# Question Regarding Atlas HO Scale Turntable



## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Hello,
I recently consulted with a fellow member of my local model railroad club, and he suggested I put a turntable in my yard to turn trains around rather than constantly running them through the two reversing loops I'll also have. i found a turntable that would fit in my yard, and have also watched an instructional video on installing a drive motor for the turntable, but noticed that the turntable was operated by the DC power pack. As I'll be running trains with a DCC controller, I'm wondering if I should attach a separate DC power pack to the turntable to operate it, and if so, how I would isolate/switch power between the layout and the turntable itself.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Hello,
> I recently consulted with a fellow member of my local model railroad club, and he suggested I put a turntable in my yard to turn trains around rather than constantly running them through the two reversing loops I'll also have. i found a turntable that would fit in my yard, and have also watched an instructional video on installing a drive motor for the turntable, but noticed that the turntable was operated by the DC power pack. As I'll be running trains with a DCC controller, I'm wondering if I should attach a separate DC power pack to the turntable to operate it, and if so, how I would isolate/switch power between the layout and the turntable itself.


Yes, the turntable should have its own separate, power supply. Ideal would be a surplus DC power pack.
One of those little black "wall wart" power supplies like a cell phone charger, should work, though you would need to add a reversing & on/off switch. 

You mentioned an "Atlas turntable." One that Atlas has been selling for many years is a flat, above-the-table model with a rotating circular deck, instead of the normal rotating bridge in a pit. If that's what you're buying be aware of three things:

1) Its weird looking. There was a relatively rare prototype for it. This "pit less" turntable was used in heavy snow country. No one wants to shovel tons of snow out of a turntable pit !

2) Its motion is also weird. The deck rotates a little then stops at the next track. It then rotates a bit and stops, rotates a bit and stops. It does not move smoothly through 180 degrees like a normal turntable bridge can. This start-stop motion is because of the mechanical, reliable and accurate "indexing system" built into this turntable. The tracks line up very well at each stop. 

3) The motor drive is incredibly noisy! 

Traction Fan


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Thank you for your response. I did find a DCC-equipped turntable with a bridge and pit (made by Bachmann) that might work better. I'm also thinking that because it's DCC-equipped, I would be able to control the turntable from my DCC controller rather than relying on a separate power supply and switches.



traction fan said:


> Yes, the turntable should have its own separate, power supply. Ideal would be a surplus DC power pack.
> One of those little black "wall wart" power supplies like a cell phone charger, should work, though you would need to add a reversing & on/off switch.
> 
> You mentioned an "Atlas turntable." One that Atlas has been selling for many years is a flat, above-the-table model with a rotating circular deck, instead of the normal rotating bridge in a pit. If that's what you're buying be aware of three things:
> ...


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## Mixed Freight (Aug 31, 2019)

JStussy said:


> Thank you for your response. I did find a DCC-equipped turntable with a bridge and pit (made by Bachmann) that might work better. I'm also thinking that because it's DCC-equipped, I would be able to control the turntable from my DCC controller rather than relying on a separate power supply and switches.


I have an N-scale Atlas turntable, which if memory serves is merely a scaled-down duplicate of their HO unit.

The electric DC motor that rotates the turntable is entirely separate from the track wiring. Therefore, you could still power the turntable with a cheap little train DC train transformer, while hooking up the turntable track to your DCC system.

And for that matter, I don't see why you couldn't hook up a loco decoder to the turntable motor, then assign it an address and run it like you would a normal loco on the layout.

As far as noise goes, there is a little plastic shed to cover the DC motor on my N-scale turntable. It was fairly noisy at first, until I stuffed some foam inside the shed. After that, it did quiet it down considerably.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have the O-scale version of the Atlas TT, it actually works quite well for a $200 TT. The motor is somewhat noisy, but then I know it's moving.


