There are three turntable sat the Black Hills Central RR, along the line near the Hill city end. The have been there since my last visit nearly a decade ago and still show up in Google maps views. Does anyone know the lineage of other info on these turntables?

I wasn't aware of these despite collecting info on turntables moved for use by museums and tourist lines for years. If anyone can go look for them please bring a tape measure and get their length, as well as looking for builder's plates to see who made them and when.

I do know that they have been there for a long time, definitely since the 1980s and maybe since the 1970s. As I dis-remember they were going to use them as bridges.

-Hudson

Arial view of the turntables.

https://goo.gl/maps/Ena1GSJGcyE2

I originally saw them there in 2009.

Hill City, SD, summer of 2016.

Alan Maples

You can measure them in the program Google Earth (not within a browser). I've used the measuring tool before to measure other turntables and it's pretty accurate.

If you can do that please post what you get for these. At least we know they were there in 2016. And the turntable on the left is upside down.

Google Earth is a free download. https://www.google.com/earth/

Ron,

Just a "quickie" measurement using the Google Earth tool seems to suggest that the three turntables are all different lengths.

I measured roughly 65', 60' and 70' for each turntable (beginning with the one closest to the track and moving away from the mainline). I have no idea about any of the historical details.

Hope those measurements help.

Thanks for the estimated lengths, they do help. Now if anyone knows more please share it with us.

Calling Jeff Terry! He would know for certain the provenance of those elusive turntables.

K.R. Bell