out your turntable on one of your update videos.You were saying it works so good that you we not sure if you would even need the indexing kit.I have scratch built everything on my layout including a 9ft operational lift bridge.I am looking to get a turntable ready to go.Life has to get easier one of these days.I'm ALSO partying at my pool in the summer not playing with trains.Keep those videos going.
There are three and only three you should consider:
- AAA Turntable
- Ross
- Millhouse
They're all expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for. You get precise, smooth movement, a length that will support a Big Boy, and solid construction. Ours is a Ross 33" with indexing. I changed out the drive pulley to change the step from 7.5 degrees to 10 degrees (we don't use the 180-degree button) because we didn't quite have enough room to extend the roundhouse tracks to use 7.5 degrees.
I'd recommend installing a "slip ring" for the wiring. This will keep your wires from twisting over time which would require periodic disconnecting and untwisting.
