Turntable and Roundhouse locations.

[snagletooth]

Thanks.  It seems that a lot of the transfer tables are in northern areas of the country, while turntables and roundhouses seem to be more evenly distributed.  I'm curious why this is.

 

I know I'l be corrected, but it seems to me the time period. The Midwest was in the middle of the "Rail Boom" when the transfer table idea came forward. By the time the West got it, they already had better ideas to handle rolling repairs.

[cordon]

Thanks.  It seems that a lot of the transfer tables are in northern areas of the country, while turntables and roundhouses seem to be more evenly distributed.  I'm curious why this is.

 

[Don Gibson]

Are there any transfer tables in the south and west?  If not, why? 

HOW 'BOUT San Berdoo? Far enough west for ya?

[blhanel]

Spooner, WI has a roundhouse and turntable.

Phil

Found a decent image of it on Terraserver... N 45.82463, W 91.8861. 

[wgnrr]

Spooner, WI has a roundhouse and turntable.

Phil

[Zwingle]

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=42.0872&lon=-90.141304&z=17.5&r=0&src=msa CB&Q footprint, Savanna, IL

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=42.088998&lon=-90.146282&z=17.5&r=0&src=msa Milwaukee foundation/pit - Savanna, IL (I was wrong, it is still there!)

[Zwingle]

Summerville, GA http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=34.478849&lon=-85.346429&z=17.6&r=0&src=ggl new "display turntable" - http://railga.com/oddend/sumturntable.html  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=34.478849&lon=-85.346429&z=17.6&r=0&src=yh Summerville, GA, prior to installation of display turntable.    

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.772126&lon=-88.273536&z=17.8&r=0&src=ggl Eola, IL  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.707866&lon=-92.957164&z=17.7&r=0&src=ggl Marceline Missouri (foundation)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=35.908685&lon=-100.400534&z=16.8&r=0&src=msa Canadian, TX - foundation  

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=60.724748&lon=-135.053444&z=17.8&r=0&src=gglWhitehorse, CA - "Whitehorse-White Pass & Yukon" 2-stall "roundhouse"  Turntable long gone.

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=38.259859&lon=-104.614704&z=15.7&r=0&src=msa Pueblo, CO - working turntable and roundhouse footprint  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.363314&lon=-123.816263&z=17.8&r=0&src=yh- a buried turntable is all that remains of the roundhouse in Caspar, CA  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=47.222187&lon=-68.755515&z=17.7&r=0&src=yh St. Francis, Maine - B&A turntable adjacent to the St. Frances Historical Society  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=60.128944&lon=-149.42991&z=16.6&r=0&src=msa Seward, AK - foundation  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=44.10136&lon=-69.122909&z=17.6&r=0&src=msa Rockland, ME turntable/roundhouse    

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.316338&lon=-105.890894&z=17.3&r=0&src=msa Como, CO

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=38.399958&lon=-96.196078&z=17.1&r=0&src=msa Emporia, KS  

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=40.047183&lon=-95.594544&z=16.2&r=0&src=msa Falls City, Nebraska  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=34.778377&lon=-112.059081&z=17.6&r=0&src=yh Clarkdale, AZ  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=40.783475&lon=-82.753531&z=16.3&r=0&src=msaCrestline, OH  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=34.365278&lon=-92.816654&z=17.3&r=0&src=msa Malvern, AR http://www.trainweather.com/malvernroundhouse.html  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=36.045834&lon=-88.241768&z=17.2&r=0&src=msaBruceton, TN  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=14.968115&lon=-89.544522&z=18.7&r=0&src=ggl Zacapa, Guatemala http://www.steam.demon.co.uk/trains/pics04/gt04005.jpg  

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=38.92469&lon=-79.851744&z=17.4&r=0&src=yhElkins, WV

  http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=42.930973&lon=-72.284584&z=17.8&r=0&src=msaKeene, VT (shopping center)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.272426&lon=-110.970756&z=16.5&r=0&src=gglEvanston, Wyoming  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=40.957904&lon=-74.153024&z=19.2&r=0&src=gglHawthorne, NJ (warehouse) http://www.gsmrrclub.org/HISTORY/history16.html  

   http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=42.286503&lon=-72.981909&z=17.2&r=0&src=ggl Chester, MA  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=43.625303&lon=-70.295162&z=17.3&r=0&src=msa South Portland, ME  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=49.273247&lon=-123.121025&z=17.6&r=0&src=msa Vancouver, BC (This happens to be the oldest building in Vancouver still in its original location.  Now Vancouver's community center.

