Turntable operations

[jacon12]

Pardon this newbie question, but I'm trying to understand turntable operations in the protypical world. Is the turntable used to turn a locomotive so that it would be in the right orientation for servicing in the engine round house, or is it to turn the engine so that it'll be headed correctly for it's next train? Or is it both?
Jarrell

[marknewton]

Depending on the specific circumstances of the railway and the engine depot, both.

[tomikawaTT]

Primary concern - have the loco facing in the right direction for its next assignment.

If built in conjunction with a roundhouse, turning the loco to enter the stall nose first was important, but over-the-road direction was still the primary driving force.

My prototype used stand-alone turntables and rectangular engine houses with parallel tracks. It was not uncommon for the engine house to be at one end of the station complex and the turntable at the other.

At Gerber, CA, the SP had a six-track rectangular engine house surrounded by a wye. The engine house tracks were parallel to the main line they served.

Chuck

[oleirish]

Jarrell HI there!
At turn table is used both ways,in the steam area the round house was used for maintance and keeping the engines out of the weather
JIM

[wjstix]

Both were important uses. Most of the moving parts of a steam engine (i.e. the parts that usually needed the most work) were towards the front part of the engine. Engines coming in from a run would be put on the turntable and turned so they could enter their stall nose-first. Given the shape of the roundhouse, each stall was pie shaped, and this allowed the most room around the front part of the engine.

With diesels, it was less of an issue, and after steam was gone many roundhouses were replaced with "squarehouse" diesel engine houses.

[Eriediamond]

Another reason steam engines were generally run into the round house nose first was primarily because the smoke stack was at the front of the engine and when the engine was spotted with this smoke stack under the exhaust pipe to get the smoke out of the round house, it didn't matter what length the engine and tender was, the tender could stick out the doors. If the smoke exhaust pipe was at the entrance door end the the loco would have to be backed in and the depth of the round house would limit the length of the loco it could hold. Remember, real steam engines always kept a fire banked up in them, exept when major work or boiler inspections were done. Most boiler damage was from impure water (scaleing-rust-etc) and expansion-contraction (cracked welds-flu pipes-etc) in the transition from "cold to "hot" engines and visversa. Ken

[Anonymous]

One term you might hear that can be confusing is "Turning an Engine". Which means to do the scheduled maintenance items and get it ready to pull another train. Not actually physically turning it.

[ereimer]

QUOTE: If the smoke exhaust pipe was at the entrance door end the the loco would have to be backed in and the depth of the round house would limit the length of the loco it could hold.

true , but if the loco being backed in was too long they could just stop with the smoke stack outside the engine house [:)]

[Eriediamond]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ereimer

QUOTE: If the smoke exhaust pipe was at the entrance door end the the loco would have to be backed in and the depth of the round house would limit the length of the loco it could hold.

true , but if the loco being backed in was too long they could just stop with the smoke stack outside the engine house [:)]

Agree, but then that would defeat the purpose getting the loco inside for inspection and maintainance.