Trains.com

Roundhouses and Turntables (and transfer tables)

124908 views
583 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,900 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Friday, January 4, 2019 6:40 PM

mudchicken

FWIW: If the lists ever come to life again (and I cannot read the last version anymore)

Gowrie IA CNW 60ft TT (shared with FtDDM&S, labelled M&D on CNW map)

N 42 16' 40.5""  W 94 17' 41.2"  now hiding in the trees. (South of Riddle & Lincoln, west side of Riddle)

 

M&D - Marshalltown and Dakota.  A predecessor of the FtDDM&S in that area.

Jeff

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Denver / La Junta
  • 10,820 posts
Posted by mudchicken on Saturday, January 5, 2019 12:11 AM

Amazing how that area has reclaimed what was the FTDDM&S (Built by the Newton & Northwestern RR to haul gypsum and coal in 1904)...Tough finding any mapping for that line that survived until 1965...under the wire from only 1910 to 1955... The CNW map that gave the TT location away showed your Tara Sub as Rock Island, not M&StL (CRIP only had rights in town until they got off the Tootin' Louie and on to their own Gowrie & NW on the north side of town going to Sibley and into the SD goldfields) ....Crazy place once upon a time.

M&D tag makes sense now - thanks (only saw labels for N&NW on other line maps previous to 1909)

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Saturday, January 5, 2019 11:30 AM

Galeton, PA - north central part of the state - former B&O.  Link to a photo from an old book (search was for "coudersport turntable"):

https://books.google.com/books?id=Ftpn2GGXTcQC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=coudersport+turntable&source=bl&ots=M-DY7lnqW0&sig=Gv52jkjAhP_F1i6bDKeEKy3_QKw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk3e72kdffAhWmneAKHeI0BfEQ6AEwDXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=coudersport%20turntable&f=false 

That sure looks like a small turntable on the right side, with the 'peaked' girder.  But I can't confirm its existence or location from historical USGS maps of the area - just a collection of yard tracks, some of which are shown in a 'fan' arrangement. 

- PDN. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Saturday, January 5, 2019 11:44 AM

Philipston, PA - about 15 mi. ExNE from Butler, PA, near Karns City - just other side of peninsula from East Brady.  May be ex-PRR or ex-B&O (have not researched it in depth) - near is what is now the Armstrong Trail (rail-trail): 

N 40.97586 W 79.58927

Link to photos of it, says it was Allegheny Valley RR:

http://www.interestingpennsylvania.com/2016/03/bradys-bend-overlook-armstrong-trail.html 

See also: http://armstrongrailstotrails.org/?page_id=43 

- PDN. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,900 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Saturday, January 5, 2019 7:17 PM

mudchicken

Amazing how that area has reclaimed what was the FTDDM&S (Built by the Newton & Northwestern RR to haul gypsum and coal in 1904)...Tough finding any mapping for that line that survived until 1965...under the wire from only 1910 to 1955... The CNW map that gave the TT location away showed your Tara Sub as Rock Island, not M&StL (CRIP only had rights in town until they got off the Tootin' Louie and on to their own Gowrie & NW on the north side of town going to Sibley and into the SD goldfields) ....Crazy place once upon a time.

M&D tag makes sense now - thanks (only saw labels for N&NW on other line maps previous to 1909)

 

Up until about 1912, not sure of the exact date, what became the M&StL was controlled by the Rock Island.  They had the lease on the railroad but it was allowed somehow to lapse and the M&StL picked up the lease before the RI could renew it.  (I'm on the other end of the line, away from my books that have the exact info.)  I have a privately published book on train orders that shows a train order issued at Waukee IA on a CRI&P/CRI&G train order form.  

For Christmas I received Don Hofsommer's latest book, a CERA publication on the history of the FtDDM&S.  Lots of info, but it's hard to keep straight which company built what-there's so many.  Not just for the FtDDM&S, but on the connecting railroads at various point. 

Jeff

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 8:13 PM

I've been able to confirm the turntable in Galeton, PA.  Go to: 

http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/ 

For "Enter placename, city/state, etc." input "Galeton, PA" and for the Era, 1937-1942. 

Zoom in on Coudersport in the north-central part, and look for Galeton a little to the right.  

Zoom way in further, and click on the red dot just above and to the left of "Galeton".  You should get an image with a flight date of 09/24/1938.  