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

That looks very impressive. I enjoy watching O-scale trains in operation as much as I do HO, though I'd likely not have room for an O-scale layout.


gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have the O-scale version of the Atlas TT, it actually works quite well for a $200 TT. The motor is somewhat noisy, but then I know it's moving.
> View attachment 561544


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Hello,
As mentioned before, I'm now looking at a motorized (Bachmann) turntable that is slightly larger, with the turntable bridge measuring 10 inches and the entire turntable measuring 14 inches. My question, though, is as follows: Would a 10-inch long turntable bridge be long enough to accommodate an HO-scale 4-6-2 (Pacific) locomotive?


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

My BLI Pacific loco measures 10" + or - a small amount from the front pilot wheels to the rear tender wheels.
It might fit or might not, very close. Your mileage might differ with a different tender etc.

Magic


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Hello,
I actually measured my Bachmann K4 from tender to cowcatcher last night at my model railroad club, and found that it measures around 11 1/2 inches. While this would be too large for the 10" Bachmann turntable, my fellow club members did mention that Walthers makes a 13" turntable.



Magic said:


> My BLI Pacific loco measures 10" + or - a small amount from the front pilot wheels to the rear tender wheels.
> It might fit or might not, very close. Your mileage might differ with a different tender etc.
> 
> Magic


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## Stejones82 (Dec 22, 2020)

JStussy said:


> Hello,
> I actually measured my Bachmann K4 from tender to cowcatcher last night at my model railroad club, and found that it measures around 11 1/2 inches. While this would be too large for the 10" Bachmann turntable, my fellow club members did mention that Walthers makes a 13" turntable.


That is the one I bought. It is pricey, to be sure, but so far I very much like it. July issue of Model Railroader has an article about adding the DCC controller to it, which I do not plan to do.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Stejones82 said:


> That is the one I bought. It is pricey, to be sure, but so far I very much like it. July issue of Model Railroader has an article about adding the DCC controller to it, which I do not plan to do.
> 
> View attachment 561836


stejones82;

You could "cheat" by adding short pieces of track to each end of the bridge, (and possibly add a bit more bridge deck too.) That would let longer locomotives use the turntable. Not prototypical, but practical, if you move the roundhouse back, or just shorten it's tracks a bit. It would even be possible to build a bigger pit, to accommodate an extended bridge. That would involve cutting the existing pit wall off your brand new model and building your own larger wall & floor extension from styrene. I don't know if you want to go that far for realism or not.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Indeed, though sometimes pricey is more reliable than cheap. As mentioned before, I plan on running all my trains using a DCC controller, though I'm thinking I can use a DC controller/power pack (which I already have) to operate the turntable.



Stejones82 said:


> That is the one I bought. It is pricey, to be sure, but so far I very much like it. July issue of Model Railroader has an article about adding the DCC controller to it, which I do not plan to do.
> 
> View attachment 561836


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Hello,
> I actually measured my Bachmann K4 from tender to cowcatcher last night at my model railroad club, and found that it measures around 11 1/2 inches. While this would be too large for the 10" Bachmann turntable, my fellow club members did mention that Walthers makes a 13" turntable.


Only the wheels need to fit on the turntable but it sounds like the K4 is about the same wheelbase as the BLI.
My BLI measures about 11 1/2 also, maybe a little less.
Really sounds like you'll need a bigger TT.

Magic


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Indeed. It's probably a good thing I didn't rush out and purchase the 10" Bachmann turntable before measuring my locomotives. As mentioned before, it was suggested to me that I invest in the Walthers 13" HO-scale turntable, though I'm wondering 1) how I can connect a DC power pack to it to control the turntable and 2) If I can use rail joiners to connect my sectional track (track molded to the roadbed) to those on the turntable. Moreover, I'm wondering if it's a good rule of thumb to check the number of wheels on a locomotive against the number of inches (in length) of a turntable. For instance, if a locomotive has 12 (4-6-2) wheels, it likely won't fit on a 10" turntable, but a 2-8-0 (10 wheels) locomotive might.



