(N) Arnold Turntable
Mark Peterson
electric turntable? It lists in the Walthers for $249, but a friend of mine
is going to be visiting from Germany and can pick me up one over there for
considerably less than that if I'm interested. If it's worth it, I'd love to
get one. I haven't much cared for the two I've checked out here (Atlas and
Cornerstone). Still, I'd like to get a little feedback before committing
that much $ to a single item.
Thanks,
-Mark
MEAT7
>electric turntable?
like most of Arnold's stuff, the turn table is of European prototype. If you
are modelling American prototype, this may look out of place if not modified.
I would suggest rebuilding the deck, and setting the top of the pit flush with
the surroundings.
This TT is listed at 7 1/16", which is a scale 94 feet. This is too small for
larger steam locomotives, and for A-B-A combinations (or A-A depending on the
model).
Remember that if you do get the TT, to get one of the controllers. The
Walther's catalog ('98) lists these as:
125-6382 Turntable Control Switch, $42.99
125-6385 Automatic Turntable Remote Control, 129.99
(for Arnold cat. numbers, omit the 125-)
Other then that I can't offer much more, since I haven't had a chance to
operate one myself.
-Scott-
Greg Parrish
indexing are neat. It stops on the rail spot with no fumbling back and
forth to line up the tracks, however, it is noisey as hell. Sounds like an
electric chainsaw running. Good looking table, works well, if you can solve
the noise problem.
helmut wisinger
They are okay, DBB Proto, the only way to get one is with the
preselector. WAY TOO OVERPRICED.
When I get them I try to sell them for 140.00 used (that's Can)
that's what they are worth.
Get a Con-Cor motorized 1/2 price or less.
Helmut
On Thu, 4 Mar 1999 12:16:14 -0600, "Mark Peterson" <ma...@nbs-inc.com>
wrote:
>Does anyone have an opinion, one way or the other, on the Arnold N scale
David Allen
First, I am quite the newbie so please don't hesitate to point out my
naïveté. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but not electrically.
I was wondering how hard it would be to build your own. Looking at the one
here in town at our local depot museum, it looks pretty simple. It has a
bridge resting on the center point. The ends have what look like flanged
wheels running on a rail around the bottom of the pit. Building the pit and
actual rotating bridge (or disk) should not be too difficult. No crossing
tracks or frogs to mess with. It looks easier than a switch.
The biggest obstacle would be motorizing it. If you went manual, you might
have a notched disk with notches set at specific degree intervals for
indexing. Then manually turning it would just click through the notches
until it was at the correct position. I can visualize the mechanical
linkage for manually turning it from a remote location. If the notches are
small enough, the "bump" when it crossed a notch would be acceptable.
Any suggestions on the electronics needed to electrify it? Certainly
someone has built their own.
-David Allen
Ken Harstine
the same as building your own. I had to completely replace the turning
mechanism. Besides indexing which I do manually, the hardest part is
getting the thing centered and level. In N scale you have to be very
precise. Mine is not perfect, but it is close enough that all of my
engines can enter and leave from either side of the table.
Come to think of it, it might have been easier to start with quality
girder bridge kit. The pit would still be a challenge though.
Best of luck.
In article <O1RncDpZ#GA....@newstoo.hiwaay.net>, dal...@mesahq.com.NOSPAM
says...
NscaleLou
<ma...@nbs-inc.com> writes:
> Still, I'd like to get a little feedback before committing
>that much $ to a single item.
Mark,
I have the Arnold turntable installed, and am quite pleased with it. While the
price may seem stiff, it's a great performer. It's indexing works extremely
well. This is an important feature, because a turntable that can't be aligned
perfectly at each stop will be a big source of frustration and dissappointment,
leading to lack of use. The Arnold table is actually powered by a motor built
into the table, not by a motor underneath the pit. I should also add I have
the motorized Atlas turntable installed, and am likewise pleased with its
perfect alignment. The Atlas turntable is used exclusively to turn a Doodlebug
180 degrees, while the Arnold is installed in a steam servicing facility with
multiple stubs coming off.
I also found out today that Kato also offers a turntable, but I believe its
price may be double the Arnold. Unlike the Arnold's 7.5 degree indexing, the
Kato indexes at 15 degrees, like the Atlas.
I don't have any knowledge of the Walthers (Heljan) turntable. Apparently it
does support 7.5 degree stubs, but is not self-indexing.
All-in-all, if you can acquire the Arnold, do it, especially if you get it at a
bargain price. Also, have you friend get you the controller, and lots of the
stub track inserts used for table entry/exit. Get more than you think you'll
need, because finding them here in the states is like looking for hen's teeth.
Hope this helps with your decision.
Lou
Clarke Woodfin
I'm in the middle of putting a turntable in my new HO layout. I
bought the Walthers turntable, and have modified it significantly.
I'm using the Walthers pit and hardware, but I'm scratchbuilding my
own deck and railing from basswood (I thought the plastic parts looked
pretty cheesy).
