Believe it or not, this is a good "ol HO standard gauge Atlas Turntable. It has been buried underneath the table with this superstructure. I liked it as the basis of construction due to the consistent alignment of the mechanism to the tracks. Burying it, also hides the motor and gears.
it is now HOn3. But since it no longer relies on the original structure, the process of building could be adapted to most any scale or gauge.. I could see this bring easily used for S or an O gauge line by simply being careful of intended locomotive length.
IMG_4634.JPG
Very Nice Dave!!
Jerry
Nice one Dave. So is yours just turned with the manual handle somehow, or motorised ?
It is motorized with the original motor in place.. It has a false top to it of course, to bury the original mechanism completely beneath the layout.
The "drive" is simple. It's a square ⬛ 1/8 female stereo plug soldered to the original lower rails. It could have been mono instead of stereo. I simply used what I had handy from other projects
A square box tube of styrene was pieced together and fitted tightly around the plug. It extends upward into the bottom of the wooden "A" frame bridge. I made it a little longer than expected to allow for finally trimming to size.
By locking it around the plug into the upper wooden A frame bridge, allows it to move the lower hidden table and upper frame in unison. A simple matching male 1/8 plug is soldered to the A frame rails to provide power. It rests inside the square tube
It's very reliable and can be easily worked on, as the A frame simply unplugs from the base
By no means am I the first to use the Atlas table in this manor. I'm just the first to make a fishing hole out of it for the local residents. Every storm from the north, crashes over the rocks. With any luck, some lake trout or salmon get thrown over the rocks as well.
Ok that story sounds fishy. But it's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Fifth Dave to the right.
A turntable turned into a great scene, good work Dave..... 8)
Wow. Great work...I've obviously seen them re-purposed like Malcolm Furlow did by just gluing a bridge detail on top but you've gone to a much higher level - the pit looks great too- very unique.
John
Nice turntable, Dave.
Jeff
That looks great!
Quote from: Dave Buchholz on February 11, 2025, 11:25:43 PMBelieve it or not, this is a good "ol HO standard gauge Atlas Turntable.... It has been buried underneath the table with this superstructure.
I like this idea a lot, and your execution of it as well. In searching now for the Atlas HO turntable, all I see is a covered deck version. Was that your starting point? Am I understanding correctly that you built everything visible in the photo, including the pit rail?
Very nice!
Atlas describes it as a 9" diameter, is 9" the length of rail on your bridge?
Awesome turntable! 8)
Quote from: IWannaRetire on February 12, 2025, 09:20:59 AMQuote from: Dave Buchholz on February 11, 2025, 11:25:43 PMBelieve it or not, this is a good "ol HO standard gauge Atlas Turntable.... It has been buried underneath the table with this superstructure.
. In searching now for the Atlas HO turntable, all I see is a covered deck version. Was that your starting point? Am I understanding correctly that you built everything visible in the photo, including the pit rail?
Atlas describes it as a 9" diameter, is 9" the length of rail on your bridge?
Yes. The typical flat Atlas turntable was indeed the staring point. Since we are building a pit bed above the Atlas unit, the depth of the pit and length of the "bridge" can pretty much be anything you imagine, easily up to 12 inches. You could make one side dug into a hill and the other side on one stilts.
The key is really going to be how much slop or slackness of the fitting is allowed used to connect above and below together.. That's why the square plug and tube must be tightly fitted and shimmed so it lines up with rails originally and when 180* around. It used an exact online and thin plastic shims to finish the fit.
I'm at work during the day. I will try to post up a few pics of the preliminary stages of the build later tonight.
Dave
Thanks for the extra info Dave. I think I understand what you're saying, but pictures are always better, and would be appreciated. So with it being motorised, does the indexing still work ?
I would really like a turntable and don't really want to spend the many hundreds of dollars to get one of those flash ones.
Very fine. And I love it that you've posed a weatherbeaten old Shay on it. Geared locomotive aficionado, here.
As Promised, here's a few photos of how the North Coast Turntable was modified from a Basic Atlas Turntable. First off, I do not claim to originate this idea. I simply adapted the idea for my use, that others in the hobby before me, introduced.
First is an example of simple overlay and framing, without any pit, made by another modeler years ago. This would be unburied
common atlas build.jpg
and installed on his layout.
Atlas Turntable overlay.jpg
Here's another example of other inspirations I've collected for future ideas. In particular, I've always thought this was was absolutely awesome! Like how the pit rail is over the side of a hill. It inspired me to keep one side of the pit more open.
200819181535_BBGoldMiningTerminal4.JPG
This is how I built the turn table for the North Coast Railroad.
