Creating a Turntable

Turntables are a little tricky to get right, because the connecting tracks have to be laid precisely.  The program helps by snapping objects into position, but can have trouble in crowded areas.  When you're working in an area with a turntable, it works best to construct the turntable first, before adding the surrounding track.  First, zoom in so you have room to work, and so junctions and tracks don't overlap.

There is a special tool for creating turntables.  It works just like the Circle Tool, except that after you size and position the circle, it automatically adds a bridge track and makes a working turntable.

Two tips about creating turntables: (1) draw the circle first, before adding the connecting tracks, and (2) make sure either the circle or an end of the bridge track is highlighted when you start or end drawing a connecting track.  If the track doesn't snap to have one endpoint exactly on the circle, the turntable won't work.

If you encounter problems with turntables in published layouts, see Repairing a broken turntable below.

To create a turntable:

  1. Choose the Turntable Tool or Tools > Turntable from the menu.
  2. Draw the circle.  Point to the center, press and drag to the desired radius.  Press the shift key to move the circle instead of resizing it.
  3. When you release the mouse button, the bridge track appears automatically, oriented at a random angle.  The Turntable Tool is automatically deselected and the Track Tool selected instead.
  4. Draw a connecting track.  Start where you want the far end of the track, press and drag in toward the circle.  When the circle highlights, release.  (You can do this in the other direction if you prefer: start by highlighting the circle, then draw outwards.)
  5. When you release, the connecting track snaps to be perpendicular to the circle rim.
  6. Test.  Double-click anywhere on the rim of the circle.  The table should rotate until the bridge track is aligned with the connector, then stop.  (If the table just keeps rotating, double-click the rim again to stop it, then see Repairing below.)

To make a cross-over:

If you want the engine to be able to drive straight across the turntable, you must take care to make sure the connecting tracks are aligned.  Here's the best way:

  1. Draw the first connector, as in steps 4-5 above.
  2. Rotate the table until it stops in the aligned position, as in step 6.
  3. Point to the free end of the bridge track, so it highlights with a green square.  (When you are pointing to the bridge track end, only the track end highlights, not the circle.)
  4. Press and drag outwards to form the second connector.  You will have to eyeball where to drop the track end so that it aligns with the bridge -- in this case the program does not help. 

You can draw the other direction if you prefer, starting at the far end and dragging in toward the circle.  Just make sure the bridge end and not the circle is highlighted when you press or release.

To move or resize a turntable:

  1. Choose the Edit Tool.
  2. Click any point on the rim of the turntable or the bridge track.  Both are selected and colored dark blue.
  3. Press the rim of the circle and drag.  Both the circle and the bridge track move together.
  4. Press the shift key while dragging to resize instead of move.

Note that when you are editing, the shift key behaves opposite to the way it works when creating a new circle or turntable. When dragging a selected circle or turntable without shift, it moves as a rigid unit; with shift, it resizes, and also allows you to reorient the bridge as you drag.

To delete a turntable:

  1. Choose the Edit Tool.
  2. Point to the rim of the turntable, so the circle highlights.
  3. Press the Del key.

You can also delete a turntable by selecting it or including it in a set of selected objects, then using Edit Delete or Edit Cut.

Repairing a broken turntable

If you spend any time with the 101 Track Plans, you are likely to encounter some turntables which need repair.  The most common problem is that rotation doesn't stop where it should -- the bridge comes to a connector and just rolls right on by.  This usually means the connector is not positioned right.

The most common breakage is when the connector is not quite touching the circle.  To repair:

  1. Choose the Edit Tool.
  2. Point to the end of the connecting track closest to the circle, so it highlights with a green square.
  3. Press and drag until the circle highlights, then release.
  4. On release, the connector snaps perpendicular to the rim.
     
  5. Test the turntable.  Should work now.

Other problems are harder to correct.  You may find a phantom junction along the rim of a turntable -- you see a green highlight square where there is no track -- or other problems.  In most cases the best course of action is to delete the turntable and all connecting tracks, and start over.