NON-Open Pit Turntables

[Anonymous]

Were turntables with covering over the pit [like the one inside the B&O museum's Mt Clare roundhouse] ever used outdoors? If so, how recently?

[selector]

Classic Trains mag put out an edition in May or June, and they had a centre-piece showing a Connie being turned on a very grassy table-type TT outdoors, somewhere in the western US. It was manual, and had a gantry with supporting cables to keep it from sagging at the ends. I believe the pic was from the 50's.

Other than that tidbit, I'm afraid I can't be of much help.

[jrbernier]

Sure were - In 'snow' areas. The much more common 'open pit' type of arrangement needed very good drainage and some folks with show shovels to keep them operating. I have no idea how long these old wood decked turntables lasted. I suspect fires did a lot of them in.

Jim Bernier

[Anonymous]

Thanx Crandel and Jim, I suspected they weren't too common in contemorary times.

[fwright]

The cable car system in San Francisco still uses wood-decked turntables. My best guess is that is for safety reasons - the turntables are right out in public view and access, and the cars are generally turned by manually pushing on the car.

Fred Wright

[dinwitty]

there are non-pit turntables, especially where the ground is too rocky hard to dig a pit, they just raise the track to the TT.

But these are like out in the west, and not really that common, but did/do exist.

[edkowal]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dinwitty

there are non-pit turntables, especially where the ground is too rocky hard to dig a pit, they just raise the track to the TT.

But these are like out in the west, and not really that common, but did/do exist.

They were also relatively common on narrow gauge railroads. For instance, several of the Maine two-foot rairoads had turntables without a pit. Same as mentioned in the quote, the approach track was raised on a fill to meet the turntable track.

These would not look like the turntable you mentioned, though. They wouldn't have a large circular deck. The turntable bridge (the part that turns) would look like a regulation turntable bridge, either wooden or metal. It just wouldn't be below ground level, in a pit.

-Ed