Building up the base with a 1/8" jack soldered to the rails. It would not have mattered to use a mono vs Stereo Jack. It was also "JB Welded" (Glued) to keep it secure. You can see the spacers that the pit base will be fixed to Turntable 1.jpg
You see how this will be buried under the benchwork. I cut away the plywood to give the drive motor clearance
The motor is simply covered by pink foam
Turntable 2.jpg
basic mount of substructureIMG_20200414_211544940.jpg
Building up of the ring rail IMG_20200427_150523572.jpg
Removed to the work bench for build up of the ring rail.ring rail 1.jpg
I used strip wood, then covered it in dental stone
IMG_20200428_151855363.jpg
After sanding the surface of the dental stone (a type of plaster used in the dental industry) back down the the cribbing. I started adding the ties. Afterward it was on to spacing the ring rail
I used a nail into the connector block as a center pivot IMG_20200428_165129674.jpg
IMG_20200428_212850151.jpg
The connecting box around the 1/8" electrical plug was built with sheet and "L" plastic. It is what actually connects and drives the upper turntable bridge to the Atlas table underneath. IMG_20200429_221512478.jpgIMG_20200427_162100036.jpgIMG_20200427_163423610.jpg
I love your field-expedient wooden ring-rail trammel. Or circle gauge. Whatever it's called. How did you cut the proper arc in it, please?
I used a simple cut off wheel in a Dremel tool to get the curve on the bottom of the trammel.
Then I took a length of code 70 rail and kept bending it into an arc until it was close to the needed diameter. the actual diameter wasn't critical, but keeping it consistent was. Other than that. It was keeping it reasonable centered on the ties.. As I moved the trammel around the circle, I spiked the rail into place on the ties.
I did not use the trammel space the bogie wheels under the bridge base at a later point in construction. I just decided it was going to be easier to match the four bogie wheels to the ring rail, rather than the other way around..
I'll show the bogie wheel construction as this progresses.
"The Trammel has a curved on the bottom."
Ohh... So it won't bear on the rail for the whole width of its cut? Just a tiny bite?
If so, that's elegant.
I fitted the bridge bogie wheels into brass channel. Note they are mounted perpendicular to the center (tangent) the are not in line with the bridge timbers themselves., but to the center pivot point.
.IMG_20200429_214417747.jpg
turntable shim 3.jpgIMG_20200416_213921157.jpg
These next to pictures illustrate the difference of building directly onto the Atlas turntable, vs burying the mechanism below to use the indexing feature with a new structure IMG_3769_opt.jpg
After mounting.jpg
You ain't fiddlin around! That was quick and it looks great! I saw one of those rail benders from a company for like 80 bucks! I made a similar one out of wood and some rollers/ 1/4 20 bolts/ from a hardware store. Did the job.
Philip
Happy to hear you imagineered your own tool Phil. I kind of cheated somewhat. Professionally, I'm a Licensed Optician in New York State, for over fifty years. I own a tool for bending wire frames, but I've also seen the same tool at Hobby lobby. The optical industry calls it a base curve pliers.
Jewelry maker hobbyists usually refer to it as a wire forming pliers. I have seen them in places like Hobby Lobby and Michael's craft stores. Sometimes they come in a set that have other useful pliers.
Optical-Base-Curve-Pliers-T9063-3.jpg
Speaking of rail benders. I made one many years ago and gave it to a friend to test out. Haven't seen either of them.
(https://www.kingstonemodelworks.com/Modelers/Misc/bender3.jpg)
(https://www.kingstonemodelworks.com/Modelers/Misc/bender2.jpg)
(https://www.kingstonemodelworks.com/Modelers/Misc/bender1.jpg)
Bernd
That looks similar in design to the Fast Tracks rail bender (which works well....) And that reminds me: I still need to add the guard rails to my trestle bridge...
dave
Interesting. I had an Atlas turntable on my first layout, but believe I gave it away.
Funny they used a tool similar like that at vision works today to adjust my wife new tight glasses.
Pictured was my jig I used on a turntable from Kitwood hills models,UK. My grandson named it "toaster". It is a basic friction jig that was a useful rail bender cobbled.
Quote from: deemery on February 15, 2025, 12:33:13 PMThat looks similar in design to the Fast Tracks rail bender (which works well....) And that reminds me: I still need to add the guard rails to my trestle bridge...
dave
So did this one. I've got parts for one. I'm going to need to get it built up for future track work on the quarry line.
Bernd
That's sooooo cool ;) ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D . I used the same Atlas TT on The Grizzly & Dilapidated Ry. and found it easy to do modifications to also. Love the whole 'pond idea'........Thanx for the inspiration.....
KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry.
Thanks Kyle. Its rare that anything I present helps to inspire another modeler. It's usually the other way around. Thank you for your kind comment.
Dave Buchholz