Magic said:


> Only the wheels need to fit on the turntable but it sounds like the K4 is about the same wheelbase as the BLI.
> My BLI measures about 11 1/2 also, maybe a little less.
> Really sounds like you'll need a bigger TT.
> 
> Magic


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Indeed. It's probably a good thing I didn't rush out and purchase the 10" Bachmann turntable before measuring my locomotives. As mentioned before, it was suggested to me that I invest in the Walthers 13" HO-scale turntable, though I'm wondering 1) how I can connect a DC power pack to it to control the turntable and 2) If I can use rail joiners to connect my sectional track (track molded to the roadbed) to those on the turntable. Moreover, I'm wondering if it's a good rule of thumb to check the number of wheels on a locomotive against the number of inches (in length) of a turntable. For instance, if a locomotive has 12 (4-6-2) wheels, it likely won't fit on a 10" turntable, but a 2-8-0 (10 wheels) locomotive might.


JStrussy;

A commercial model turntable will usually include terminals for connecting power to the turntable's rotating bridge track. If the turntable is motorized, there should also be a separate pair of terminals for the motor drive power. 

The roundhouse, & other, tracks that end at the edge of a turntable do not use rail joiners, if that's what your asking. They may have joiners further back, like any other piece of track, but not between them and the track on the bridge. I don't know why you would want joiners there. The bridge track is powered through rotary contacts buried under the bridge or pit. Connecting rail joiners from the bridge track to any of the surrounding tracks would interfere with rotating the bridge.

While your general concept about fewer wheels indicating a shorter locomotive length makes sense, I don't think its an accurate enough means of making buying decisions regarding whether or not a given locomotive will fit on your turntable. Space & budget permitting, a longer turntable is better than a shorter one. You would really need to know the overall wheelbase of the locomotive/tender combination to determine that.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

OK, thank you very much for your response. It makes sense not to have rail joiners between the turntable bridge and surrounding tracks, as the turntable will be moving very regularly. I am wondering, though, if I could use rail joiners to connect the tracks on the outside perimeter of the turntable to those running into it from my layout.



traction fan said:


> JStrussy;
> 
> A commercial model turntable will usually include terminals for connecting power to the turntable's rotating bridge track. If the turntable is motorized, there should also be a separate pair of terminals for the motor drive power.
> 
> ...


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## Stejones82 (Dec 22, 2020)

One can download the operating manual for the turntable from Walthers

Motorized 90' Turntable -- Assembled - 13-3/4" 34.9cm Overall Diameter 

There you will the key dimensions, the power requirements, etc. I suggest that you download it and give it a thorough read and study. That is what I did. I installed this very turntable a few weeks ago and am now laying the tracks to the roundhouse and other service tracks as we speak. 

And keep asking questions here. Folks have been most helpful.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> OK, thank you very much for your response. It makes sense not to have rail joiners between the turntable bridge and surrounding tracks, as the turntable will be moving very regularly. I am wondering, though, if I could use rail joiners to connect the tracks on the outside perimeter of the turntable to those running into it from my layout.


Sure, that's just normal use of rail joiners.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Thank you very much for your response . I most certainly wouldn't have gotten nearly as far in my planning had I not asked questions on this and other forums. I did briefly look over the instruction manual for the Walthers turntable, and had a question regarding wiring for the turntable. One warning says, "Do not use DCC track power for the turntable control circuit, or Track DC (throttle) on power pack." Does this mean I wouldn't be able to control the turntable speed with a standard DC power pack?



Stejones82 said:


> One can download the operating manual for the turntable from Walthers
> 
> Motorized 90' Turntable -- Assembled - 13-3/4" 34.9cm Overall Diameter
> 
> ...


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Thank you very much for your response . I most certainly wouldn't have gotten nearly as far in my planning had I not asked questions on this and other forums. I did briefly look over the instruction manual for the Walthers turntable, and had a question regarding wiring for the turntable. One warning says, "Do not use DCC track power for the turntable control circuit, or Track DC (throttle) on power pack." Does this mean I wouldn't be able to control the turntable speed with a standard DC power pack?