I think it would be rather difficult to build your own pit. That's
why I bought the Walthers kit, as sort of a starting point. I can
use the parts I like, then modify or scratchbuild and replace the
parts I don't like.
Clarke
On Thu, 4 Mar 1999 16:50:52 -0600, "David Allen"
<dal...@mesahq.com.NOSPAM> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>First, I am quite the newbie so please don't hesitate to point out my
>naďveté. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but not electrically.
Mark Peterson
>The Arnold table is actually powered by a motor built
>into the table, not by a motor underneath the pit.
How was it to put the thing together? Is it a kit? Preassembled? Partially
assembled? The thing I didn't like about the Walthers turntable/motorization
kit was the difficulty (at least for me), to get it assembled, wired and
soldered properly. Maybe it's just me, but I found the so-called
instructions wanting.
>the motorized Atlas turntable installed, and am likewise pleased with its
>alignment.
I like the way the Atlas turntable performs, and esp like that it's pretty
much assembled and ready to go out of the box. I don't like the way it
looks, though (kind of cheesy, to be honest). And don't like the 15 degree
spacing - not really roundhouse-friendly.
>All-in-all, if you can acquire the Arnold, do it, especially if you get it
at a
>bargain price. Also, have you friend get you the controller,
My friend tells me he can get the whole thing (turntable, remote control,
etc) for about $150.
>and lots of the
>stub track inserts used for table entry/exit. Get more than you think
you'll
>need, because finding them here in the states is like looking for hen's
teeth.
I asked for 5 of those, hopefully that'll be enough :-)
-Mark
Matt Conrad
> I was wondering how hard it would be to build your own. Looking at the one
> here in town at our local depot museum, it looks pretty simple. It has a
> bridge resting on the center point. The ends have what look like flanged
> wheels running on a rail around the bottom of the pit. Building the pit and
> actual rotating bridge (or disk) should not be too difficult. No crossing
> tracks or frogs to mess with. It looks easier than a switch.
A few things others haven't pointed out yet. The first two have to do
with the ring rail:
First, one of the hardest parts of building real turntables is getting
the ring rail perfectly circular. This is essential for smooth
operation, and will be just as difficult in any scale as it is for the
prototype. Don't think you can just draw a circle with a compass and lay
the rail to fit it! It will take many hours of tweaking and adjusting to
get the ring rail exactly right. I would have the basic structure of the
bridge already built before undertaking this, as being able to set the
bridge on the center bearing will allow you to use the ring wheels as a
guage to get the ring lined correctly.
Second, for model purposes, the ring rail is normally used to carry
track voltage. Half the rail carries +, the other half -. One end of the
bridge picks up the +, the other end picks up the -. This means that the
ring rail can't be one solid rail, with a single joint -- you'll need
two joints, both insulated. It might also be wise to have either a short
section of "dead" rail betwen the two halves, or only have one ring
wheel picking up current to avoid shorts while the bridge straddles the
gap.
I've seen several articles on building turntables in various magazines.
I don't recall any of them dealing with the ring rail problem, however.
FWIW, when I wanted a turntable, I bought Bowser's basic HO TT. Never
quite got around to finishing it with bridge girders and other details,
because we moved shortly after I got it and I had to tear down the
layout. I did have the basic table installed on the layout, however, and
liked it. When I acquire a new ROW, I'll properly finish it as a
fully-operable model.
Regarding indexing -- I had an opportunity to operate the prototype
turntable at the Spencer Shops in North Carolina a few years ago
(pre-restoration, the operation of the table has undoubtably improved
since then). I can tell you that indexing on a prototype turntable (at
least that one) is NOT automatic! The table has a streetcar-style
controller (three points each direction, if memory serves -- only one
point in each direction worked at the time, however), and a big, manual
brake which works ordinary brake shoes on the ring wheels. You get the
thing moving with the controller, shut off and let it coast, then pull
on the brake and hope you get the thing stopped in the right place.
First I undershot the track, then overshot it twice before finally
getting the thing properly indexed. I plan to install a momentum
throttle and electronic "brake" when I motorize my HO turntable to
simulate this "feature". :o)
--
-Matt Conrad, jmco...@InfoAve.net - http://web.infoave.net/~jmconrad
All opinions expressed above are my own and do not represent the
opinion of any organization I belong to or work for.
Copyright 1999 Matt Conrad. Do not print or forward.
MEAT7
>with the ring rail:
>
>First, one of the hardest parts of building real turntables is getting
>the ring rail perfectly circular.
With N scale, the ring rail isn't really that important. As long as the centre
axis is sturdy enought to support an N scale loco, sitting on the edge. And
since N scale loco's don't weight that much (relative to other scales), You can
eliminate the rig rail considerations.
I beleive the Walthers Turntable skirts the issue (Mine has been heavily
modified, I can't even remember the original configuration). It has a ring
rail, but I think it just has some skids that ride on it, so it only has to be
flat, and not perfectly circular, nor is it conducting.
