Turntable/Roundhouse Progress

Here are some construction shots of my new yard in progress. My Bowser TT has been in place for a couple weeks now in its close-to-final form. I may add a few more details here and there but this is pretty much how it's going to look. Originally, I had secured a used 32" Bowser TT of an older vintage. After fitting it up temporarily, I discovered some problems and returned it to its original owner. After mulling over some options (Diamond Scale doesn't build O scale anymore and AAA was out of my budget), I ordered a new 30" Bowser. I went with a 30" as I felt it looked a little more realistic and would buy me a bit more room in the yard. I read that most of the larger TTs in the real world were 118 footers anyway. Below are a couple shots of it in place on the layout. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Bowser made some nice aesthetic and operational improvements. When I used to participate in some online O gauge forums, I would never read anything real positive about this make of TT, but felt for the price it would be worth trying. Even though it was a lot of work to install and get running, the prebuilt pit saved me a lot of fabrication time. Operationally, some improvements were made in the drive. The older open frame DC motor was replaced by a modern DC can motor for quieter operation. The TT bridge now sports cast metal wheelsets and the center bearing clamp is more robust. I didn't have to do any shimming for smooth operation. In the area of appearance, Bowser supplied some nice cast metal handrail stanchions and bridge tower details. I'm not sure how these compare to the previous version but these components made for an attractive setup. The bridge girder sections are now ABS plastic with rivet detail cast in. I mounted a section of Atlas track to bridge and painted the whole thing Polly Scale Steam Power Black with a light overspray of Grimy Black. Extender ties were made from 3/16"X1/4" basswood. I made some slight mods to the handrail and deck details and ran the conduits a little differently. Some Keil Line lampshades were added to the shack and tower. An access ladder was added for easier worker access to the pit. I then weathered the bridge with some airbrushing, drybrushing, and a wash of India Ink and denatured alcohol for the deck planks. A light spray of RR Tie Brown helped blend the Atlas ties in. The pit walls were painted with a combination of Aged Concrete, Grimy Black, and some off-white latex. A wash of flat black latex and some streaks of black, brown, and Dirt were added with a brush. The pit floor will have more cinders added along with some scraps of wood and metal for effect. I am using a Lionel/IC AMC for control from the CAB-1 using an ENG ID. No indexing is being used as the gearing and the ARC control is fine enough to dial in the position needed. I am still in the process of adding a couple more storage tracks and fitting everything up for bumpless operation. I can turn everything in my current steam roster, the Allegheny and Challenger included. The JLC Big Boy that I have on order will probably use the TT for access to the straight-through stall of the roundhouse only. Below is my Korber #304 roundhouse in its final position. This was a ton of work to get it to the point it's at now. I plan on adding more details to the walls as the surrounding scenery is put in place. The surrounding cement platforms will be the home of many old greasy and rusty details. I don't plan on detailing the interior even though the rear part of the roof is removable. I am still thinking about some lighting options at this point.