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Atlas HO scale turntable
i found this turntable to be a neat little piece in my railroad puzzle. it fits all my engines… except that doodlebug from bachmann. it is just a tad short for even the IHC 2-6-0/mogul i own. a super tight fit. all in all, an exceptional piece to own. 
Very good product. I have had one on my layout for about three years now and I did the motor upgrade at the time I was building my layout. The wiring wasn’t that bad to do and I am what you would call a novice. If you have the Atlas wiring book and follow the instructions anyone can do it.
I owned the older version of this. I liked it, but the drive motor was very noisy -and it can only hold small locos. Atlas should make a version that can hold a big steamer - at least a Texas or Northern type.
This is an excellent turntable for the money and with 21 indexed stops what more can you ask for ! This is ideal for small logging or mining engines , I have several NWSL 2-6-6-2’s that set this table just perfect as well as the Shays and Climax Loco’s. I did modify it somewhat , If any of you longtime Modelers remember Malcum Furlow’s San Juan Central , he used an original Atlas Turntable and slightly modified it for his service area. A handmade,scratch built , Gallows structure was added to the platform.
I basically did the same with mine . My brother is making a small brass Tag for the top of the gallows assembly that will read . M. Furlow & Co. You can check it out if you have an old issue of MR’r November 1983, page 97 . This new turntable will replace the older original perfectly if you already have one and you gain 10 more indexed stops ! For the money and the performance you get you can’t go wrong .It’s also easy to add DCC if you have an old decoder laying around . Jim
It is a good turntable for the price. Yes, it is a little short as my IHC pacific (4-6-2) can’t fit on it, about half the tender ends up sitting on the lead track. The motor is a bit loud, but I can live with the noise, you just have to run the turntable motor at a lower speed. Besides, turntables spin locomotives around like the “Wheel of Fortune.”
I too have owned the original ? since 1983? It has been running on my layout for about 5 ot 6 years. The motor works like a charm and touch wood runs failsafe, not once missing its stop or failing on the job. The motor is probably no more noisey than the original real thing. I use an Atlas controller (switch) I think part no. 220 to run it. Great product. Atlas keep on building them!
I too have had one of the original tables in use since the 60’s. I have but two wishes for Atlas, 1- make a 12" version and 2- shorten the time it pauses at each track location. I also replaced the motor with a quieter micro-motor. It’s still going strong on my grandson’s layout.
For small 4x6 to 4x8 layouts, it works great. I did add the 3 stall roundhouse from walthers and it looks great. My grandsons love it.
I haven’t installed mine yet, and what is holding me up greatly is the wiring for a motor driven one. I don’t know if I’m a bit slow, but it seems very confusing to me with the A’s and B’s not meaning much to me as I’m fairly new to this hobby. Any help out there would be welcome, thanks.
I like this turntable along with the roundhouse kits to go along with it. I use it for my 0-6-0’s and have even added details and lighting to the roundhouse interior. It makes a great up front kit for a small layout.
Fellow Model Railroaders , I added my comments about this turntable previously on 5/30/2011 , my Brother said I should have clarified several of my comments , (#1) , it’s easy to convert to DCC if you have added the motor drive assembly , for turning the turntable, you can easily use an old decoder for remote operation from your handheld controller , simply attach the decoder to the side of the turntable motor with double sided tape and program it with an unused loco cab number. The Orange and Gray wires attach to the motor drive and the Red and Black simply attach to DCC Track Power. (#2) My NWSL 2-6-6-2’s are 2-6-6-2-T’s , no Tenders.
The track wiring is simple and straight forward , common sense will see you through it , after all this is the Greatest Hobby , Build it and have fun . Good luck if you try it , Jim
I had two of these at one time, both powered. The one using gears was much noisier than the other which employed rubber drive belts. I see no reason why a clever modeler couldn’t fashion a longer bridge to mount on top of the rotating pit surface. The unit would need to be mounted below table surface height. Ultimately I needed a longer bridge for steam locos: Walthers, Bowser, Diamond Scale are possibilities or were when I was shopping.
I had this turntable on my layout in the 1960s. It was a great workable product. That is why it is still around.
A great turntable for small terminus or a small layout. with a bit of skill you can position Locos and carriages up to the Spectrum Doodlebug on the bridge and get it around with out hitting the motor cover with the cow catcher or coupler. I am installing one at the end of my branch line and a second is planned for the junction to support the engine shed and turn the small locos. A 12" one would be great so I could turn some of my larger steam Locos and heavy weight observation cars. The big boy might be a challenge even on a 12" table.
I had this turnatable back in the early 70’s. I put the motor on it and it was GREAT. Glad to see it is still around.
I had one of the older ones, brass rail and fewer leads, that I used with the hand crank when I was modeling 1914. Roundhouse old-time consolidations fit well and the table never failed. Now I’m in the modern era and am using one of the newer tables such as shown in the review’s picture. I power the table from one of my old DC power packs. This table is DCC friendly; however, one will momentarily lose power when one spins from an A to a B position. The table’s deck and indexing only bothers my purist friends. Atlas makes good reliable stuff. We in the hobby owe them.