Turntable Size

I got a 34” Millhouse. The biggest they offer. It pretty much will turn any steam engine including the Big Boy. If you go small and have the space for big you’ll regret it later. 

34" Millhouse here. Planned for it and still had to squeeze it in. I AM NOT SORRY!!! Best turntable ever and will hold everything except maybe the new 54" long engine in the new MTH catalog. BUT with something that big I would not need to turn it anyhow. I say plan for the biggest you can get yu will not be sorry. Millhouse turntables have the tightest spacing for whisker tracks. Highly recommend them.

Older Diamond Scale turntable, smaller, 26.5" bridge rail, but works well for me.  Complete house and TT area 5 ft X 7 ft.   Click on the triangle to access a Photobucket video. 

Weaver M1a on the TT. 

THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS  as large as you can fit one. And giving room for a roundhouse and long spur lines from the roundhouse to the turntable.

Mine is 31" my turntable that is. BUT that is the distance from the first engine wheel to the last tender wheel. So that does not account for front and rear overhang; which means my engine /tender  length is a bit larger.

The main thing to consider in a good turntable is how much it sways clockwise and counterclockwise when stopped. In other words, how well is the table locked when stopped?

I want to use two or more strongarm gallows turntables for logging and mining branches.  What is the longest a gallows would have been in a prototype?  Kits for these are rare, and like some of the engine houses, hilariously short, so this is likely to be DIY.

Diamond Scale shows a Gallows kit but only in HO.   This page link

colorado hirailer posted:

I want to use two or more strongarm gallows turntables for logging and mining branches.  What is the longest a gallows would have been in a prototype?  Kits for these are rare, and like some of the engine houses, hilariously short, so this is likely to be DIY.

I would hazard to guess that by it's very construction, a prototype gallows turntable wouldn't have been any longer than 60-65' depending on necessity.  Most were built when locomotives were small and relatively light.

Rusty

As appealing to the average hobbyist a huge TT may be, I know the prototype world had plenty of smaller ones especially on branch lines. I built my own and it is a 72 footer which can handle every loco I have.

Bob

72 feet !! really,  how big is your layout area??

Good for a laugh I suppose...I usually make scale size references when discussing size subjects...of course you know that 72 feet translates into 18 inches...

Bob

flanger posted:

Good for a laugh I suppose...I usually make scale size references when discussing size subjects...of course you know that 72 feet translates into 18 inches...

Bob

Nice but, you must not have very big steam locomotive models, such as scale NYC Hudsons with the PT tender, nor ANY 4-8-4s.

Pennsy had a lot there were a 100 ft (25 inches) or less.     They put bigger ones in at some division points as locos got bigger.    I think Crestline was on of the few places that could turn a T1.      

It all depends on what you model and want to turn.   A pair of diesels can get very long, but many steamers that are not articulated will fit on a 100 ft table.      Some of the more modern 4-8-4 and such requred bigger ones.    I think NYC had some tables with rails at one end raised so they could get a niagagra on them.    

Norfolk Southern (Pennsylvania/Conrail) was still using the old TT, Conway yard several years ago.  

Hot Water posted:

flanger posted:

Good for a laugh I suppose...I usually make scale size references when discussing size subjects...of course you know that 72 feet translates into 18 inches...

Bob

Nice but, you must not have very big steam locomotive models, such as scale NYC Hudsons with the PT tender, nor ANY 4-8-4s.

I model a PRR branchline, I turn my D16sb 4-4-0, H10b 2-8-0, G5 4-6-0, and assorted first generation diesels...ALCO RS-1 RS-3 Baldwin S12, FM H16-44 etc. I try to model realistically, and that includes a practical turntable sized for the needs of my roster.

Bob

If I purcahse a 34" turntable, what size roundhouse should I purchase? I want to purchase an Altoona Model works roundhouse but I am totally confused by all of different number of stalls and length of the stalls. Any suggestions? Thanks.

If it were me, I would want a size that would accommodate my largest locomotive. Marty's post above (the 2nd post in the topic) pretty much says it all.

Simon

Turntable size and the sectional house associated with the TT dates to early Bowser TT's and Korber kits that accommodated the 15 degree.  Track Adjustments could be made, 4 to 5 sections.   This is a fabricated TT about 30" diameter and the Korber kit that was built for the Modular display.   Fort Pitt Highrailer's Modular display.  

I recently was pointed to this image - https://collections.ctdigitala...ject/20002:860065486 for other reasons but if you zoom in a bit you'll see a 1915 turntable of 75' with 20 tracks attached for the house. The image is giant sized so you can zoom in real close and see all of the detail along with some of the actual track lengths too.