  http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.950115&lon=-120.417095&z=17.5&r=0&src=msa Jamestown, CA (Sierra Railroad)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=36.414684&lon=-93.733694&z=18.3&r=0&src=ggl Eureka Springs, AR (tourist/working)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=34.987196&lon=135.742634&z=16.9&r=0&src=ggl Kyoto, Japan (working/steam locomotive museum)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.713008&lon=-89.332189&z=16.7&r=0&src=msa Amboy, IL (Only a small piece of this one still exists. Its now part of a large factory that now produces ice cream toppings.  The original roundhouse was 216 feet in diameter.)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.99522&lon=-91.847458&z=15.4&r=0&src=msa Atkins, Iowa (foundation)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=40.240562&lon=-77.900099&z=17.6&r=0&src=yh Orbisonia, Pennsylvania "East Broad Top" working  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=38.840168&lon=-104.859915&z=17.2&r=0&src=msa Colorado Springs - commercial  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.80446&lon=-122.403126&z=18.4&r=0&src=ggl San Francisco, CA "Belt Line" roundhouse built in 1889  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=52.916576&lon=-1.460737&z=17.1&r=0&src=msa Derby, England.  Victorian roundhouse built in 1839.  Hit by German bombs in WWII. Now abandoned.    

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=55.635882&lon=12.079617&z=16.7&r=0&src=ggl Roskilde, Denmark - storage for old steam locomotives  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=43.20637&lon=-70.864651&z=17.8&r=0&src=msa Dover, NH - B&M roundhouse - 1920  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=38.676727&lon=-121.179337&z=18.8&r=0&src=ggl Folsom, CA turntable preserved.  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.845862&lon=-87.740989&z=18.8&r=0&src=ggl Cicero, IL - abandoned roundhouse and manual turntable  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.898767&lon=-87.895191&z=18.3&r=0&src=msa Bellwood, Illinois - Proviso turntable  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.701447&lon=-122.406451&z=16.5&r=0&src=msa Bayshore roundhouse, CA  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=47.133725&lon=-88.57756&z=17.7&r=0&src=msa Hancock, MI - The roof is missing from this old Quincy & Torch Lake roundhouse.  

 http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=44.276857&lon=-83.502109&z=17.8&r=0&src=msa Tawas City, MI  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=32.075562&lon=-81.101577&z=17.6&r=0&src=ggl Coastal Heritage Society working turntable/roundhouse - Savannah, GA.  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=43.297781&lon=-93.206326&z=17.1&r=0&src=msa Manly, IA  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=35.787399&lon=-78.641778&z=18.4&r=0&src=ggl Raleigh, NC turntable & rough outline  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.261874&lon=-97.385568&z=17.7&r=0&src=msa Wellington, KS - pit/foundation  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.45926&lon=-77.960157&z=17.3&r=0&src=yh Martinsburg, WV  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.285251&lon=-76.632344&z=18.2&r=0&src=msa Mount Clare, MD - B&O Museum   

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.133796&lon=-103.474221&z=17.5&r=0&src=msa Hugo, CO (oldest roundhouse in colorado)  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.032038&lon=-114.026464&z=17.3&r=0&src=ggl Calgary, Canada  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=46.863295&lon=-67.997907&z=17.2&r=0&src=msa Caribou, ME

  http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=45.231408&lon=-68.968353&z=17.2&r=0&src=yh Derby, ME

  http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.129968&lon=-104.815878&z=15.7&r=0&src=msa Cheyenne, WY  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=41.272223&lon=-110.97101&z=16.3&r=0&src=msa Evanston, WY  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=47.30172&lon=-122.230004&z=16.8&r=0&src=msa Auburn, WA - footprint  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=32.551856&lon=-94.359778&z=17.6&r=0&src=msa Marshall, TX - Foundation  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=39.067873&lon=-95.684856&z=17.3&r=0&src=msa Topeka, KS - foundation    

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=45.010392&lon=-71.50719&z=17.7&r=0&src=msa Beecher Falls, NH - turntable and single-engine roundhouse. However, this same scene through Yahoo shows it to now be demolished. http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=45.010279&lon=-71.507097&z=17.7&r=0&src=yh  

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=37.664058&lon=-82.268789&z=17&r=0&src=msa Williamson, WV    

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/category/buildings/transportation-rail-turntables/  More here.  This site is nice because all their examples are linked to satellite images.

[cordon]

Are there any transfer tables in the south and west?  If not, why?