Download it as a "high" resolution - about 6.9 MB as a zip file. 

Open it - may take a couple of clicks. 

Zoom way in on the lower left leg of the sideways 'Y' shape, and you should find it - there's what appears to be a 6-stall roundhouse to the right of the turntable.  There's also what appears to be a reversing loop / 'balloon' track a little to the upper right. 

A rough estimate of the Lat./ Long. coords (from ACME Mapper) is N 41.730 deg. W 77.656 deg.  It would take an hour or so with a couple prints, a scale, and calculator to get a slightly better estimate than that.

- PDN. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 9:47 PM

HA HA HA!  Now you update the post to include the extra bit of how to get the high rez photo... I started looking from the e-mail I got that you had posted a comment to the thread and it ended at the "a little to the right".  After some consternation on my part, I discovered how to do the rest of it meself.

I have added Galeton PA TT & RH to my list.

I used: 41°43'47.95"N, 77°39'21.12"W, but I'd have to take my shoes and socks off to see how close we are in guessing the location.  I just triangulated visually off of an extension of Division Ave across the stream from there.  Close enuf (and probably better than some I have!).

Thanks!

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Thursday, January 10, 2019 5:45 PM

You're welcome - a fun little exercise.  Perhaps the Penn Pilot website aerial photos would be useful for other turntables, etc. in Pennsylvania.  

I apologize for the piecemeal posting.  Too often I've tried a lengthy post - either in the amount of text or time to compile it - and then it gets deleted, by either 'operator error' Whistling in clicking on a "back" button, or something.  So I've learned to post and save it in pieces to minimize the damage when that occurs.  

Is the Philipston turntable above a new one? 

I might be able to identify a few others as my mind and travels cover more of the state. 

- PDN.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Friday, January 11, 2019 1:12 PM

Yes, Philipston was new to my list.  But it certainly is not a new one! :-)

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Friday, January 11, 2019 8:38 PM

Laugh 

Do you have the 2 at Jim Thorpe, PA?  Actually 1 might be called Glen Onoko. 

The still active one - ex Central RR of NJ - is here:

 N 40.87079 W 75.74078 = N 40 deg. 52' 14.9"  W 75 deg. 44' 26.8" 

The other one towards Glen Onoko - table long gone, but the remains of the pit are still there - is about here (the brush cover on ACME Mapper makes it hard to pin down): 

 N 40.87570 W 75.75662 = N 40 deg. 52' 32.5"  W 75 deg. 45' 22.3" 

You can see it on the Penn Pilot aerial photo for Jim Thorpe, 1957-1962 time frame, the red dot on North St. (!) in East Jim Thorpe, and open it - flight date 05/06/1959, 1:20,000 scale.  Look for the bridge over the river near the left edge, about in the middle of top-to-bottom.  From the upper left (NW) end of that bridge, it's a couple hundred feet due east. 

- PDN. 

 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Friday, January 11, 2019 8:56 PM

Frostburg, MD end of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.  The turntable was relocated from someplace else in the last 20 years or so, but I don't have specifics on that.  It's about here on ACME Mapper, but it's so lost in the shadows you can't even see it:  

 N 39.65694 W 78.92464  = N 39 deg. 39' 25.0"  W 78 deg. 55' 28.7" 

It does show up well on Google Maps, though. 

A search for "Frostburg turntable" should yield some recent photos, YouTube videos, and articles. 

- PDN. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, January 12, 2019 8:02 AM

Have the one at Jim Thorpe, but not the Glen Onoko, (so I added it).

Also have the one at Frostburg MD.  Google Earth 'Street View' shows it well, (if you know what one looks like from street level!).  Right next to the Carriage Museum.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Saturday, January 12, 2019 11:37 AM

OK, you got Frostburg.  I was too interested in the recently repainted GP30 to notice the Carriage Museum.  As my daughter said, that's from back when they were designed, not manufactured. 

Do you have the East Broad Top's at Orbisonia, PA? 

  N 40.24039 W 77.90007

Norfolk Southern's at its Juniata Shops, Altoona, PA:

N 40.53665 W 78.38112

- PDN.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, January 12, 2019 12:25 PM

Yep, have both of those... Altoona has 4 Turntables and a transfer table all in almost a straight line within just a couple of degrees.

You should send me your e-mail address (via Private Message on this site) so I can send the files to you and then you could check things for yourself.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy