OO wagon turntable

[Paul H Vigor]

21 minutes ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Paul,

 

There were turntables in the Buckley Wells shed at the ELR and all sorts of locomotives were run across them, black fives, class 47's, 9F's. The only locomotive that was ever turned was the MSC No.32 Gothenburg which was masquerading as Thomas at the time, he had been delivered by road and placed on the track facing the wrong way for the Thomas event and so the wheel base was measured and it just fitted on.

 

I have a photograph somewhere but where exactly I don't know.

 

Gibbo.

Hi Gibbo,

So, in pre-preservation days locos could be driven over wagon turntables in goods yards? There were no weight restrictions in force?

Paul.

[Trog]

16 minutes ago, Paul H Vigor said:

Hi Gibbo,

So, in pre-preservation days locos could be driven over wagon turntables in goods yards? There were no weight restrictions in force?

Paul.

 

I think that there were wagon turntables and wagon turntables, and locomotives and locomotives.

 

You could not drive any loco over some wagon turntables, others you could but perhaps only the smaller locos, other wagon turntables you could drive anything over. Part of the staffs local knowledge would be knowing which was which, so there was not an oh dear moment when you got there and read any warning notice. or after you drove into it  and found that it was not suitable for your loco. Where upon every one for miles around would form an orderly queue to say "Everyone knows not to drive a loco over that table."

[MR Chuffer]

51 minutes ago, Trog said:

I think that there were wagon turntables and wagon turntables

An observation, many wagon turntables in goods yards were built from not long after the dawn of railways to the late-19th century, often for use by horse shunting and later, powered capstans in larger yards, and therefore unsuited for most 20th century locomotives to run over.

 

P.9 of C. Richard Wilby's Railway's Around East Lancashire has a photo of Brierfield station, L&Y circa 1920 (opened 1 February 1848) which shows a wagon turntable in the yard affording access to the local mill across the road and the sign warning "No engine must pass over this turntable". This would have been unlikely to be upgraded to support a loco's weight and had probably been in place since the opening of the mill, late 19th century.

 

Locos would push wagons over the turntable by using "reach" wagons thus avoiding crossing the turntable themselves.