Hi, I have my roundhouse in the painting stages, an so now I need to find a turntable. I have mostly old AF steamers, 293’s, 312’s and a 342. I need a turntable bridge length of 16 inches. Turntables made for S are few and far between and rather expensive.
I have been looking at the Walthers Cornerstone HO 130 foot model. The bridge length is advertised as 18 7/8 inches. Has anyone converted one of these to accept flyer track? I have also considered ther Atlas O turntable, but I prefer the open pit design.
Any other turntables out there that you have used on A/F layouts?
Tried the HO idea but did not work, the weight of the engines, width of the track, wire routing, etc. just did not work. Try Bowser/Stewart Hobbies S guage turntables… really nice, not sure of you have the budget though, these run very high, very nice quality. I think they make one as large as 32 inches in length.
I second the Bowser turntable. As long as your benchwork is stout, you get a nice firm base for precision alignment. A firm base makes or breaks a turn table. Otherwise they are a nightmare and only good for static display. In the Bowser site, I don’t see just the turntable and bridge beam sold by itself. They used to sell them this way and you could save a bit of money making your own girders.
Thank you both for the input, you are right, the Bowser unit is awesome. I am just not sure I can justify the cost. I keep looking at the Atlas O unit, but really want a pit design TT.
I am still hoping someone has successfully converted the Walthers 130’ TT to work with S trains, and can share the experience with it. I see all of good reports on the operation of these units, but as you pointed out, I will be askign it to work much harder turning a 3-4 lbs AF steamer.