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Electrically operated prototype turntables


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We are building a turntable model for our group layout where we know that the prototype was electrically powered. No photo or info for that aspect of our prototype has emerged.

 

Despite looking pretty hard we also cannot find a photo or info on ANY electrically operated UK prototype turntable (lots of USA pix but they tended to use overhead wiring supports that we don’t think were used in UK).

 

We want at the least to model the control unit (presumably located on the well wall or on the t/t bridge) and associated elements visually related to it.

 

So can anyone please help with info or links to drawings, photos etc that show a UK electrically operated turntable from any company or location.

 

Many thanks,

 

Chris McCarthy

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15 minutes ago, Free At Last said:

Pic sent by pm of electric turntable at Aintree.

The L&YR used them extensively, with an overhead cable to a bridge in the middle of the turntable there are several illustrateded in the Hawkins % Reeve series of LMS sheds - Vol 3 L&YR.. I don't know of any other company that used electricity as the driving force.

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The 70ft turntable at the north end of York loco depot was electrically operated; in the picture of 60056 on this page you can see the gantry attached to the bridge which carried the overhead electrical feed wires:

 

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/York_engine_sheds_and_locomotive_works

 

As modelled by my good friend John Shaw on his "Leeman Road" layout:

 

The one inside the National Railway Museum is electrically operated at the moment and I think it always has been(?) since the building was  one of the loco depot roundhouses.

 

 

 

 

 

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Many thanks to Free at Last and 31A for the useful photos and to LMS2968 and Bulleidnutter for the info.

It seems we were wrong to think that UK t/t didn’t have overhead electricity supply - the helpful photos evidence that they certainly did! (You learn something new all the time.)

Our model is based on the SR Ewer Street Depot prototype in S.London but photos of that are, to say the least, elusive, and inadequate to see the drive/ elec supply. I’ve got several aerial pix in the period we are modelling (1951) but they are from too great an altitude to get much detail. I’ll look at them again now I know that overhead supply was used in UK.

But if anyone does have even glimpses of Ewer Street Depot turntable in steam days it would be well received. We have the well known wartime photo of a Schools class running onto the t/t but this is only a partial shot so doesn’t show the full story.

 

Chris McCarthy

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This doesn't really help with the turntable, but there was an article about Ewer Street depot in "Model Railways" magazine, August 1975.  One of the pictures shows "Schools" class No. 901 Winchester on the turntable in 1941 (probably the picture you're thinking of?) but doesn't show any overhead power supply to the turntable.

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Two I've had experience with were Thornaby and Barrow hill. The Barrow hill one needs to be quite well balanced whereas the Thornaby one had no such issues 

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On 27/05/2019 at 16:22, Bulleidnutter said:

Bristol Bath road was electrically operated and will still be electrically operated once installed at Bridgnorth 

 

On 28/05/2019 at 19:10, russ p said:

 The Barrow hill one needs to be quite well balanced 

 

The Bath Road one was very temperamental and also at times needed to very well balanced , I can remember trying for ages once, inching backwards and forwards and trying over and over again before giving it up as a bad job 

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