RF&P Turntable to Pennsylvania

rrmuseum · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2005 6:40 pm

A 105' RF&P turntable, originally working in the Potomac yard south of what is now Reagan Airport, and most recently the property of Jack Showalter and the VA Central Railroad, has been delivered to the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, PA. The Museum is about to issue a call for bids for the construction of the necessary pit and installation of the table and accompanying track in the Museum yard.The table, built in PA in 1922 by Bethlehem Steel, will be the centerpiece of the Museum's multi-million dollar roundhouse project that will folow later this summer.What I would like to know is if anyone out there has good photographs of this table while it was being used in the RF&P's Potomac Yard. We would like to create some outdoor, weatherproof story boards using some good photos of the table's original home.Thanks

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

Scott,Does this mean the LNE table from Pen Argyl is *not* going to Altoona. If so, I hope this doesn't spell doom for it.Rob

Josh Wallis · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:33 pm **Posts:** 112

Where has it been sitting all this time? The Southern used to turn their excursion steamers on this table when they ran out of Alexandria. When the yard was torn up, they had use the wye at Holland Lane to turn the engines and it was pretty rickety. I remember the first time 611 used that wye and it was a pretty scary experience! My brother did take some pictures of 611 on the table in '85, but they were taken from pretty far away, because the RF&P police force was pretty diligent in keeping the public out of their yard. They kept pretty tight control of the place.It's interesting to look back on all this now, because I actually rode the last steam excursion that the Southern ran on the RF&P, in 1986, with 611.

johnacraft · **Joined:** Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:53 pm **Posts:** 660

The Pen Argyl table is (or should I say will be soon) in good hands. JAC

rrmuseum · **Posted:** Fri May 27, 2005 7:51 am

While the turntable has been owned by Jack Showalter since it's departure from Potomac Yard, it had been sitting on cribbing on private property in Orange, VA until our purchase of the equipment this past fall. We also purchased a drop table for the roundhouse from Jack.Thanks

Ron Goldfeder · **Posted:** Sat May 28, 2005 12:52 pm

Congrats on reaching this important milestone in your roundhouse project. Can you share any images of this turntable's move with us?