Building a Gallows Turntable for the Horace and William Creek R.R.

[bparrish]

Dave.   

I looked up your railroad and found a number of locations that show your rr. 

Very cool.  It looks like you did some stuff some time ago on another forum. 

Could you reprint some photos here?

Thanx
Bob

[DACS]

Thanks for the drop in and comments Bob.

The Horace and William Creek Railroad has never been actually, a working model railroad.  What you have seen are pics of a 30"x48" module.  That module has been long disposed of.
I am now working on an engine service module that will showcase the gallows turntable, a two stall enginehouse, sand house, water and oil service.  Also there will be a machine and blacksmith shop.  Every structure will be scratchbuilt.
What you are seeing here, are the beginnings.  I have been building an enginehouse in another forum, but am going to take it up here, along with all the other structures listed.

Thanks
Dave HWCRR
Seattle

[bparrish]

Dave. 

So what's keeping you

Great modeling.  😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

Thanx
Bob

[DACS]

Just hang around Bob.  One bridge at a time (figure of speech there).  No pun intended.

Dave HWCRR
Seattle

[DACS]

It is a shame that all the work you have performed, with the exception of the outside wheel and the outer ring, won't be seen, unless you make your table removable, so you can show it off! Doing that would not be that difficult to do.  Which is, by the way, how I did it.
But, all this work,makes this spider assembly fully operational and you can show others, what is making your turntable/spider assembly operate so effortlessly.

Next on the agenda, is to make the spacer ring that goes on the outside of the wheels.
For this step, we use the plastic strip material. Now, some of you may not like using plastic. For you, you can substitute brass shim stock. The dimensions remain the same. I tried both, but preferred the plastic. It's easier to work with.

Measure for the first reference mark, 5/16" from the end. From that point measure 5/8" for every reference mark until you have sixteen marks for drilling. Make these as exact as possible.
When you have made your last mark, measure 5/16" again and that's where, you cut the strip. It should be exactly 10" in length.
Then using the needle on your compass, make your pilot hole indents, then using your drill press, drill all sixteen holes with the 1/16" drill bit.

Sorry these pics are fuzzy.  Hopefully they are ok enough to show what is desired.




Here is the strip painted and weathered.



The following images are showing the wheelsets, axle housings and the locking ring all unpainted and unweathered.  Got a little out of order here.  But, that's ok.  It all works in the end which is, what we are looking for.
I am pretty much out of time today, but, I will continue this tomorrow and hopefully, will get the spider assembly build part done.

Dave HWCRR
Seattle

[S&S RR]

Dave

This thread just keeps getting better and better. Great work.  Thanks for sharing.

[gnatshop]

Awesome planning and detail work!
The Ledbetters are super impressed - they always thought that the center is "oh, about there!".

[DACS]

Bob, Dave and David...thanks for the drop in and the great comments.  David, on absolute center being "Oh, about there"... Do the Ledbetters work for the government?   

Bob, I think I read somewhere in the foum, that you were on a PBR.   If not, my mistake.  If so:  well, I did not have that distinction, but I did serve on board the submarine U.S.S. Grampus.  S.S. 523, out of Norfolk, Va..  That seems an eternity ago.  I left the Navy in 1971.

Onward and upward.

I have gotten ahead of myself in the thread here.  I did not show nor even write about building the upper ring rail support for the spider assembly.  Neither did I list rail size in the materials list...it's code 83.

I am going to regress today before I go any further and 'write' how to build the upper section.  I can't seem to find the pics.  Trying to live up to perfection is such an imperfect thing.  Catch y'all later today!

Dave HWCRR
Seattle

[ACL1504]

Wonderful thread and fantastic modeling. Thanks for all the photos as well.

Tom

[GPdemayo]

Amazing detail.............

[DACS]

Thank you very much, Tom and Gregory.

You know what they say Tom...a picture is worth a thousand words!  I do my best.  Sometimes I drop the ball.

Dave HWCRR
Seattle

[DACS]

I did not have enough time to finish this last week. So back to it. I will start with placing the spacer/retainer ring on the axle ends of the assembly. It really helps if you first curl the assembly. If it has been done correctly, the ends should match up perfectly.
I didn't do this and it had a tendency to kink at each drilled hole. It isn't a big problem, as this will correct itself a little later. You will also note, that I did this step before the wheels were painted. This is ok also, as you are only checking the ring fit. It will be removed to be painted, then replaced.



A little tweaking here and there and it can be removed and painted.





Now put the ring back on the axles.

Cut a small piece of the same plastic strip and acc it to the ring to close 'er up.







Next step is to put the retainers on the ends of the axles. This is done by just slicing 1/16" pieces from your 1/8 aluminum tubing. a little filing to clean up the insides and these are placed onto the axle ends. Push them all the way. Then taking your flat mini file, file them flush with the axle, making a nice clean look. Then just touch the end with acc. Do each axle in this manner before moving on to the next. You can see two of them finished in the above pic, but the next one has not yet been filed.

Now you can finish the assembly off with paint touch up and then weathering.

This image is taken from the first assembly I built, so it has not been painted or weathered. Seems I misplaced a picture of the one I am building for this part of the thread, or I forgot to take one. Probably the latter is true.

Next, I will show you how the assembly is placed onto the base. This is where the washers come into play.

Dave HWCRR
Seattle

[bparrish]

Very cool. 

Thanx
Bob

[gnatshop]

Awesome build thread!   
I would need to be in Bob P.s insane asylum to try this!

Oh, yeah - I already am, but not for buildin' skills! 

[DACS]

Thank you Bob P and David W., for the drop in.

C'mon...I was told eons ago, by a two thousand year old tibetan wise man that:  "we are limited only, by the restrictions we place upon ourselves."  Of course, I had to learn the language he spoke in, just to understand what he said.  Then from there, we teach grasshoppers how to fly! 

Dave  HWCRR
Seattle