Fantasy turntable layout

[rpierce000]

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=48516&t=k&om=1

I would never have space for it, but just look...  I could not believe my eyes. I wonder if there are any like this anywhere else?

Also try setting to co-ords to 50.074335,14.515579. That is pretty cool too!

Actually the whole area is CRAWLING with track, I found at least 10 industries you could scale.

[rpierce000]

http://www.macton.com/freight_rail/locomotive-turntables-freight.htm

Who knew they still MAKE turntables?  I really like the dockside application.

[Martijn Meerts]

Germany's had (possibly still has) several double turntables. I find the German ones a bit more interesting because they're not as symmetrical as this one.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures available...

Oh, and there are people who've modeled double turntables :)

[keitaro]

nice.

This is really inspiring i don't have the space for this though ahahahhaha

[Martijn Meerts]

I could make space for something like this in the new house, but it wouldn't look right on a mixed layout.. You'd really have to do a steam only setup :)

[rpierce000]

It looked to me like all of this was electric, so you CAN go modern and go with turntables!  I do not think that Google ran their satellites through the Phineas and Ferb time machine.

(Wait, is that Perry in the lower corner?)

[Martijn Meerts]

It's not uncommon for turntables to still be used for electrics, but the spiderweb of catenary you need above a turntable for electrics is ... complicated ;)

I believe Sommerfeldt and/or Marklin have a fully functional catenary set for a turntable, it looks really impressive.

All that said, a turntable looks best with lots of steam loco's :)

[The_Ghan]

Here's a link to a few double-turntables, including a beauty in Romania.

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/category/buildings/transportation-rail-turntables/

Cheers

The_Ghan

[Martijn Meerts]

That Chambery Roundhouse is pretty amazing.. Rather pointless for a layout though, unless you don't want your better half to know just how many locomotives you have =)

[rpierce000]

This leads me to some additional questions:

1) Large transfer tables? I would love to see those.
2) Triple turntables?
3) Doulbe DECKER locomotive storage? I HAVE seens double decker subway storage in Tokyo, but I can't remember where. Basically it was ground level and under it.

For those who have seen Cars 2, what about doing Capsule Hotels for Cars in a train format? (If you have NOT seen Cars 2, go give Pixar your money, you will enjoy it if you enjoy Pixar films)

Bob

[Martijn Meerts]

Can't imagine there weren't any large transfer tables, but I also think most of them have been scrapped because they're not entirely useful anymore. The city I live in (Venlo) used to have a nice one, as it was a servicing point for trains going to and coming from Germany. It's long since been removed, although the maintenance building still exists.

Triple turntables would probably not be efficient anymore, since the 3rd one would take up quite a bit of space from the first 2. Depending on how they're situated of course.


As for Cars2 .. Cars was the Pixar movie I liked the least, was actually pretty close to not liking it at all. Haven't seen Cars 2 yet.. I'm not really into talking cars all that much :)

[brill27mcb]

This leads me to some additional questions:

1) Large transfer tables? I would love to see those.
2) Triple turntables?
3) Doulbe DECKER locomotive storage? I HAVE seens double decker subway storage in Tokyo, but I can't remember where. Basically it was ground level and under it.

For those who have seen Cars 2, what about doing Capsule Hotels for Cars in a train format? (If you have NOT seen Cars 2, go give Pixar your money, you will enjoy it if you enjoy Pixar films)

Bob

The J.G. Brill plant in Philadelphia had a combination transfer table / elevator that fed a two-floor building. Painting and varnishing of completed trolley cars was done in the upper level of the building.

Rich K.

[rpierce000]

Have you ever seen pictures of the plant? I would like to look at that.

Bob

[marknewton]

2) Triple turntables?

The former loco depot at Enfield, in the inner western suburb of Sydney, had three turntables, with two complete roundhouses and a third partial roundhouse and open storage roads, known as the "bullring". The two roundhouse tables were 75 footers, while the third was a 105' split table to turn the 60 class Garratts. This table survives, having been relocated to Thirlmere, where it is the centrepiece of the new railway museum servicing/display facility.



My godson Elliot, wife Paula, son Harry and daughter Charlotte pose with 3526 on the 105' TT at Thirlmere.

Cheers,

Mark.

[KenS]

1) Large transfer tables? I would love to see those.

Large transfer tables were a common feature of early diesel shops (and possibly in the steam era also).  Very useful for moving locomotives and rolling stock between bays in a shop (e.g., between different parts of the maintenance floor, or to/from a paint shop).  I saw one about 20 years ago at an open house. Online photos are hard to come by, but here's one.

Here's a page with a Google Earth link to one in Italy.

[rpierce000]

Thanks for the links.

I picked up a manual Brawa transfer table off eBay a while back. I THINK I can build one based on the design, they do not seem too tough, just the indexing like any other track alignment problem.

Another thing for the project pile.

I really want one of the turntable/transfer table combos that were made by, I think, Fleischmann. Those look VERY cool, but I have not seen one for sale in a LONG time.

If anyone sees an extension for the Brawa please let me know.

[marknewton]

Large transfer tables were a common feature of early diesel shops (and possibly in the steam era also).

I don't know about the US, but traversers were common in the steam era throughout Australia. At Eveleigh there were four, two in the locomotive works, and two in the carriage works, both of which survive. The earliest traverser at Eveleigh was steam-powered, driven by the power unit of an unsuccesful self-propelled steam tramcar.

This image has been posted in another thread, but it's worth seeing again. It's the traverser at the Kintetsu depot in Shiohama, Yokkaichi.



Cheers,

Mark.

[rpierce000]

Is this unit still in operation? It looks in VERY good shape but I do not see an inbound track.

[KenS]

Transfer tables (traversers) associated with shops can be on the back side of the building, so the train enters through one bay, and then is moved between bays using the table, then exists throught the original bay (or another one).

An example is the Toden Arakawa depot in Tokyo, where the table in behind the shop building and storage tracks, bounded by a street behind it (entry to the table is through the building).

Here's a Wikimedia photo of the entrance to the facility.

[rpierce000]

Ken,

It appears to me that the Toden unit has TWO spans. Is this typical?  I have never seen that anywhere else. The planning required to keep things moving smoothly must be enormous. (It is probably some guy who has been doing it for 30 years and has an apprentice)

Very cool pictures.

THANK YOU!

[bill937ca]

There are several traversers on Japanese tram systems Besides the Tokyo Toden depot, they are also found in the depots of the Tosa Electric Railway, Okayama Electric Railway and Hankai Electric Railway. 

Lisbon, Portugal has a transfer table in the Santo Amaro shops of Carris and there is a transfer table in use at the TTC Hillcrest Shops in Toronto.

[bill937ca]

It appears to me that the Toden unit has TWO spans. Is this typical?  I have never seen that anywhere else. The planning required to keep things moving smoothly must be enormous. (It is probably some guy who has been doing it for 30 years and has an apprentice)

Any transfer tables I've seen in tram shops have always been a single section.  After all most tram cars are 45 feet or less.

[Hobby Dreamer]

I know that this is way OT, but this photo is what I want in my layout!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toden-Arakawashako-2006-06-25_2.jpg

or

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Toden-Arakawashako-2006-06-25_2.jpg/800px-Toden-Arakawashako-2006-06-25_2.jpg

Cheers
Rick

[KenS]

Yeah, that's a great depot.  compact, but with a lot of character.