No, it means you shouldn't use the track power (either DCC or DC) that runs the trains, to also operate the turntable motor.
Using a separate old DC power pack to run the turntable is an excellent way of running the turntable motor, as long as it's a DC motor that runs on 0-16 volts DC.
UPDATE I just checked your link to the Walthers 90' turntable. It says the included turntable controller needs a power supply of approx.* 16 volts DC or AC, which is a little weird, but either voltage could be supplied by a typical DC power pack with an AC output for accessories.

*Use the link, and read the manufacturer's actual electrical specs.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Ah, OK. I'll be using a DCC controller to run my trains, but if my understanding is correct, I can use an old DC Power Pack (I have a Railpower controller I bought some years ago) to power and operate the turntable. I've been keeping a running tab so far of how much voltage I'll be using with my controller, lights, and other accessories, and while I plan on purchasing a 4-foot power strip rated for up to 125 volts, I'm thinking I should invest in another one so as not to overload the first. 



traction fan said:


> No, it means you shouldn't use the track power (either DCC or DC) that runs the trains, for operating the turntable motor. Using a separate old DC power pack to run the turntable is an excellent way of running the turntable motor, as long as it's a DC motor that runs on 0-16 volts DC.
> 
> Traction Fan 🙂


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Or find a wall wart that supplies the voltage required. It does not have to be a train power pack.


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Indeed. I have a number of wall warts for my other accessories (switches, signals, lights, etc.), but also figured I could use my old train power pack (DC) to control the speed of the turntable.



Lemonhawk said:


> Or find a wall wart that supplies the voltage required. It does not have to be a train power pack.


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## Stejones82 (Dec 22, 2020)

I purchased this one for the Turntable control power: 









Amazon.com: NORTEL Ault T41160500A010G A0619627 AC Power Adapter Class 2 Transformer 16VAC 500mA : Electronics


Buy NORTEL Ault T41160500A010G A0619627 AC Power Adapter Class 2 Transformer 16VAC 500mA: AC Adapters - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



smile.amazon.com





The output I measured at 18.9 VAC (rated 16VAC) so I checked with Walthers tech help and they replied that it was fine with that voltage as they prefer the voltage on the higher side anyway. I wanted this power supply just incase that the TT hung up, so it would not pull too many amps. Probably over-cautious. 

The TT has four wires connected. Two are the AC/DC power to run the TT; two are the DCC/DC track power. I am running DCC. So far it works great with this power supply. 

I suppose an old power pack would be fine, if it runs at high enough voltage. And I presume you mean the accessory output, not the variable.


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Thank you for your response. As it turns out, I'll likely not be purchasing the Walthers 90' turntable, as one of my fellow model railroad club members found a Rivarossi HO scale turntable and, as he figured he wouldn't be able to use it, decided to give it to me. From what I saw of the turntable, it doesn't require a pit underneath and also includes the motor (located in the operator's cabin), though I'm not exactly certain as to how to connect the wires from the turntable to a direction control switch or power pack/supply. I did find a wiring diagram, though it appears to be in French, which I am unable to read. If anybody can help me in this regard, please let me know.




Stejones82 said:


> I purchased this one for the Turntable control power:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Thank you for your response. As it turns out, I'll likely not be purchasing the Walthers 90' turntable, as one of my fellow model railroad club members found a Rivarossi HO scale turntable and, as he figured he wouldn't be able to use it, decided to give it to me. From what I saw of the turntable, it doesn't require a pit underneath and also includes the motor (located in the operator's cabin), though I'm not exactly certain as to how to connect the wires from the turntable to a direction control switch or power pack/supply. I did find a wiring diagram, though it appears to be in French, which I am unable to read. If anybody can help me in this regard, please let me know.


