Turntable #1 now has a deck. It was constructed from the SE Finecast small turntable kit. I replaced the kit girders with ones from the Dapol turntable kit, they had to be shortened by two panels on each side using a “cut and shut” technique because this turntable is only 10″ in diameter. Then I had to cut a slot in the inside vertical ribs to allow the paxolin base from the SE Finescale kit to fit between the girders. SuperGlue made this a very strong structure.
The result – not bad I think. Lots of work to do on scenic stuff (weathering, handrails, etc, etc). The worst part was forming the circular rail for the bridge to ride on in the well. I paid extra for the roller bearings that gave a little more wiggle room than the cast metal ones. But still, making a true circle out of track is not easy and I eventually printed out a full scale circle and used it as a guide. I stuck the rail to the paper upside down with scotch tape. Then I glued it with superglue into the well.
Next was the problem of aligning the pony trucks to the rail. The holes to secure the pony trucks have to be drilled by eye using the scribed line in the paxolin. But I found that one deck pony truck kept dropping off the rail as it turned. In the end, I found that it was fractionally further out from center. So I added a washer to push the ball bearing nearer the center of the well – success!
The loco posing is a 3F Jinty – showing a tank engine plus a coal wagon fit very well onto the turntable.
