The turntable sits in the original P&R pit. The octagonal concrete pedestal was added to raise this steel table up to the required height. The original table was wooden. The table has since been painted black. Unfortunately, the leveling of the ring rail, in September, 2000, has caused the rollers to bear weight instead of it all resting on the center bearing as it should. This makes the table hard to turn (no lever advantage). So, we need to jack the table and shim the center bearing. We will also be shimming the rollers at one end. In addition, we plan to add deck planking and perhaps railings.
Well, the bearing and roller work has now been done even if the pictures don't show it. Recent tests have shown that a determined 13 year old girl can just manage to turn the table with our #4 loco balanced on it (5 tons). The planking is anchored to the steel frame. We haven't added railing yet. But, we did add lever arms so that it is not necessary to get down into the pit anymore and push. We are considering further improvement by replacing the current sliding plate locking mechanism with a more sophisticated and adjustable sliding bolt arrangement.
Page URL: http://www.srrl-rr.org/Projects/Turntable/Turntable.htm
Copyright 2001, Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad
Webmaster: Bob Troup (webmaster@srrl-rr.org)
Revised: 11/29/2006