Hi All.  I am considering a hand wound wagon turntable, and I have seen a system that appeals to me. But it is based on “ Meccano” parts, I gave away my “Meccano Set” too many  years ago. No worries with Electrics , because  it would be hand wound, and it only takes a wagon. Have any of you guys and girls got any suggestions???Best wishes Kevin 

Plenty of Meccano on eBay Kevin, but as you don't do online shopping, you'll need to get creative with items around the house and shed, or see what there is in local junk shops or car boot sales.

The bonus with Meccano is it being an engineered solution, it tends to be reasonably reliable once you work out a plan.

The other reliable option of course, is the hand from the sky.

Bin vourage,

Bill

Hi Bill  . Thank you for your reply. Yes me and eBay, but secure or not? I know where I stand, “ Cash is more convenient “. And if they don’t like cash, then there is BACS. Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,and

You only need to rotate 90° or less for a cross or straight wagon turntable. Try Shapeways for a complete system that is WIT controlled. Or a spring tensioner and WIT. Although with less than 2" diameter direct WIT could work.

Nigel

Hi Nigel. Thank you very much. It was the idea of a manual turntable that appealed to me. If I had planned for one from the outset, then I would of allowed more room on the baseboard. It is just like the whole idea of “ having to squeeze in a feature” ie my BLT which looks like becoming a halt, staff or passenger. My main concern at the time of writing, is to keep from falling over and keeping clear of the Hospital Emergency Dept . Every visit, CT scan , X-ray Dept , and waiting for hours on end to be attended to.  Best wishes Kevin 

S.H.Muffet are your friends for proper chunky strong beautifully made gears. I used their worm and wheel set for an invention I am the credited inventor for on a VW Patent. Worked perfectly. Such things were not available to us in Germany, so I just sent off for Muffet's catalogue and got exactly what I wanted.
Martin

[user=2084]Mr.Tin[/user] wrote:

S.H.Muffet are your friends for proper chunky strong beautifully made gears. I used their worm and wheel set for an invention I am the credited inventor for on a VW Patent. Worked perfectly. Such things were not available to us in Germany, so I just sent off for Muffet's catalogue and got exactly what I wanted.
Martin

Hi Martin.  Thank you for your reply.  If I wasn’t confused before? I am now. Not available to us in Germany 🇩🇪.So I sent off etc etc. And there I was. Where are they “ SH Muffet” then if you are here and not Germany, are they online? Best wishes Kevin. 

Hi Kevin,

Muffett is a UK company. A catalog from the 1980's if you can find one will set you back $30.00. Not the company it used to be. Bespoke 12" to the foot gears and gearboxes.

An OO turntable and push pull mechanism from Shapeways is all you need. Comes in 12' or long wheelbase wagon versions. 3D print.  Brick surrounds available if desired. Meant for WIT operation. Well worth a look. I have no affiliation with the designer, who lives in France and is a model railway modeler. Google [OO wagon turntable] or the same on the Shapeways site. Code 100 rail. As I said, you only need 90° rotation or less. 

Nigel

Hi Nigel. Thank you very much. I will “ Bank “ all the info for the future. The “ three way point “ is my project at the moment, everything in model railways seems to require more space than I have allotted for. Squeeze, squeeze, all the time. Narrow Gauge is looking more appealing every day. But, I have committed my budget and time to double O. And will stick with it. Best wishes Kevin 

For a wagon turntable, Kevin, I would assume a simple crown wheel and pinion, i.e. from a slot car would be sufficient.  That will take your motion from rotary vertically at the baseboard edge to rotary horizontally at the turntable site.  Making a turntable for wagons is simple. No need for all the tedious cleaning up 3D printing requires and no expense. You could make one yourself for nothing. In fact using a twisted rubber band you could do everything for nowt. Even friction drive using a jar lid would work for the light weight of a wagon.

