My name is Rhobat Bryn Jones and I am currently building a 009 layout called "Porth Illtud". I want to use two of the above turntables on the layout but they are out of production and unlikely to be produced again. Does anyone have one that they are willing to sell or know someone who would be willing to sell one on?
Hi Rhobat.
Brian Guilmant had one on the sales stand at the EGM Water Orton. It was not obvious at Pewsey, but then I was not really looking out for it and Brian may not have been able to take all of the stock with him so it may be worth giving him a call as he may still have one.
Just a thought tough. The Backwoods kit reprisents one of the turntables built by the County Donegal Railway using old 3' gauge locomotive frames as opposed to the more 'usual' type that uses a pair of girdirs which may be more in keeping with your Welsh harbour. If you still wanted to go down the route of a loco frame based affair then have a chat to Allen Doherty (Worsley Works) as he does a number of Irish NG loco kits and it may be possible to buy the chassis etch (or a 'seconds' one) just for the side frames. Alternatively I'd look at adapting a commercially available one. N gauge ones are available (some quite big ones for the EU and US markets), Peco do a HOm one which can probably be re-gauged from 12 mm to 9 mm (you would need to do this with the Backwoods kit for OOn3 in any case) and it should also be possible to modify an OO one (if your locos are quite long) in the same way. I'm not sure how complex the job would be but it could be as easy as just laying the right gauge track across the deck.
As a final thought, are we taking about loco turntables, or smaller wagon turntables? A pair of loco turntables on a layout seems a lot, unless we are talking about opposit ends of a room-sized system as opposed to a single harbour station that "Porth Illtud" suggests. If the latter then Peco do 009 ones, and I am sure some different designs have been producrd as etches over the years.
Many thanks for your comments Julien. I shall get in touch with Brian to see if he still has the turntable. The desire for two loco turntables (rather than wagon) is based on one being needed for turning the steam railcar near the station and the other located near the engine shed, possibly a roundhouse; there will only be tank engines on the layout. It is quite unusual as you say to have two but there is a precedent in Stranorlar on the County Donegal and the intention is for the harbour to be quite a busy one rather than a quiet backwater. I believe that Peco do a N gauge turntable but I suspect that it may be too large for the above purposes and my suspicion is that the Backwoods will not be too obtrusive which wiil help to obviate the problem of having two together.
Anyway, many thanks once again for your comments and for steering me in the right direction.
I'd go for the Peco N gauge turntables Rhobart - I don't have mine in front of me at the moment (it is rusting away, sorry naturally weathering, out in my damp garage) but the deck is only around 130mm length - it JUST accomodates my shorty railcar (Lledo bus) plus powered luggage van and is just right for larger type tank engines, such as 2-6-4's etc.
It's certainly not too big for 009 use, is much easier than scratchbuilding one and with a bit of extra width from plastic or balsa the deck looks perfectly OK in 009. It is also much cheaper than trying to convert the 12mm gauge Peco table!
Mick
Thank you Mick; that's very helpful advice. I actually have a Leek & Manifold Kitson 2-6-4T so it's helpful to know that it's up to the job for that type of loco. I'll purchase one and give it a try.
Has anyone actually built and got operating the Backwoods turntable? I've got a kit and would like to incorporate it in a new layout I'm planning
Andy
May I ask how much you paid for your kit?
Can't remember now as I've had it a few years stored ready for new layout. Andy
Thanks, anyway.
Does anyone else know how much these turntables retailed for when they were available?