While I never really wanted a turntable. With looking at ideas for the new layout I stated thinking about one. Did a search at Walther’s and none they had would handle my HO Big Boy or Y6 b.
Give me a minute to regain my composer, wife was Screaming At The Top Of Her Lungs for me to come into the house. I thought she had caught the house on fire, or having a stroke or something was wrong with one of the Dogs. But NNNNOOOOOOOOO, she saw a $%^@ spider. Give me a break.[banghead] About gave me a stroke.
Anyway, does someone make one that will handle a Big Boy, if not what would be a good starting point to kit bash?
I am DCC, fine with turning it by hand and it will be more for the look than anything.
The only reason the wife keeps me around is to lift things, reach the top shelf and kill insurgent arachnids, insects, and the occasional rodent. Other than that I am pretty useless except on payday in her eyes. It is funny as heck how they jump when that little bug scares them.
Jim and Pete are both right…the large built-up TT from Walthers is large enough for a Big Boy, and Ken and most of us are handy in a Red Green kind of way.
The Walthers 130 foot turntable will handle a Big Boy and an N&W Y6b. I have a Y6b and the Walthers turntable (not yet installed). By the way, Diamond Scale has a 130 foot turntable (that I have built) and will handle the Y6b.
Ken, I HIGHLY recommend the Walthers RTR turntable if your going to use it a lot. You said your interested in the looks so if your not so worried about the performance then the kit version of the Walthers 130’ turntable might be better for you. It’s cheap, very finiky and a POS in my opinion but it looks just as good as the RTR version if you weather it. Just remember though, the turntable and matching roundhouse are freaking HUGE. Mine take up a 5’ by 8’ area on my layout.
the Walthers 130’ TT will handle your large steam.
If you get according to all I have read on this forum: pay for and get the built-up ready-to-run DCC model {if you are going DCC on your layout}. The built up version is supposed to be better than the kit which I CAN attest to is a PITA to put together and get balanced right etc. I bugged out on it as I really didn’t have the room for it instead of struggling to put it together and getting it to operate right…
Ken, I cannot feel sorry for you concerning the spiders. My wife still screams and runs, but the added twist is “Don’t kill it, get it outside!!”. Brings back memories of when a bat got in one early morning. I had my mother staying with me and my wife came screaming into the bedroom at 4am with a broom and a scarf on her head with a winter jacket on as well. My mother was dressed the same, both of them trying to whack the bat with brooms, but “I” had to not hurt it and get it outside. [banghead]
I will chime in with my two cents worth, the Walthers 130’ T/T is an excellent choice but I will say the Big Boy is a tight fit. The tip of the front pilot and the rear coupler hang off the edge by a hair. Not the way the UP would have done it but we all make allowances. If you want to go a little out of the box CMR makes an excellent 135’ T/T, but unlike the Walthers built up you will need to install the motor drive kit which can be had by either CMR or by New York Railway Supply an excellent indexing system. I built one for a friend along with their roundhouse and It has to be one of the best kits I’ve ever put together…
Ken: When you do a turntable in RTS, besure to put down the 90ft turntable and then surround it with 3" sections to give you a placeholder for the new turntable; as I will do when I get my RTS files back in the same place…
On Spiders: One walked into my bathroom, then tried to walk out. He was large, had bright yellow markings, and barely fit under the Melotonin lid i dropped around him. I also learned he sucked at the backstroke, even before the jacuzzi pool he was given a one-way trip too begab to swirl.
A train nut friend and his wife got recently bitten, apparently in bed. SHe had two nasty ones that went away.
He had two, but one spider bite developed into a MRSA infection, requiring a weeks stay in teh hospital and then 6 weeks IV antibiotics through a PIC line inserted into his arm and through to his chest at home with home care…
He still has an infection going as they did take out the PIC line that he is being treated for…
Nasty…
SO now we kill all spiders we see around the house instantaneously as we are taking no chances!
Thanks for the answers. I went to the Walther’s site and did a keyword search for “Turntables”, but no Walther’s turn tables where shown. Are they still made?
Far as the spider, what gets me is when she tells me how to kill them?
No kit for the ones with the indexing included. And while it may seem expensive - the NYRS indexing and drive unit ALONE will cost more than the Walther’s turntable - plus the cost of the turntable. It’s nice stuff, but the price is way out there. The Walthers ones seem to work just fine.
Ken, I see the kit version of the Walthers 130’ turntable at train shows all the time. Usually they are around 1/2 price compared to retail. Look around and you will find one.