JStussy;

If this "Rivarossi" ? turntable has a flat, rotating deck, with no pit, it may be the Atlas turntable at the beginning of this thread, (shown in Gunrunner John's photo) or some sort of copy. That Atlas turntable is the only "pit less" turntable I've ever seen.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Hello,
The turntable in question has a bridge and small pit, but isn't deep enough to require a hole being cut into the layout. It's also 15" in diameter, which is much larger than that of the Atlas turntable.



traction fan said:


> JStussy;
> 
> If this "Rivarossi" ? turntable has a flat, rotating deck, with no pit, it may be the Atlas turntable at the beginning of this thread, (shown in Gunrunner John's photo) or some sort of copy. That Atlas turntable is the only "pit less" turntable I've ever seen.
> 
> Traction Fan 🙂


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Hello,
> The turntable in question has a bridge and small pit, but isn't deep enough to require a hole being cut into the layout. It's also 15" in diameter, which is much larger than that of the Atlas turntable.


Well, that sounds good. I'm glad you were able to find something that will work for your locomotives. Post a photo of your new turntable when you have installed it. Should be a great scene.

Traction Fan


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Indeed. I was also informed I won't have to cut a hole for the turntable well, but considering most of it is made of flexible plastic, I'll have to make sure any surface I put it on is absolutely straight and level. I'm also very willing to post photos of my turntable and layout, though it may be a while, as I have to get the benchwork for the table(s) sorted out first.



traction fan said:


> Well, that sounds good. I'm glad you were able to find something that will work for your locomotives. Post a photo of your new turntable when you have installed it. Should be a great scene.
> 
> Traction Fan


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Here's an update: Unfortunately, I may have to go with another turntable, as it's been determined the Rivarossi turntable I was going to get has a number of "dead spots" that make the turntable bridge stop in the middle of turning. With that in mind, I'm thinking of purchasing the (non-motorized) Walthers 90' HO-Scale turntable, and have downloaded the assembly instructions for this product.

The instructions seem fairly straightforward, though I am somewhat confused by a statement that reads, "The track power feeders should be routed through a reversing switch independently from the approach track(s)." I've purchased an Atlas controller for reversing loops, wyes, and turntables, so I'm wondering if I can simply connect the wires from the turntable to this controller.



JStussy said:


> Indeed. I was also informed I won't have to cut a hole for the turntable well, but considering most of it is made of flexible plastic, I'll have to make sure any surface I put it on is absolutely straight and level. I'm also very willing to post photos of my turntable and layout, though it may be a while, as I have to get the benchwork for the table(s) sorted out first.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Here's an update: Unfortunately, I may have to go with another turntable, as it's been determined the Rivarossi turntable I was going to get has a number of "dead spots" that make the turntable bridge stop in the middle of turning. With that in mind, I'm thinking of purchasing the (non-motorized) Walthers 90' HO-Scale turntable, and have downloaded the assembly instructions for this product.
> 
> The instructions seem fairly straightforward, though I am somewhat confused by a statement that reads, "The track power feeders should be routed through a reversing switch independently from the approach track(s)." I've purchased an Atlas controller for reversing loops, wyes, and turntables, so I'm wondering if I can simply connect the wires from the turntable to this controller.


JStussy;

Those instructions are likely based on using a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) reversing switch which would be necessary with traditional DC wiring. Atlas uses a different wiring system called "Common Rail" in their layout wiring diagrams, and their electrical devices like the "Controller," and "Selector." These Atlas electrical control items have Single Pole switches in them, not Double Pole switches. 
So It depends on which train control wiring system you're using. Will you be using an Atlas wiring diagram (common rail) , or traditional DC (no common rail) , or DCC ?
Depending on which control system you use, the wiring for the track power on your turntable, and the tracks associated with it, will vary.

Didn't you say that Rivarossi turntable was free? The Walthers 90' turntable, even without a motor unit, is a long way from free, AKA quite expensive!
It might be worth your while to accept the Rivarossi turntable, if its free, or cheap, and replace the original motor, to cure the stalling problem. Hankscraft offers a variety of low voltage gear motors that could work, so does All Electronics www.allelectronics.com 

This is assuming two things:

1) You can get that Rivarossi turntable at little or no cost. 

2) The only problem with the Rivarossi turntable is the mechanical rotation. The track power and contacts for it, work correctly.

