The question came up the other day, “How many turntables are really left?”
I’ve always been told that turntables were more of a steam thing and that if you run diesels then having one on your layout would not be a “normal” thing but instead, more of a throwback. Well if it’s a throwback, then there’s a lot of throwing going on! There are still, to this day, LOTS of turntables as I’ve found out. I’ve been looking around on windows.local.live and I’ve found tons of them! And I’ve barely scratched the surface. Check this out!
With this program it helps to close the white box on the left, and sometimes to click the “birds eye” view.
I’ve been to the Bellview… yards… I guess you could call them. Its about an hour away from where I live…
There’s a railroad historical society there that, I believe, now owns that yard - It’s pretty cool to walk around there and see all of the NKP/railroading stuff…
Didn’t have a chance to go there this summer though, and now I’m kinda bummed about it…
The only shot of a transfer table I could see was the one in the car shop for Amtrak’s facility. I could only see one turntable in the Galveston shot (well actually the foundation of one roundhouse, there is no building or tracks there anymore), but if there was another it was for a different railroad. The ATSF, SP and GHH (MP/MKT) all had parallel yards. Dave H.
Norfolk Southern has a roundhouse an operating turntable in its Conway Yard outside of Pittsburgh. Using Local Live, look up Conway, PA. The yard is between Route 65 and the Ohio River.
As for Galveston, close the small box on the left and you’ll see where there used to be turntable tracks in two places in the pic, one in the upper right, and one in the lower left (although that one’s tougher to see). It might have been for another road, but two turntables in such close proximity can’t be normal (if they were in use at the same time that is).
This table is enclosed with tall chain-link fence and has a large amount of cat-tails growing in the pit. The roundhouse is falling apart, and NS has posted “No Trespassing” signs all over the place. There are no tracks leading to or from the pit. I don’t know exactly when the Frankfort table stopped being in use, but I do know it was being used in the late 80’s. I heard a rumor last year that someone was trying to buy this turntable and use it as a bridge somewhere, but on Friday when I went past there the fence and the cat-tails were still there!
I just did a little more checking, and the photo from local live is at about 7 years old. I checked some landmarks and figured the timeframe, and that’s as close as I can get. You can also go to:
Zoom in on Clinton county, then Frankfort. Follow the main rail lines west out of town. This map photo has been taken between July 2004, and last December, in color, and can be zoomed in much closer. Hope this helps!
We have a turntable out at NS east Wayne Yard. Its still used to turn Engines and boxcars. The Turntable thats in Frankfort isnt used anymore. Last thing I heard is that a couple of people are wanting to make a Museum out of the Roundhouse in Frankfort. Kevin
I just thought of another one. I saw a brand new one being built at the Railroader’s Museum in Altoona, PA. Saw it this summer and I think it is expected to be operational next summer. Sorry, I forget the dimensions, etc.
Lived in Oberlin, Kansas most of the 1980s. The BN used to use an SD9 to bring in empty covered hoppers and spot them at the grain elevators. Then it would take a ride on the little turntable, powered from the diesel’s MR connection, head back to Mc Cook, NE with the loaded covered hoppers that were ready to go. Near the end of the decade the power tended to be two GP-40s or GP-38s lashed up back to back, thus eliminating the need to use the turntable.
There also is (or was, haven’t been there in several years) a turntable in Bridgeport, NE. The BN had sold it to a local business who charged the railroad everytime they turned a locomotive for the railroad. Haven’t been to Bridgeport for nearly 15 years so I don’t know if it’s still there or not.
It would take a lot to save the Frankfort roundhouse at this point. The roof on the back (south) side is collapsing, as is the wall on the northwest end. There are many areas of the building that have been open to the weather and the local vandals for too long. And this is only what can be seen from the public streets and alleys, it’s a good guess as to what the interior has in store! I wish it would get turned into a museum, there is a lot of railroad history associated with Frankfort, and it would be good for the local businesses. Plus I have never been able to get a chance to go into the roundhouse without risking legal repercussions! Maybe someone will step up and save this while there is still time.