An Interesting Thing Happened When I Tried To Operate My Walthers 130' Turntable

Last week I had some old friends over to the house to run the "new" JJJ&E. None of the folks in attendance were model railroaders. The layout ran perfectly for about one hour when I decided to show how the 130' turntable operates. There was a ATSF 2-6-6-2 small mallet on the turntable bridge. I  then started to operate the turntable and all was going well when everything stopped as the turntable ground to a halt. I couldn't get the turntable up and running again as I noticed that the power red light on the controller was flashing constantly. At least everybody saw the turntable rotate about 90 degrees. The rest of the operating session concluded about an hour later uneventfully.

I decided to wait and take a look at the turntable the next morning. I still couldn't get this turntable moving so I examined the bridge and decided to take the inner workings of the bridge apart. Under close examination none of the four gears were broken. There were no pieces of ballast any where in the gear mechanism. I then carefully oiled the gears with a light plastic compatible La Belle Oil and put the inner workings of the turntable bridge together. I also used an electrical contact cleaner to clean the bottom of the turntable bridge and eight contact fingers in the center of the pit. Still no luck getting this Walthers 130 foot turntable to operate. I had purchased this table in 2007 and had seven good years of use out of it. It was in full operation a few days before this last session.

That day I called Walthers and was put in contact with their turntable expert. When I explained to him what had happened, he then told me the bad news that that the turntable had died. I asked if there were replacement parts for this first generation Walthers 130' turntable that was first distributed in the 2005-2006 period. He told me there were none and would have to buy a new DCC controlled Walthers 130' foot turntable.

He told me I could use the innards of the new turntable if I removed a small square plate with four screws under the old turntable pit and removed the eight sensor fingers, inner wiring and led extension wand from this now defunct turntable.

When I installed this turntable in 2009  thru four inches of foam and a 3/4 inch plywood base, I cut about a two inch opening in the foam and plywood base for the intricate wiring from the turntable pit to the controller mounted on the fascia of the layout. I then realized that this square plate with four screws much larger then the opening I had under the bench work.

So then I came to the unenviable decision, to remove the turntable from the top side of the layout. I was able to left 24 stall tracks off the lip of the turntable in front of the Roundhouse and 12 service tracks on the other side of the turntable. I then was able to lift the turntable pit  off the foam base without any damage to the 36 Peco code 80/55 tracks that I used around the turntable lip.

I looked underneath and saw that this small square plate wa actually about almost seven inches square. Unfortunately when I get the new turntable on Monday or Tuesday, it still will be mounted on the foam and plywood base using the same two inch opening. There is too much wiring that surrounds the perimeter of the turntable pit under the bench work to enlarge this opening to at least eight inches. I'll be happy to get another seven years out of this new turntable.

Fortunately I was able to order the new DCC controlled 130' Walthers Turntable from Brooklyn Locomotive Works on sale for $239. That's the lowest price I've seen online for the turntable. Pete shipped it to me two day Priority Mail on Friday which is usual the USPS shipping and I should have the new Turntable by late Monday or early Tuesday.

It will take me about another week or so to re-install the 36 tracks around the perimeter of the turntable lip. That entire part of the layout has to be reballasted. I still have three full bags of Arizona
Rock And Mineral natural rock Dark Cinder Yard ballast, so that should be more than enough ballast to finish that area. I also have three or four three foot sections of Peco code80/55 flex track if I need to replace any of the track that had to lifted off the turntable lip.

Moral of this story is easy. If you're building a new layout  that will use a 130 foot Walthers turntable, make sure you leave at least a ten inch opening under the turntable pit under the bench work. Then if the turntable fails, it wouldn't be necessary  to touch any part of the finished layout above the bench work. The only caveat is: will Walthers have the parts available  even if they come out with a newer turntable in the out years to come. You will only know this in the fullness of time.

So Stay cool and run steam...........