Cheers,
Martin

Hi Martin. Thank you again. I couldn’t remember the correct name for what I wanted. And you really make it sound so simple.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

Not quite the zero cost knock it up in 5 minutes that Martin suggests (well, you can  if you have a decent workshop with mill and lathe but…). My experience so far on building a wagon turntable in EM/4mm scale:
 
CD box (common starter): Nope.
Styrene: Nope. Unless an underframe is used it warps.
Brass: Yes. But for the underframe
Wood: Yes. But you need a very good router and/or bandsaw. And a frame.

Issues: Getting concentric table and frame. Bearing or not? Centering of bearing. Central bearing shaft or peripheral race bearing? 2 or 4 way track? Rotation mechanism. Electrical isolation. Must be absolutely level. Most UK standard gauge ones used capstan drives, electric, horse or locomotive powered. 

Faller do an HO kit, 2 way. Shapeways have that 4 way. Having played around for 3 years on and off with this I know where I am going in the On30 layout.

Nigel
 

EDIT: NONE OF THE ABOVE. If I did it would be a 2"/50mm diameter Lazy Susan Bearing and a  top around 3" in diameter which will take a UK 12 ton wagon. 12mm diameter shaft to  which is attached one of those slow RPM gear head motors.Top of styrene  or brass with the rails attached, cobblestones to finish. Simple F-Off-R DPDT switch. Lots of issues re uncoupling wagons unless you use delayed action KD ones. And getting them off and back on the turntable when there is no locomotive. Capstans of course. Basically what I described with the On30 turntable, but no live rails. I can dream.
 

Have been considering including  one (or more!) of those Shapeways turntables on 'Toft End' to access one of the industries…………..not sure which yet, probably not into the Pottery, judging from the shunting capabilities of one of my fellow operators, will be too many broken bits of earthenware scattered around  the turntable!!

It does loo a well engineered system.

Best Wishes
Bruce

Hi Nigel. Thank you. The more I read about the project, the more in the dark I am. And the further away it looks.Another pipe dream, I had better look for something within my capabilities.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Bruce. Thank you for your reply. I have had good reports on Shapeways as far as bogies are concerned. But it does seem like a time consuming  job, and usually “ time means money “ plus their overheads etc.So much to think about. Best wishes Kevin 

It's a wagon turntable, so a loco won't go near it. Therefore it needs to be no great weight at all and will carry no great weight, so bearings are not required beyond a couple of bits of telescopic tube from the K&S Metal Centre in your local model or even toy shop. That will take you through whatever thickness you have for a baseboard. O couple of bits of thin plywood glued together (against warpage) or a piece of Perspex (doesn't even threaten to warp, unlike styrene) for the top surface. You don't even need rail as no loco will go on it, so scribed in "rail" will suffice.
I took your OP to mean that you want to hand power it, so a shaft of plastic rod or even dowel will do, bearing in a couple of bits of wood hanging down from the baseboard. One end  has a disc of wood or plastic to turn it, tother end can have a piece of rubber sleeve for a friction drive on a coffee jar lid fixed to the end of the "shaft", which we already have as a piece of K&S tube.  There is no need to  over complicate these things. Electric power is way over the top, especially if you need to do it on a shoestring.  And why not?  It's just a wagon turntable, after all.  If you can't saw and file a 3" disc without a bandsaw, you should probably consider a different hobby!

Cheers,
Martin

Hi Kevin,

Lots of ideas here from bits of scrap and a pair of scissors and no rails (is that a  railway?) through heavy duty  engineered solutions that would take a small locomotive (which many did). Have a look at some real  life examples on the web to get some idea of the actual construction. That is the logical starting point.

Nigel

I wont make any suggestion how to make a wagon turntable as many good solution's have already been posted.

All i will say is sometimes you have to be realistic with how much spare time you have available with all the other things that have to be done on a layout,sometimes one has to say its easier just to buy a ready made or simple kit that will do the job relatively quickly. Plus of course is scratchbuilding one going seriously test your skillset .

Brian

an interesting turntable

(Click to enlarge)

Hi Ron.  Thank you. Yes it certainly is, pity that it is a bit too big for OO Gauge.   Best wishes Kevin