Walthers 90' turntable kit: Is it really a 'dog'?


IronBeltKen

Lazy Daydreamer
Hi all,

Looks like Walthers is desperately trying to unload their 90-foot turntable kits ( http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/5-3171 ), they have them on sale for $26! Trouble is, I've heard alot of people say they positively hate these things. I don't know if it's because they are hard to mechanize, have poorly engineered parts, crappy instructions or whatever; but I've been needing some kind of turntable for a small engine servicing facility ever since I first designed my layout. At 90' it's a perfect fit, and that price makes it hard to resist.

I have no intention of motorizing it, I'm perfectly content to use 0-5-0 power:D And I'm no stranger to building complicated kits - I've done the Walthers Blast Furnace - so the assembly part doesn't worry me.

So tell me: Am I setting myself up for major frustration/dissappointment?
 
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I tried to have a look and got the above on a Walthers page, wonder if someone got fired! Would have been a great price though.

Cheers Willis
 
Turn Table

Hi all,

Looks like Walthers is desperately trying to unload their 90-foot turntable kits ( http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/5-3171 ), they have them on sale for $26! Trouble is, I've heard alot of people say they positively hate these things. I don't know if it's because they are hard to mechanize, have poorly engineered parts, crappy instructions or whatever; but I've been needing some kind of turntable for a small engine servicing facility ever since I first designed my layout. At 90' it's a perfect fit, and that price makes it hard to resist.

I have no intention of motorizing it, I'm perfectly content to use 0-5-0 power:D And I'm no stranger to building complicated kits - I've done the Walthers Blast Furnace - so the assembly part doesn't worry me.

So tell me: Am I setting myself up for major frustration/dissappointment?

I have one and it works well motorized an all, but I did lots and lots of redesign. I'll post some details later on.

NYC_George

turn_table.JPG
 
I bought 1 at a train show for $5 & haven't put it together yet.
I bought 1 about 5 years ago & it was a bear to assemble. I redisigned it & made it work. If you can figure out how to put a set of steel wheels on the turntable & a rail to the bed wall for better control it would work like 1 of those $500.00 ones. The biggest problem I had back then was getting the gears to match up to the motor w/out a lot of noise, etc. If you're good w/complicated kits, $26 bucks is cheap from Walthers.

Larry
 
Thanx for the replies, y'all! Sounds about like what I expected to hear.

Now about the instructions: Are they step-by-step, or just an 'exploded' diagram?
 
Man, I wish shipping to Canada wasn't so expensive. I'd pick one of these up.

One q - in the title bar it says "Turntable Kit w/ motor"...so is that a typo?

Mark
 
As luck would have it, my LHS (MB Klein) has the exact same TT on sale for $32; if I order it from Walthers direct, it's $26 + shipping = $33! So close, what to do? Well, I don't really need the thing right away, so if I go with Walthers I'll save a 90-minute round trip drive to Klein's as well as ga$ money.

BTW Mark, Walthers is aware of that online catalog typo - one of their saleswomen mentioned that they're 'working on' correcting it!
 
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To NYC George.

I would also like to see your redesign tips. I have just completed on and it skips

Ziggy
 
I saw 1 at a train show about 2 years ago & they had added a pulley at the bottom where the shaft extends down & they powered it w/a 12v. windshield wiper motor out of a junk car. It really worked nice. The guy had made an indexing kit for it out of some junk. He was trying to sell it for $200.00.
It also had a pc. of brass track around the wall of the turntable & brass wheels mounted on the beam. So, I'm sure w/a little engineering of sorts U can make it work for you. I gave mine to a friend to put it together & he brought it back & said it was to complicated for him.

Larry
 
Zizzy I didn't built it per instructions. I made many changes. Right now I'm tring to finish my viaduct and adding a second main to the upper deck. I'll try and get it to you, but I can't tell you when. It will be a while.

NYC_George
 
wow. if i didn't have to deposit all the paypal money i got from selling old ho stuff i'de so buy that right now. But still $26 for a turntable isn't bad. I may end up ordering one just to have for now. My future layout does call for one. Is 90' big enough for most modern diesels?
 
My CMR turntable uses small bearings for wheels with a brass tube as the axle. Maybe this would work on the turntable???
 



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