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Small turntables still operating around the country?

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  • Member since
    December 2008
  • 2 posts
Small turntables still operating around the country?
Posted by TM&WC RR on Monday, December 22, 2008 6:28 PM

The Tennessee Valley Railroad (http://www.tvrail.com) has two operating turntables.   One is in Chattanooga at the museum, and the other is in Summerville, GA. Both are used to turn 2-8-0 610, which is a steam engine built to train Army troops to operated a steam locomotive.  The Chattanooga one is used regularly.  The Summerville one is used for occasional trips from Chattanooga to Summerville. 

 The Huntsville Depot Museum in Huntsville, AL has a turntable and a roundhouse.  I believe that the turntable is operable, but I have never seen it operate.  It came from the Southern Railroad.  The roundhouse was built in the late 1970s as a community building.  It is not a genuine roundhouse.  However, the depot on the grounds was built before the Civil War.  When it was restored in the late 1970s, it was discovered that there was grafitti on the walls from Confederate prisoners temporarily housed in the depot during the Civil War.  The grafitti primarily gives their names and home towns.  The grafitti has been preserved, and the depot conducts tours.  One of the oldest freight stations in the country is also on the grounds.  Unfortunately, it burned several years ago, but the brick portion of the structure is still there.  I believe that there are plans to rebuild it.

  • Member since
    July 2006
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Posted by Northtowne on Monday, December 22, 2008 9:40 PM

I live in Gadsden, AL some 54 miles from the one you mention in Summerville, GA. I have seen it in operation several times to turn the 610 steam loco on excursions from Chattanooga, TN. It was relocated from Birmingham AL, so I'm told. It's setting is in a city park in a new modern concrete curved wall enclosure on the old Central of Georgia (Chattanooga to Rome, GA) line and is well worth seeing the turn of the locomotive on it for the return to Chattanooga. Check the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum site for excursion schedules.

 Northtowne

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • 3 posts
Posted by Beyer-Garratt 6040 on Monday, December 22, 2008 10:08 PM

Down under (Australia) we have several in New South Wales. One of the largest is a 100' turntable at Thirlmere and there are still turntables at Enfield and Broadmeadow marshalling yards (3 & 2 at each location respectively). Several smaller turntables still exist in places like Wollongong, Waterfall, Lithgow, Goulburn, Valley Heights and Junee to name a few, but the ones at Enfield and Broadmeadow are monsters able to turn huge Beyer-Garratt's that weighed in excess of 350 tons. There was also a large turntable at Werris Creek, whilst they used triangles at Orange to turn these loco's around. The one at Thirlmere is in regular operation for steam locomotives and is just being repositioned to the other end of the museum so that it can handle engines more effectively. Whilst some turntables here are used by museums, many are still in the governments hands and are still operational. Some of the very small turntables may only be used once or twice a year, but some see regular use and are well (sorry, no pun intended) maintained.

Good luck rebuilding your database.

 

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