Speaking of turntables ...

aswright · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2015 8:55 pm

IC382 wrote:

For the record there are 3 turntables in existence in New Hampshire that are in their pits...but not being used.

#1 West Lebanon, NH - Claremont & Concord R.R. - the roundhouse is still standing, smoke jacks and walls standing...but appears on the verge of being a total loss. (Turntable isn't used)

#2 Concord, NH - Essentially at the termination of Pan Am R.R. operations...and beginning of the state owned tracks heading north to Boscawen, NH and a line running north and east around the lakes region. The Hobo Railroad and Winnipesaukee Scenic R.R. use the state owned lines. (Turntable isn't used)

#3 Portsmouth, NH - Pan Am R.R. line coming up to the coastal gas port. The roundhouse is there...but has collapsed. The turntable is in the partially filled in pit.

It's a sad spectacle indeed.

The West Lebanon, NH turntable appears to be 110 feet, but from the Google maps satellite view, it appears the turntable bridge is gone, the center of it looks like a center bearing.

The Concord, NH turntable is 90 feet long.

The Portsmouth, NH turntable is difficult to measure because it is so obscured, but it appears to be 75 feet long.

elecuyer · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:23 am

Quote:

The museum has plans to build a new 40’ replica, wooden, A-frame turntable at Sheepscot, ME, based on an historic design and in 2015 set aside funds for it.

More corrections/clarifications on the turntable we are building at the WW&F:
It is more accurately described as a replica Portland Company 48’ wooden queen post turntable. It will be constructed to the original Portland Company plans from 1891 for turntables that existed in Wiscasset and Albion Maine on the original WW&F. We believe that this will be the only wooden queen post turntable of any manufacturer or gauge in the US - making it a preservation project of both regional and national importance. While some funds were set aside in 2015, we are seeking additional funding so to complete the turntable in 2016.

Ron Goldfeder · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:54 am

Thanks for the additional info. I've added your description of its design to my listing.

philip.marshall · **Posted:** Wed May 10, 2017 10:36 pm

philip.marshall wrote:

elecuyer wrote:

For the record:
At the WW&F we have a steel turntable bridge that is not being used. I think it was repurposed as a road bridge at one time, then ended up at the WW&F before I was involved. I don't think we have any plans for it - as we are going to be building a replica wooden A-frame turntable in the next 12-24 months.

Ron Goldfeder wrote:

Would you be able to measure and possibly take a photo of this turntable for us? Any further info you can get about where it came from and when would also be appreciated. If it has any kind of builder's plate on it to say who built it and when that would also be good to know.

The steel turntable at the WW&F is 40 feet in length, but that's about all I know enough to say about it. The two halves of the bridge are currently lying in the grass along the old ROW south of Sheepscot station in Alna, ME, so it's difficult even to photograph let alone find a builder's plate on it, unfortunately. Like Ed, I know nothing of the turntable's history or what plans there may be for it in the future, but here's a photo at least.

It was brought to my attention that the 40' steel turntable bridge at the WW&F Railway Museum does indeed have a builder's plate, which I had somehow missed prior to now. The plate says it's a C.O.H. Fritzsohn patent turntable, built by the Union Bridge Co. in Athens, PA.

Attachment:

IMG_2909_compressed.jpg [ 98.12 KiB | Viewed 4252 times ]

-Philip Marshall

elecuyer · **Posted:** Thu May 11, 2017 10:33 am

I have been informed of the history behind the steel/unused turntable in storage at the WW&F.

It served for 30 years as the east side turntable for the Knox and Lincoln railroad at the Kennebec River crossing between Bath and Woolwich, Maine. This last gap in the Maine Central's Rockland branch was filled in 1927 by the "Carlton Bridge" - which is still used by rail traffic today. (The upper road deck is closed.) Prior to 1927, rail traffic crossed the Kennebec River by ferry, necessitating a turntable at each river bank. The Rockland branch had no through rail connections, all traffic crossed the river at this location.

The original WW&F connected with the Knox & Lincoln/Maine Central 10 miles northeast of this river crossing in Wiscasset. Thus, the turntable has a strong connection to the WW&F Museum.

Ron Goldfeder · **Posted:** Thu May 11, 2017 1:24 pm

Thanks for the photo and info on the builder's plate and the history of this turntable.