i have a p2k 4-8-2 berkshire and i am planning to by walthers 90’ tt but i,m not sure the engine will fit the turntable. what is the correct way to measure the length of a locomotive. e.g. coupler to coupler, wheel base etc
I would measure from the frontmost wheel of the locomotive to the rearmost wheel of the tender - I wouldn’t think a little pilot or coupler overhang would matter. Not sure if this is prototypical though.
I have a good hunch it will be a “no go” on the 4-8-2, sorry. My 2-8-2 Trix Mike is about the longest I can get on my 90’ turntable.
Probably not.
Some railroads had either modifications to the tender or allowed the stuff to hang off the ends.
Extreme cases they probably just ran the thing straight through to a stall or something.
One idea would be to borrow from our UK friends and use a sliding cassette to rotate the engine around without actually having to lift it with the hands.
I believe you mean a 2-8-4 Berks!
I remember reading someplace where the Van Sweringens had the Nickle Plate Berks designed to operate on existing 90 foot turntables - which they did; models won’t because we have a vastly greater gap between the locomotive and tender which increases the operating wheelbase of the locomotive and tender well beyond the 87 feet 7½ inch base from the center of the locomotives pilot truck wheel to the center of the rearmost wheel on the tender. I’m afraid Life-Like’s model is going to require closer to a 100 foot turntable because of that out-of-scale factor.
sorry rtpteet, you are correct its a 2-8-4 berk. either way i might have to go to thr walthers 130 tt
There was only a 5’ difference between the Pere Marquette Berk and the J1 Hudson of the NYC. My J1 fits easily on the 90’ built-up from Walthers, so if you can find a precise length for the Berk you fancy, and it is not the coupler-to-coupler length, you might find that you can turn that model on the TT.
I already purchased the locomotive unlettered. i was hoping to add boston albany decals at a later date, since the b&a tested the first berks that were produced and subsequently bought 50 more. maybe i need planning lessons on future purchases.
Hi John,
The actual Nickel Plate Berkshire is just about 100 feet long measured from coupler pulling face to coupler pulling face. The engine’s wheelbase is about 88 feet however, so it would fit on a 90-foot turntable in a pinch.
There are some other considerations for a model engine, however. As others have mentioned, the model’s wheelbase is probably longer than scale, especially with the engine and tender not coupled as closely as they are on the real engine. Also, if you aren’t using an automatic system to align your turntable, it can be very difficult to see when the track is lined up with the engine and tender hanging over the ends of the table. Finally, you have to remember not to place any poles, structures, or details inside the arc overhanging the end of the table, where the engine or tender can hit them.
By the way, the Nickel Plate Berkshires were designed about 8 years after the B&A’s, and they were larger, longer engines with larger driving wheels. Just about their only resemblance to the B&A Berkshires was in their wheel arrangement. A good short history of the 2-8-4 type is “The Berkshire Story,” by Neil Carlson, in “Steam Glory 2,” a special edition of “Classic Trains” magazine published last winter and still available through the “Shop” section of this Web site. It includes photos of both the B&A and NKP Berkshires, as well as many others.
so long,
Andy
You may be able to use 105’ turntable and save some space… I think diamondscale makes one.
Brian
Thanks andy and brian, i will certainly look into the information you both gave me.
Here is the link to diamond scale… they do make a 105’ one… I am planning on getting the 120’ one for my layout…
Brian
http://www.diamond-scale.com/Products/products__turntables.htm
Andy, I am about as far from a “rivet counter” type modeler as there could be, but I must ask you, although it would fit on the 90 footer, do you think it is practical and from purely a prototypical viewpoint does it work out okay on the layout? Or, in other words, do you really think it will look okay with the couplers hovering over the approach/departure tracks?
I personally don’t have a problem with it and hope mine will work s
Here is a site that suggests turntable bridges with bogeys on each end were specifically designed to turn engines according to their wheelbase lengths. Scroll well down the page to where you will find the section about turntables.
Hi “Mastiffdog,”
As a matter of fact there are many prototype examples of turntables turning engines that hung over the rails, so this definitely was done. I mentioned some of the practical considerations on a model railroad in my earlier post. In real life this could only be done on a three-point turntable, one built to share the load between the center bearing and the end bogies, but model railroaders don’t often pay much attention to this. Older balanced turntables required that the engine and tender be balanced, or nearly so, over the bridge’s center bearing, which meant that the table could only turn locomotive-tender combinations shorter than the bridge. Most larger turntables were the three-point type for exactly this reason, but the Boston & Maine site in “selector’s” link shows the restrictions imposed on turning various classes of B&M power.
So long,
Andy
Thanks Andy. I really appreciate your contributions.
It is refreshing to see that many of the hobby’s leaders are setting a good example by sharing their knowledge on the forum. It is a great way to boost the goodwill of our hobby and the products you offer all of us.
Regards,
DOG