-Scott-
NscaleLou
<ma...@nbs-inc.com> writes:
>How was it to put the thing together? Is it a kit? Preassembled? Partially
>assembled?
It comes preassembled, that probably contributes to the price, but well worth
it.
By the way, if you've only asked for 5 track stubs, believe me, go for 10 or
12. You'll like the turntable so much, you'll want to expand its capacity!
Lou
Mark Peterson
>It comes preassembled, that probably contributes to the price, but well
worth
>it.
Excellent!
>By the way, if you've only asked for 5 track stubs, believe me, go for 10
or
>12. You'll like the turntable so much, you'll want to expand its capacity!
I'll up the order, but isn't a single stub actually three tracks? I can't
picture having 36 tracks going to a turntable, not on my little ol' layout
anyhow :)
-Mark
c'est_moi
jmco...@InfoAve.Net says...
>
>David Allen <dal...@mesahq.com.NOSPAM> wrote:
>
>> I was wondering how hard it would be to build your own.
<SNIP>
>Second, for model purposes, the ring rail is normally used to carry
>track voltage. Half the rail carries +, the other half -. One end of the
>bridge picks up the +, the other end picks up the -. This means that the
>ring rail can't be one solid rail, with a single joint -- you'll need
>two joints, both insulated. It might also be wise to have either a short
>section of "dead" rail betwen the two halves, or only have one ring
>wheel picking up current to avoid shorts while the bridge straddles the
>gap.
It seems that having the rail carry + and have the - go down through the pivot
ought to work nicely, and you won't have to block the rail ring...
just a passing thought (they USUALLY get away...)
-ken
NscaleLou
<ma...@nbs-inc.com> writes:
>I'll up the order, but isn't a single stub actually three tracks? I can't
>picture having 36 tracks going to a turntable, not on my little ol' layout
>anyhow :)
You know, you're correct. I'd forgotten that Arnold part # 6383 comes with 3
stubs packaged in the box, so your original order should do you fine. If you
do end up with extras, drop me an Email.
Lou
Curtis Reid
a phono plug as the pivot mechanism and electrical connection. That seems
like it would work fairly well (although motorizing it might be fun....)
Curtis
Ron Bareham
cwoo...@erols.dot.kom (Clarke Woodfin) wrote:
> David,
>
> I'm in the middle of putting a turntable in my new HO layout. I
> bought the Walthers turntable, and have modified it significantly.
> I'm using the Walthers pit and hardware, but I'm scratchbuilding my
> own deck and railing from basswood (I thought the plastic parts looked
> pretty cheesy).
>
> I think it would be rather difficult to build your own pit. That's
> why I bought the Walthers kit, as sort of a starting point. I can
> use the parts I like, then modify or scratchbuild and replace the
> parts I don't like.
I built the N scale one, when it was still Heljan, and a lot of trouble
because I didn't do my soldering until it was too late to dismantle the
plastic parts of the pivot mechanism. Two friends have built the HO version
and had similar problems. This ring rail business is not really a problem,
since the thing does not have to be perfectly circular. The bridge part can
slide over the rail whether it's perfect or not, and likewise for power
pickup. I don't mean you shouldn't do your best to make it circular, but you
don't need to spend months on the job either. You can build your own using a
bicycle hub for the pivot and attaching the bridge to one side of it with a
double nut on the axle. You can also select a bolt and fasten it to the
bridge in similar manner. A Model Railroader article way back in 1950 showed
how to make your own. It used a large circle of plywood under the turntable
which extended through a slot in the benchwork. As the article stated,
there's no finer computer for judging the exact place to stop the deck than
the human brain and hand. Ron
> Clarke
>
> On Thu, 4 Mar 1999 16:50:52 -0600, "David Allen"
> <dal...@mesahq.com.NOSPAM> wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >First, I am quite the newbie so please don't hesitate to point out my
> >naïveté. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but not electrically.
> >
> >I was wondering how hard it would be to build your own. Looking at the one
> >here in town at our local depot museum, it looks pretty simple. It has a
> >bridge resting on the center point. The ends have what look like flanged
> >wheels running on a rail around the bottom of the pit. Building the pit and
> >actual rotating bridge (or disk) should not be too difficult. No crossing
> >tracks or frogs to mess with. It looks easier than a switch.
> >
> >The biggest obstacle would be motorizing it. If you went manual, you might
> >have a notched disk with notches set at specific degree intervals for
> >indexing. Then manually turning it would just click through the notches
> >until it was at the correct position. I can visualize the mechanical
> >linkage for manually turning it from a remote location. If the notches are
> >small enough, the "bump" when it crossed a notch would be acceptable.
> >
> >Any suggestions on the electronics needed to electrify it? Certainly
> >someone has built their own.
> >
> >-David Allen
> >
> >
>
>
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