Please help me out and tell me what this is called.
I took a trip to Bandana Square in St. Paul Minnesota today.
This is an old repair facility for the Northern Pacific Railway built in 1884 it sure stood the test of time.
The mechanic shops repaired passenger cars back in the day. It was turned into a mall back in 1984 and now it's a medical clinic.
I have many more pictures to share with you from today but first I would like to get to the point.
When I was just a kid starting model railroading with my brother we both knew what a turntable was. My brother told me about a railroad slide table that was not as prevalent as a turntable. I know his terminology was wrong because I cannot find any history or information on it and would very much like to do so.
So please help me out what is this called so I can do some research on it as I am trying to decide between a turntable or a slide table that is apparently not the right name for it.
Thanks in advance.
Track fidler
Transfer Table
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
Another view
Exactly. They were somewhat common around plants that built railroad equipment, railroad back shops and car repir facilities where equipment needed to be moved from place to place rather than turned.
oldline1
Altoona transfer table. Your options are no longer to turn the loco 180 degrees or some fraction of that. Instead you move it left or right to enter a flat front building.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Thanks. It's nice to get that straight after 40 years.
Do you agree you don't hear about or see these things very often?
Do you know if they were also used to transfer steam engines.
In the meantime while someone's coming up with the answer to that question I'll post more pictures of today's field trip kids. Ha ha
From Wikipedia -Transfer table in Russia
From http://www.trainweb.org/rahwayvalley/Engine_14.htm
200 ton capacity transfer table at California State Railroad Museum shop, Sacramento
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Oh they did use them for steam engines, great news. Thanks DSchmidt.
There's a good view for laying out a full shops complex in Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation. At a major shop facility, the roundhouse was only for lighter repairs. One or two tracks would extend out the back wall of the roundhouse and lead to a transfer table, which shifted locos into one of the heavy repair bays.
Of course every railroad was different and some didn't have a transfer table for the back shops. The Reading locomotive shops, for example, only had a couple of tracks leading in - a huge crane liftedn entire locomotives and moved them to different bays within the shop building.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
oops double print
I like how they preserved the Integrity of the 133 year old buildings. They left the service doors intact and open them. Then put commercial doors inside on every entrance.
That's some interesting information Randy. Now I wish I only had the room to do something like that.
I like round doors.
I ain't saying anything it's no news to anyone how beautiful the craftsmanship was done back in the day. Every Tradesman had his pride in what ever he or she did
I am so infatuated with Burlington Northern as I grew up watching them when I was a kid that I didn't even notice this apparatus in the background while I was checking out this old box car.
What is it it? It doesn't look like the coaling stations I've seen.
Looks a bit small to be a cooaling tower, but it's hard to judge how long it is from that angle. If it's truly short, it's probably a sand tower, though I've never seen a pourced concrete one like that.
As for space - yes, just take one look at the design for that engine facility. I would have no layout, that would fill up my entire basement to build all of that. Would be neat though. I have to forego the back shops to fit any sort of service facility with a turntable on my plan.
it was thinner than the thicker you see. You're probably right a sanding Tower.
It's late on a Sunday night and all the good boys and girls have gone to sleep.
I have Monday off with my Judy so I'm still alive and kicking. A little yip yip Yahoo has been known to go on a little bit on a Sunday night.
I will leave you with this. The first picture I took an 0-4-0 steamer. For one of the smallest steam engines it was amazing how huge it felt standing next to it.
Edit I think I will need to plan a weekend trip to Duluth to see that 4-8-8-4 Duluth missabe Big Boy again.
Track fiddlerWhat is it it? It doesn't look like the coaling stations I've seen.
My money would be on the ash reciever from the power plant boiler house.
They didn't need sand or coal at the car shop facility in any large quantity. The ash from the boiler house would be collected and dumped into a gon or hopper as the photo shows. Coal was brought up the ramp and into the building through the tall bi-fold doors. It could then be thawed out and dumped.
In this view it looks like there is a conveyor coming in from the left. My guess is that the black motor-looking device on the top of the present (preserved) structure was a pulverizer/turbine for blowing the ash into the hopper.
You can get more views of it on Google Street View.
Have Fun! Ed
gmpullman Track fiddler What is it it? It doesn't look like the coaling stations I've seen. My money would be on the ash reciever from the power plant boiler house. They didn't need sand or coal at the car shop facility in any large quantity. The ash from the boiler house would be collected and dumped into a gon or hopper as the photo shows. Coal was brought up the ramp and into the building through the tall bi-fold doors. It could then be thawed out and dumped. In this view it looks like there is a conveyor coming in from the left. My guess is that the black motor-looking device on the top of the present (preserved) structure was a turbine for blowing the ash into the hopper. You can get more views of it on Google Street View. Have Fun! Ed
Track fiddler What is it it? It doesn't look like the coaling stations I've seen.
In this view it looks like there is a conveyor coming in from the left. My guess is that the black motor-looking device on the top of the present (preserved) structure was a turbine for blowing the ash into the hopper. You can get more views of it on Google Street View.
Yes I do see the similarity of the blower motor on the top of my picture and the pictures you provided.
Ed, correct me if I'm wrong. You are saying the apparatus next to the BN boxcar is the ash waste Reservoir from the waste of the faculty burning coal that is to be hauled away?
Thanks. Track fidler
Track fiddlerEd, correct me if I'm wrong. You are saying the apparatus next to the BN boxcar is the ash waste Reservoir from the waste of the faculty burning coal that is to be hauled away?
Judging by the layout of the powerhouse in the undated view I would be 99% certain that the hopper is for collecting the spent coal (ash) from the boiler house.
Nearly every major industrial facility, including large schools and hospitals had their own heating and steam plants, most of which were coal-fired. All that coal turned to ash and had to go somewhere.
The plant I worked in built new boilers in 1957 and used pulverized coal which in-turn produced a finer "fly-ash" which could be transported like dust.
Perhaps the Como shops also used a finer coal in later years and replaced the conveyor with the cyclone device shown in your photo and the Google photo.
Here's a model-railroader's view:
The boxcar seems to have lost its engine and caboose over the years...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/2571434790/in/photolist-ee1cRY-ek8FUm-X44r3m-QBkL4d-4PuTC9-B5xaw3-4VegYA-SiHbuf-6sUCPn-uHuULA-sQ4bW3-He4nh3
Thanks for posting these photos, T-F!
Regards, Ed
You're welcome and thank you Ed. That last modelers photo you sent me kind of threw me for a loop. I can't even begin thinking where you found that. What a match. A perfect way to end a great day.
PS. I did save the best photo for last I will flip that one out in the morning over coffee.
Rest well
For those of you interested in possibly adding a transfer table to your model railroad, MR had a terrific 2- or 3-part construction article back in 1959, a very prolific year for interesting construction articles. There was even a great article on constructing a self-correcting automatic turntable.
Deano
Imgure has'nt been working this morning. I'll post when I can.
By the way, Walthers had a working transfer table in HO. Lionel had one in O three-rail.
Dave Nelson
This one put a smile on my face.
The buildings were closed on a Sunday. The woodwork throughout these facilities is really something to see. 130 years of natural aging adds a natural color to the wood slowly created Through Time.
I'll have to stop by sometime when I'm in the area to get some pictures for you to see.
This place used to be home to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum for as long as I can remember.
The medical HMO that owns the buildings kept raising thier rent until they were forced to move.
Quite a greedy thing to do to a nonprofit organization that the kids enjoy.
Feel free to post more pictures and history of transfer tables.
Thanks