 

 

[Semper Vaporo]

You have a ? after the Summerville, GA turntable. Don't know what you mean by that but there is one on the old Central of Georgia that ran thru Summerville from Chattanooga to Rome, GA. The turntable is a recent installation of one removed from Birmingham, AL, I think. It is used primarily to turn Tennessee Valley Railroad Musuem excursion steam motive power that comes down from Chattanooga. It is in excellent shape having been re-built and installed in a new concrete foundation. Was not part of the original Cen of Ga operation.

 Northtowne

The "?" means I cannot tell if my assumption about the site is true.  In the case of Summerville, GA, the resolution of the image is between real good and real poor.  I can see no evidence of there ever being a roundhouse at the site, but it appears to be a very large (about 96-ft) turntable.  There is a north/south RR track along the west side and a pale straight line from the turntable(?) off the north side to the track.  There is also what appears to be a dirt road that winds around the east side to the south side.  There are no other tracks, nor evidence of tracks ever leading from it at any other place.  Thus it "looks like" it might work, but maybe I'm actually looking at the top of a large fuel tank with a catwalk that I am interpreting as a turntable in a pit.  If as you say there is a new installation of a turntable used to turn the excursion locomotive, then this very well could be it.  If someone that knows where the turntable actually exists can look at the Google Earth image and verify it, I will either remove the "?" or delete the entry if I have the wrong site.

The last time I was in Chattanooga, the train ran "through" Missionary Hill and the locomotive was turned on a turntable south of there.  (The north end was a Wye where they turned the entire consist.)  The resolution of the images for Chattanooga are really poor on the east side and I cannot find the tunnel entrances, nor the wye (with any "real" certainty), but the turntable is easily seen right at the east edge of a high resolution area.  The present image has the excursion train parked at the station just to the north of the turntable and a Diesel has already been turned and is on the north end of the train.  The resolution is good enough that someone that knows Diesel engines could probably determine the make and model (and someone that knows the TVRM roster could tell you the number (and maybe who the engineer is)).

I'm tempted to look up in the air often everyday and wave!  Might someday see myself on Google Earth!

 

 

[Murphy Siding]

     Dale- I understand now.  Thanks  -Norris

[nanaimo73]

  ..but what is a transfer table?  I'm picturing old photos fo Milwaukee Road shops, where a door opens, a new car moves east to west, then is *transfered* to a north-south line?  Something like that?

It is like a turntable, but moves sideways instead of spinning. If you've seen the movie "End of the Line", they ride one at the end. (Yard Center, IL?).

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/srchThumbs.aspx?srch=transfer+table&search=Search

There is one at the Livingstone Rebuild Center, MT.

[Murphy Siding]

     Call me a dumby if you wish, but what is a transfer table?  I'm picturing old photos fo Milwaukee Road shops, where a door opens, a new car moves east to west, then is *transfered* to a north-south line?  Something like that?

 

[Northtowne]

You have a ? after the Summerville, GA turntable. Don't know what you mean by that but there is one on the old Central of Georgia that ran thru Summerville from Chattanooga to Rome, GA. The turntable is a recent installation of one removed from Birmingham, AL, I think. It is used primarily to turn Tennessee Valley Railroad Musuem excursion steam motive power that comes down from Chattanooga. It is in excellent shape having been re-built and installed in a new concrete foundation. Was not part of the original Cen of Ga operation.

 Northtowne

[pedrop]

The Kentville Town Council is determined to demolish the Kentville Roundhouse, the only roundhouse remaining in Nova Scotia.  See recent photographs at http://ns1763.ca/rail/kenround.html

It should be better if they decide to restore it and use with another purpose, like an art gallery, a museum, and so on. It is necessary to convince them to change their bad ideia. The time changed. Today we must preserve the old relics like that.

[Anonymous]

The Kentville Town Council is determined to demolish the Kentville Roundhouse, the only roundhouse remaining in Nova Scotia.  See recent photographs at http://ns1763.ca/rail/kenround.html

[pedrop]

I saw some photos of a recently built turntable being built and noted some strange yellow poles sticking up all around the site.  I wondered what they were for.  Thanks!

What a strange juxtaposition of technologies.  A railroad turntable, usually associated with ancient, outdated (a false association, if you ask me) technology and infrared sensors, which are usually associated with "modern" technology.

I can't believe infrared sensors are better than just looking to see if the rail line up! 

