Turntable

[16d]

Good Morning, a visit to the Midland Railway Centre, and Swanick Junction, in the undergrowth near to the station, (ex-Syston) is a large turntable, could some one, please tell me, where it came from originally. thank you.

[Mickey]

I can't answer your question 16d but a general observation about turntables?.

Until very recently I never paid much attention to railway turntables but I was reading something recently about them and I didn't realise how many different types of turntables there were in use around the B.R. regions and obviously the time before the B.R. era. Something that never occurred to me before reading about them was sometimes the edges of the turntable pit had 'white lining' added to them (like the white lining along a station platform edge) and that was usually added at turntables in yards where the lighting was insufficiently good to see the turntable during the hours of darkness which I suppose makes sense when you think about it although I never gave it any thought before.

As most people reading this will already know some turntables were worked off the locos own vacuum brake pipe attached to a small electric motor that was mounted on the turntable it's self while on other turntables they had to be manually pushed around by the loco crew also on some turntables the weighbeam pointed downwards into the turntable pit while on others it pointed upwards obscuring part of the bottom part of the locos driving wheels and motion when the loco was standing on the turntable also some turntable pits were 'covered over' with wooden boarding like the x4 turntables were at Old Oak Common shed on the GWR although I suspect that was fairly rare on most turntables throughout B.R. and prior to B.R. in 1948.

[52D]

My interests are in the smaller ones used in stations and yards. If you look on older drawings you will be suprised at the amount used. Was this because turntables were cheaper and simpler to construct than points at the time?

[Mickey]

I presume that you mean those single wagon turntables that were found in goods yards 52D?.

Recently I was watching some archive film footage of a S.R. loco crew turning a Bulleid un-rebuilt light pacific on a 'hand pushed' turntable somewhere down in the southwest of England during the 1960s anyway both the driver and fireman initially struggled to get the table moving then after getting the table moving and pushing the loco around to the desired stopping place found it a bit difficult to stop the thing to say the least also the driver appeared to have difficulty in engaging the turntable 'locking lever' after the table had stopped as well.

The same piece of film also showed the fireman climbing back on board the loco's footplate and then reversing the loco off the table and nearly running down his mate (the driver) who was crossing the line behind the tender at the same time as the loco was moving backwards!!.

All good fun but something that would make a current day H&S member roll there eyes heavenwards!!.

[52D]

Yes micky wagon turntables a thing of the past these days.

[Mickey]

Yes those small turntables were quite prominent during the early years of railways 52D and even at large terminal stations like Euston I believe?.

I was watching one of my collection of 300+ railway dvds recently about Kings Cross station and Kings Cross Goods yard during the 1950s and those small single wagon turntables were to be found in the 'Goods yard' as well where a piece of film shows a single box van being turned on one of those small single wagon turntables after which it is seen being moved into a short length of track of about 10 yards long beside a loading dock. Apparently those small single wagon turntables were worked by 'rope & capstan' whereby after the wagon had been placed on the turntable it would be manually pulled around to the desired position by either the shunter or goods yard staff pulling a rope through a rotating capstan.

[52D]

The first property we lived in was adjacent to Shorts Mill in Berwick where a short stub of a line crossed Dock Road after coming off the Dock Branch via a turntable and capstan.

[StevieG]

"Yes those small turntables were quite prominent during the early years of railways 52D and even at large terminal stations like Euston I believe?. .... "

Indeed Mickey. Have seen early track diagrams for wayside stations that, e.g., showed it to be quite common for a two-track main line to have a track cross at right angles to sidings on one or both sides, and having wagon turntables (sometimes called 'turnplates') in all roads, including the down and ip mains.

" .... small single wagon turntables were to be found in the 'Goods yard' as well where a piece of film shows a single box van being turned on one of those small single wagon turntables .... " " .... Apparently those small single wagon turntables were worked by 'rope & capstan' whereby after the wagon had been placed on the turntable it would be manually pulled around to the desired position by either the shunter or goods yard staff pulling a rope through a rotating capstan."

I've a feeling that sometime I've seen film of that method used manoeuvring wagons around in the catacomb-like 'cellars' that formed the lower levels of Bishopsgate Goods Depot outside Liverpool Street's station yard and approaches.

[52D]

Yes Stevie i have seen the original NBR plans for Berwick before it became a through station and it had numerous turntables.

[drmditch]

There is an interesting short turntable at the Tanfield railway.
It looks a little larger than the usual wagon turntable, but perhaps that is just because you can see all 'the works'

I have more pictures, and larger versions of the above if anyone wants.

The Vintage Carriages trust has a page on the same(?) turntable ....here.....

[john coffin]

If you have access to any books with early photos, like for instance pictures of Paddington or Bristol, there are certainly
many turntable which I think were there to allow coaches to be turned and or moved out of formation. Don't forget almost
all Terminal stations had only arrival and departure platforms, and it would seem, no escape roads for locos, so it would
seem that in many places Horse shunting took place to release locos.

Famously on the GNR, Horncastle, which was the subject of many Model Railway Constructor articles in the 60's since a model
was made of it, had at least two turntables due to the warehouse being at right angles to the track and at the end of the platform.

Paul

[65447]

Famously on the GNR, Horncastle, which was the subject of many Model Railway Constructor articles in the 60's since a model
was made of it, had at least two turntables due to the warehouse being at right angles to the track and at the end of the platform.

Paul

Not sure about the 'famously'... same arrangements at Eye in Suffolk and several other stations in the vicinity including Harleston, Homersfield and Beccles to name but a few.

[Dave]

The old York station (West Offices) also had turntables at the inner end of the terminus platforms to a line that ran 90deg to the approach lines and a set halfway down the platforms.