02-23-2009, 03:25 PM
That would be one way to do it. Fortunately you are planning to run small equipment, so the low buck Atlas will work. If you want a "pit type" rather than the type Atlas makes, you can easily convert an Atlas. What you do is put the Atlas into a pit, and then build a bridge to fit the Atlas. You solder the wires from each track on the Atlas to the corresponding track on the bridge. Leave an open spot under the layout for access to the turn table motor, and you are good to go. The bottom of the pit will rotate with the turntable, which is not prototypical; but if you use a bunch of dirt and ground cover, it won't be particularly noticeable. Besides, who takes the time to try to look into the bottom of a turntable pit when a locomotive is being turn on a turntable? I think Atlas has changed their turntable to have more slots available for tracks in their newest version. Since you are not looking to do more than turn a locomotive around to go back out the way it came in, the old style will work fine for you. You might be able to find older Atlas turntables for a bargain on E-bay or at a local model railroad swap meet. Except for the design that as the island extended to the same length as the left leg of the layout, the island is short enough that it would probably not be a big problem to pull the train in, do your switching and then back out.