 CVRD is a modern company that uses best technology for its purpose: mining and railroad transportation. That´s why it decide to use the infra-red sensors to eliminate any chance of an accident. Also, the turntable is controlled by the yard tower, so it is not necessary a guy to see if the lines is in position or not. The loco goes to the turntable and the sensors indicates when it is in corret position over the table. Then, the table starts to turn. This system is very useful at night, specially at raining ones. The link below shows the same turntable working with a BB40-9WM.

http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z144/LEONARDO1976/?action=view&current=EFVM15NAROTUNDADECS.flv

 

Pedro

 

[Semper Vaporo]

I stared at the East Chicago transfer table for quite a while before I recognized it as a transfer table.  BIG.  They sure have a lot of wheel sets laying around!

Decatur IL is lousy resolution in Google Earth,  I'll keep that reference and check using the other mapping sites later.

The Logansport transfer table is just east of a working Turntable and evidence of a roundhouse.  A couple of 1 stall square buildings and several radial storage tracks are all that is there now.  The transfer table feeds a large building.

Thanks

 

[MP173]

Nice project.

If you are adding transfer tables, I have a few to add:

East Chicago, Indiana 151st and Railroad Ave, Union Tank Car Manufacturing plant

Decatur, Il, 22nd Street, ADM Railcar Repair plant

Logansport, In. ?, dont know the address, but I can find it if you are wanting to add these to the list.  It is now a railcar repair shop.

I know that the ADM and UTLX transfer tables are being used daily.

ed

[Murphy Siding]

     Perhaps not directly related, but bear in mind, that I am a lumber salesman.....Eight or ten years ago, I sold some 1X12 rough sawn lumber to a builder in Madison, S.D., for use on a replica sort of roundhouse at Prairie Villiage.  Prairie Villiage has a 1 mile loop, around a group of old buildings brought in to make an 1890 villiage.  There is a turntable, and *I think* a 3 stall roundhouse.  I always wondered why they wanted to put verticle, rough cut lumber on the roundhouse.  I sure don't rememer seeing many old photos that would lead me to believe that would be considered *authentic* on the northern prairies

[Anonymous]

There also was a roundhouse in Eastern Colorado along the UP's KP line that was in derelict condition, but I don't recall the town. 

Hugo -- belongs to the town, used to house the grader, etc.  It's in reasonably good shape.

There is still a turntable at 4th Street Yard/Burnham Shops in Denver, as someone else noted.

S. Hadid 

[Semper Vaporo]

I saw some photos of a recently built turntable being built and noted some strange yellow poles sticking up all around the site.  I wondered what they were for.  Thanks!

What a strange juxtaposition of technologies.  A railroad turntable, usually associated with ancient, outdated (a false association, if you ask me) technology and infrared sensors, which are usually associated with "modern" technology.

I can't believe infrared sensors are better than just looking to see if the rail line up!

 

[pedrop]

Hi, What a wonderful job you are doing. I love roundhouse and turntables and I hope your job  can be turn in a book to us soon. I will provide you a list of the brazilian turntables I know. I also search for them here, specially on the ancient Railroads. last week I discover a photo of an old and unknown one at old Leopoldina Railway system .

The picture below  shows one of EFVM modern turntables  at Costa Lacerda yard, state of Minas Gerais (MG), city of Santa Barbara. The yellow poles around it are infra-red sensors. The picture was taken by my friend Leonardo Leao.

 

Pedro 

[Semper Vaporo]

When I started doing this I was only looking for working/in-use roundhouses.  I soon found many turntables that were still in use but the roundhouse was gone and decided to include the sites that used to have roundhouses.  Then I started to record where nothing was left but the footprint of the structures on the ground.

I also began to recognize lone turntables and decided to include them even though I was sure no roundhouse was ever assiciated with them.

When I added the Miles City, MT roundhouse outline I wasn't even thinking about transfer tables!

Now I have begun to find these linear transfer tables and I guess I'll include them too.  They are a lot harder to see or find by just "flying over" them in the images.  Roundhouses are rather unique in shape/footprint.  The radial lines left in the concrete floor stick out like a sore thumb sometimes.  Linear transfer tables are not so obvious!

I'm having to fight with myself to limit the database to just these things.  I keep finding other interesting RR structures (big viaducts, trestles and bridges, shops and yards, loops, tunnels, etc.) that I think are interesting and I want to keep track of where they are/were for later reference.  (Then there is that thread on this board about passenger stations...)

Don't want to lose focus on what I started doing.

Keep 'em coming!

[nanaimo73]

Charles (and Dough),

Thanks for putting so much work into this project.

