there was another full-deck turntable outdoors until the early 1950's on the B&O at the end of its short Frederick, MD branch, and i believe photos of that one were the inspiration or prototype for the original atlas HO turntaable. -big duke
markpierce Aha, the turntable at Powell and Market in San Francisco. "Basically, there are three cable car routes in operation, and it helps to know their respective destinations. At Powell and Market streets, there is a cable car turntable which serves as the beginning stop for two (north/south) lines, the Powell-Mason and Powell- Hyde lines. The Powell-Mason line begins at the Powell/Market turntable, and the line runs from there up and over Nob Hill and down to Bay Street at Fisherman's Wharf. The Powell-Hyde line also begins at the Powell Market turntable and runs over Nob and Russian hills before ending at Aquatic Park near Ghiradelli Square. Both these lines end near Fisherman's Wharf, but at different areas, and the routes are significantly different (although they initially run on the same route on Powell) ... "The California Street line runs East-West from the Financial District, through Chinatown, over Nob Hill and stops at Van Ness Avenue." Now, the question arises why there is only one turntable while there are five end-points to the system. Mark
Aha, the turntable at Powell and Market in San Francisco.
"Basically, there are three cable car routes in operation, and it helps to know their respective destinations. At Powell and Market streets, there is a cable car turntable which serves as the beginning stop for two (north/south) lines, the Powell-Mason and Powell- Hyde lines. The Powell-Mason line begins at the Powell/Market turntable, and the line runs from there up and over Nob Hill and down to Bay Street at Fisherman's Wharf. The Powell-Hyde line also begins at the Powell Market turntable and runs over Nob and Russian hills before ending at Aquatic Park near Ghiradelli Square. Both these lines end near Fisherman's Wharf, but at different areas, and the routes are significantly different (although they initially run on the same route on Powell) ...
"The California Street line runs East-West from the Financial District, through Chinatown, over Nob Hill and stops at Van Ness Avenue."
Now, the question arises why there is only one turntable while there are five end-points to the system.
Mark
The Powell lines use single ended cars. This means that they are equipped with a single grip assembly to grab the moving cable. The grip assembly only works in one direction, hence the need to turn these cars at both ends of their runs. This requires the three turntables.
The California line uses a different design of car with dual grips, one for each direction of travel. Thus these cars need no turntable at the ends of the line. They can simply be reversed with a simple switch. They do need to move a short distance using gravity before the grip can be locked onto the cable moving in the reverse direction.
If you google cable cars and investigate the links, you will see the rather interesting mechanisms used on these fascinating street railways. An interesting point of history is to note that before the development of electric traction, many cities had cable operated street railroads even if there were no hills. Even such cities as Washington, DC had cable lines. Many different mechanical systems were used, but all involved the same principle of the car using a mechanical grip to grab onto a continuously moving cable to obtain motion.
I have at least a dozen photos of wooden covered turntables in the USA from some books on old time railroads. The books are by Abdill and mostly photos of 1800s to early 1900s locos. Some just happened to be on the TT when photographed. I cannot post the photos.
Imagine having to shovel a few feet of snow out of a pit where the turntable is moved my hand, not electrical power. These where mostly in northern railroads where there could be quite a lot of snow.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Hey, Allegheny 2-6-6-6, Where were these two pics taken, and what's with the cog track in the foregrone of the 2nd.?
FDM
here is the link to the the suger cane train in Maui with a photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80651083@N00/3722837556/
www.GSMrr.net
AzBaja
challenger3980o that Atlas turntable isn't so silly after all"
LOL , thanks for the link, I would have said the very same thing.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
This isn't my video, I found this on youtube, but at about 2:15 into the video it shows a very good clip of the 2-4-0 Anaka going for a spin on the turntable. I do remember saying out loud "So that Atlas turntable isn't so silly after all" when I saw this actual turntable, granted it doesn't pause every30 degrees or so of rotation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBtQ3PXjHhI
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
The Lahaina, Kanaapali & Pacific, on the Island of Maui has one at their Lahaina Depot.I will look to see if I have an pics that show the turntable, We rode the "Sugar Cane Train" in May when we got Married on Maui.
A lot of early shorline railroads had small decked turntables mainly back in the late 1800's to the ealy 1900's and most of which were turned by hand and I don't mean with a crank. Notice that big piece of timber sticking up at an angle
Two guys showing the more glamorous side of railroading
7j43kThere were other roundhouses (fully round) that also had the turntable inside the building. The SP had one up in the Sierras (I think, I'm not an SP guy).
THe SP's house and turntable at Norden was fully covered, but the table and pit were not decked in.
Don
Thank you much, now I can check that off my list.
CPR turntable in Revelstoke British Columbia. There would be a lot of snow at this location in the winter.
http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_160/a_09598.gif
7j43kmarkpierce Now, the question arises why there is only one turntable while there are five end-points to the system. Mark There are three turntables: There's one at the other end of the Powell-Hyde lines: http://www.mayoff.com/5-01cablecarDCP01934.jpg And here's another one at the end of the Powell-Mason line: http://image03.webshots.com/3/2/56/33/12425633ukpmZgZXbn_ph.jpg Now, I know there's no turntable at the east end of the California Street line. I don't know the other end; though I expect there's no turntable there, either. I expect the difference in distribution of turntables is because the lines were built at different times--not all at once. I believe the California Street line was built in 1878, while the Powell line(s) were built 10 years later (apologies to people who actually KNOW this stuff). Ed
markpierce Now, the question arises why there is only one turntable while there are five end-points to the system. Mark
Now, I know there's no turntable at the east end of the California Street line. I don't know the other end; though I expect there's no turntable there, either. I expect the difference in distribution of turntables is because the lines were built at different times--not all at once. I believe the California Street line was built in 1878, while the Powell line(s) were built 10 years later (apologies to people who actually KNOW this stuff).
Ed
IIRC, the California Street cars are double-ended.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Maybe 20 years ago at a regional NMRA meet a guy did a presentation where he mentioned that he had found several examples of covered turntables like the Atlas one. I can't recall the prototypes but I think at least one was a logging railroad in upper Michigan where they had massive snowfalls. (Remember that in the Great Lakes region, logging was normally done only in winter.)
toot toot i seem to remember reading somewhere that the Atlas turntable was based on a Boston and Maine covered turntable.
i seem to remember reading somewhere that the Atlas turntable was based on a Boston and Maine covered turntable.
That's exactly what I was thinking, I have searched high and low for a picture of a prototype turntable that Atlas could have used, but I have never found one.
OK, and contrary to the article I previously cited, Wikipedia indicates there are just three (one each at the northern ends of the Powell/Mason and Powell Hyde and one at the southern common terminus of those two lines):
So, there doesn't appear to be any turntables on the California Street Line.
cuyama They did (and do) exist for cable car and trolley lines.
They did (and do) exist for cable car and trolley lines.
7j43kI can't imagine this is info that you'll consider useful, but the turntable inside the roundhouse at the B&O Museum is that way.
That may even have been the prototype for the Atlas unit. In real life, I don't know of a single outdoor turntable built for a steam railroad that matched the atlas unit. They did (and do) exist for cable car and trolley lines.
The atlas unit was built that way for ease of installation, not because a real railroad would build one that way outdoors.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Can anyone tell me if there is a prototype for the atlas N scale turntable where the whole deck moves and has no pit.I have one and i think it would look good weatherd and detailed. I like the other type to but i need to many things to get my layout up and running to pay that kind of money just to change turntables when i like the one i have just as well. thank you for any help or tips.