Good Luck;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Hello,
I believe I'll be using a DCC control system to run trains on my layout, though I was planning on using an older DC controller to supply power to the turntable track. As for the Rivarossi turntable I got at no cost, myself and some other folks at my model railroad club cleaned all contacts with C2C, but still ran into "dead spots" that caused the turntable bridge to stop turning. One fellow member stated that while the turntable is cheap, it may not be very reliable for use on my layout, and recommended I simply invest in a manual turntable. I did check with the folks at Walthers, and they said their 90' turntable can be moved manually simply by pushing the bridge.



traction fan said:


> JStussy;
> 
> Those instructions are likely based on using a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) reversing switch which would be necessary with traditional DC wiring. Atlas uses a different wiring system called "Common Rail" in their layout wiring diagrams, and their electrical devices like the "Controller," and "Selector." These Atlas electrical control items have Single Pole switches in them, not Double Pole switches.
> So It depends on which train control wiring system you're using. Will you be using an Atlas wiring diagram (common rail) , or traditional DC (no common rail) , or DCC ?
> ...


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Wait, did I read that wrong? You can't have a dcc Layout and DC rail power for the turntable rails. Both need to be DCC. You might need a reverser (AR1) for the turntable also.


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Ah, my mistake. I do plan on running all track power via a DCC controller. I did also purchase an Atlas 220 controller, which (from what I understand) can be used for wiring and control of reversing loops, wyes, and turntables.[

QUOTE="Lemonhawk, post: 2586009, member: 12685"]
Wait, did I read that wrong? You can't have a dcc Layout and DC rail power for the turntable rails. Both need to be DCC. You might need a reverser (AR1) for the turntable also.
[/QUOTE]


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

I thought of another question regarding turntables. I saw Walthers sells a completely assembled, motorized turntable, though it is a bit pricey. I'm wondering, then, if anyone knows of a way I could procure a fully assembled Walthers turntable without the motor included?



JStussy said:


> Ah, my mistake. I do plan on running all track power via a DCC controller. I did also purchase an Atlas 220 controller, which (from what I understand) can be used for wiring and control of reversing loops, wyes, and turntables.[
> 
> QUOTE="Lemonhawk, post: 2586009, member: 12685"]
> Wait, did I read that wrong? You can't have a dcc Layout and DC rail power for the turntable rails. Both need to be DCC. You might need a reverser (AR1) for the turntable also.


[/QUOTE]


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

While the Atlas 220 will work with DCC, it will be a manual operation. What will happen is if you guess wrong on how to position the switch, then your DCC system will short when running into the turntable, making you manually back the engine off the turntable to clear the short, put the switch in correct position then trying again! An AR1 is a DCC reverser and it will automatically detect the short and switch faster than you can think and hence it will appear as if nothing happened. Avoids the nuisance of the manual switch! Note that some turntables use a split ring contact system that can avoid the phase difference, but the split needs to be positioned correctly.


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Ah, OK. As I may have mentioned before, I've already purchased two auto-reversing units for my two reversing loops as well as the Atlas 220 controller, and have briefly studied the instructions for this controller to determine which switches do what action. I'm also thinking at this point, though, that I should simply invest in a pre-assembled, motorized turntable, as I've read on other model railroad forums that assembling a Walthers turntable from a kit can result in numerous operation problems.



Lemonhawk said:


> While the Atlas 220 will work with DCC, it will be a manual operation. What will happen is if you guess wrong on how to position the switch, then your DCC system will short when running into the turntable, making you manually back the engine off the turntable to clear the short, put the switch in correct position then trying again! An AR1 is a DCC reverser and it will automatically detect the short and switch faster than you can think and hence it will appear as if nothing happened. Avoids the nuisance of the manual switch! Note that some turntables use a split ring contact system that can avoid the phase difference, but the split needs to be positioned correctly.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

