What is a hub ?
A turntable is a beautiful invention from the world of railways. This rather unusual track apparatus can be found in dépôts and shunting yards, where it greatly facilitates the handling of rolling stock, particularly the placing of locomotives on the rails.Indeed, it enables railers to safely reverse the direction of movement of rail vehicles weighing several tons. At the beginning of the train'history, turntables were used to turn around steam locomotives that only had one direction of travel.This is less of a problem today, as electric locomotives have two driving positions. In the past, the rotary drive plate was operated manually. Nowadays, the system is very often motorised. In addition, the plate has been replaced by a walkway equipped with crossbars. These rotating bridges have a greater load capacity, making it possible to handle heavy train sets. Despite everything, railway workers continue to talk about turntables.
Why install a miniature swing bridge?
Anybody with a passion for railroad design knows that space quickly becomes a constraint when designing a miniature rail network. That's why it's so important to choose the right scale for your infrastructure. There are ways of optimising the size of a track. Installing a swing bridge is one of them. As in reality, this accessory enables a miniature locomotive to be swung around to change track. As a result, there's no need to draw a cumbersome reversing loop or a fast track to turn trains around. This system saves on track sections and space by reducing the need for switching. In short, a miniature swing bridge is an ideal solution for simplifying a layout when space is at a premium.
Which miniature turntable to install?
In railroad modellingas in the world of railways, there are motorised and mechanical turntables. Typically, the motorised models are supplied with a control box for shunting the trains and a 12V power supply. It is possible to connect some of the rotary bridges to the control unit's accessory output (analogue or digital). Also, to avoid compatibility problems, it is important to check that the channel spacing of the rotary bridge matches that of your network. There are three variants of the HO scale: the normal track (HO - 16.5 mm), the narrow track (HOe - 12 mm) and the metric track (HOm - 9 mmm).
Où install a turntable ?
A turntable allows railway workers to manoeuvre locomotives, in particular to form trains. Railway companies, such as SNCF, usually install this platform at the end of a bundle of tracks, close to marshalling yards and a terminal station's train shed. To fit in with reality, this pit can be installed close to a rotunda, the circular building where locomotives are stored after service. Jura modélisme offers a wide range of reproductions specially designed to create a realistic miniature station in a diorama. Discover our model railway buildings. bâtiments ferroviaires.
In résumé
Is this your first trainminiature? Defining the shape and layout of a miniature railway layout takes some thought.A turntable can help you matérialise the scenario of your railway operating game by simplifying the management of your infrastructure. For example, this base is ideal for running trains on a rail network where space is limited. Placed behind the scenes, this turntable would allow a small convoy to rotate on itself 360° and to set off in the opposite direction. While the use of turntables is becoming increasingly limited in real life, they are of great use in rail modelling!
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