You have a listing for Miles City Montana, which I guss is for the CMSP&P, not NP. It says no turntable, outline of roundhouse. I believe just east of the former CMSP&P roundhouse are two former shop buildings, with what looks like a transfer table between them.

http://wikimapia.org/#y=46416640&x=-105838895&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2

I believe it is still in use (Transco Railway Products?). 

[tatans]

Moose Jaw made your list hooray!  A new roundhouse building in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada:::  45  04'  47.29 N-----------64  30'  13.67'' W           good luck with your quest.

[Dough]

Ditto on what Semper Vaporo said about checking for errors.  Some of the images that I am trying to use are old and/or not very detailed.  Having some eyes on the ground would be great!

Also, the images for the West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia areas of the Appalachian mountains are pretty poor resolution in Google Earth.  However, it also appears that they have a very high proportion of turntables.  I imagine it has something to do with the difficulty of fitting a wye between the mountains.

It would be nice if someone with time would check the small towns on these lines using the http://www.flashearth.com/ program.  The Microsoft and Yahoo layers have some good resolution, but it just takes time.

 

[Semper Vaporo]

I'm waiting to see my contribution  on that list at the first of the message, where is it?? along with the rest of the new locations, just found out there is a roundhouse in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada that a few people are trying to preserve, the town wants it torn down,

 

You mean... Moose Jaw, SK, Canada... about the 15th from the bottom of the list.  Let me know if I have screwed up the abreviation for Saskatchewan... (and forgive me if I just transscrambled the spelling of the whole name?)  I have already been taken to task for misstyping the postal abreviations for a couple of States!

This list could possibly have no relation to reality, it is just the best I can do as an Armchair Explorer using the most unreliable of research methods... "the internet"!

If you believe "the internet" is reliable... do a search for things like: How to make diamonds from charcoal and peanut butter in your microwave!

I will try to include all the places people suggest, but only if "I" can verify it by looking at an aerial photograph on one of the various web sites (or some other positional photographic evidence).

I have added one that is from an aerial photograph that I "HAD" (note past tense... the surface of the photo actually disintegrated in my hands and floated away!...NUTZ!... what a loss!).

I have also included one from someone that says he has recently physically seen the remnants of a turntable, even though I cannot see it in the images I have checked.  I included it because I was able to follow his directions to the place in the aerial image; but the trees are just too thick to see anything.

But, then again, I am trusting "Dough" to be honest in his findings.  I am "spot checking" his findings, but not because I don't trust him, but rather because I enjoy looking at these rare (or what I had thought were "rare") railroad relics.

I have a short list of sites where people have said there is/was one, but so far, I have not been able to actually see them.  Most of them are in places where Google Earth is just too poor of a resolution to see anything.  Some of them are not included yet just because I can't find a Turntable or Roundhouse in the city they have specified in spite of the images being high resolution.  Doesn't mean it ain't there, just that "I" haven't found it yet.  Hey, the eyes get bleary after a few hours!   Or maybe it has been totally paved over and no one will ever be able to find it.

The actual list I have, has additional columns that I am trying to fill in, but this forum's spacing is such that I cannot include them all and maintain any sort of clarity to it.  The additional columns include how the site was verified (Google Earth, MS/Yahoo, Photo, etc.) and additional information like what RR built it and when, present RR/owner, and a general comments area where I have been making comments like:  "Nice" or "3 stalls now, used to be full circle." etc.

I expect to work on this off and on for some time and will keep updating this site as I can.  If anyone wants to have the whole file I can send it to you... send me a Private Message with your e-mail address.  I probably should have done this in some database program (like Microsoft Access) but I have Microsoft Excel on my PC and that is what I am used to using for lots of random things.  If you do not have Excel, I can export the data in other formats that you might be able to import into some other program.  I can also export it as a text file that a really wide printer could print, but you could load it into NotePad, WordPad, Write or Word, or any other word processor to view as you can.  If someone wants to host the list on a web site with search capabilities or whatever, let me know and it is yours.

I will NOT make a "Mailing List" to send updates to.  Posting it here is ALL I will do, except: If you send your e-mail address to me I will respond ONCE with the whole list as it stands at that time.  I will post updates here and if you see them and want the new list you will have to request it again.

 

[alphas]

I was at Lewistown, PA last year and they still had a working turntable in the yard there, west of the Amtrak station.  

[tatans]

I'm waiting to see my contribution  on that list at the first of the message, where is it?? along with the rest of the new locations, just found out there is a roundhouse in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada that a few people are trying to preserve, the town wants it torn down,