It is up to you, if you want to use the Atlas 220. I also can't help with assembling/pre assembled is the better option. I would always favor a kit as you learn more about how it works and what you can fix. While this is just rumblings I've heard many years ago, the shorter Walthers turntable was not near as mechanically perfect as the longer one. Keep asking question and we may get to an answer!. I do own the 90' one, less any motor, that I intend to use when I scrap layout #4 and build #5. I can't see anything wrong with what I have, looks great and works fine, but then it's not mounted and mechanized either!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JStussy said:


> Here's an update: Unfortunately, I may have to go with another turntable, as it's been determined the Rivarossi turntable I was going to get has a number of "dead spots" that make the turntable bridge stop in the middle of turning. With that in mind, I'm thinking of purchasing the (non-motorized) Walthers 90' HO-Scale turntable, and have downloaded the assembly instructions for this product.
> 
> The instructions seem fairly straightforward, though I am somewhat confused by a statement that reads, "The track power feeders should be routed through a reversing switch independently from the approach track(s)." I've purchased an Atlas controller for reversing loops, wyes, and turntables, so I'm wondering if I can simply connect the wires from the turntable to this controller.


I'd be interested in seeing this...I had a similar issue and found my Atlas was configured to go in a certain way, leaving my lead track without power. I had to disassemble and reconfigure the contact plate under the table. Once done it worked flawlessly.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

JStussy said:


> Hello,
> I believe I'll be using a DCC control system to run trains on my layout, though I was planning on using an older DC controller to supply power to the turntable track. As for the Rivarossi turntable I got at no cost, myself and some other folks at my model railroad club cleaned all contacts with C2C, but still ran into "dead spots" that caused the turntable bridge to stop turning. One fellow member stated that while the turntable is cheap, it may not be very reliable for use on my layout, and recommended I simply invest in a manual turntable. I did check with the folks at Walthers, and they said their 90' turntable can be moved manually simply by pushing the bridge.


Whichever turntable you want. I would tend to prefer a free turntable over a $100 turntable, but that's just me.
I'm not familiar enough with the Atlas 220 controller to know what kind of reversing switches it uses. Double pole, or single pole? I googled it, and was unable to determine what type of switches were used for reversing. I suspect single pole might be used in their controller, since it is definitely used in their selector, connector, and turnout, controls. However, since you are using DCC, you probably won't have any need for that Atlas 220 controller. All the Atlas electrical control gadgets are designed to be an easily hooked up, but bulky, and not very intuitive, way of constructing a form of control panel for operating trains, and Atlas turnouts.

With DCC, you don't need a control panel, of any sort, to operate trains. Many of us do use some form of panel to operate turnouts, lighting, and accessories, but any of those items can alternatively be operated by the DCC system too, by using stationary decoders.

The recommendation for using an automatic reverser, like the AR1, on your turntable track is a wise one. That simplifies getting locomotives onto, and off of, the turntable. You actually do that without flipping any reverse switches, so I don't understand why you would need an Atlas 220 controller, with three reversing switches. The file below has some basic information on model railroad wiring and control systems. There are also many books available on the subject.

Good Luck & Have Fun with whatever you choose;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## JStussy (Dec 31, 2020)

Thank you again for your response . I did talk about the Atlas 220 with my fellow model railroad club members tonight, and they said using it for my turntable would likely needlessly complicate things. They mentioned that as long as I turn the turntable bridge around 360 degrees (which I plan to do for all locomotives and coaches on it), I shouldn't have to worry about shorts or track polarity. Additionally, they recommended using straight track to lead to the turntable, as curved track, while it still works, also puts strain on a locomotive's wheels and frame.



Lemonhawk said:


> It is up to you, if you want to use the Atlas 220. I also can't help with assembling/pre assembled is the better option. I would always favor a kit as you learn more about how it works and what you can fix. While this is just rumblings I've heard many years ago, the shorter Walthers turntable was not near as mechanically perfect as the longer one. Keep asking question and we may get to an answer!. I do own the 90' one, less any motor, that I intend to use when I scrap layout #4 and build #5. I can't see anything wrong with what I have, looks great and works fine, but then it's not mounted and mechanized either!


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