Greetings,

Can you folks list the tranfer tables that are still out and there that are in operation, abandoned, stored, etc?

I'll start the list by mentioning a picture of a transfer table that I saw, which was/is located at a grain elevator in Wichita, KS.

God Bless,
Gerald W. Kopiasz

Gerald,

The former Pullman shops in Atlanta still has an operable transfer table. The New Georgia Railroad used it to move passenger cars into and out of the car shop for rapairs and etc. I believe it is still in use to move some privately owned cars into and out of storage in the shop.

The 1913 built former Michigan Central Railroad locomotive shop in St. Thomas, Ontario. Now home of the Elgin County Railway Museum and temporary home of Reading 2100 for 7 years until recently.

Although it does not currently operate on its own power, the table is still is used regularly with the use of a tractor pushing a pulling.

The locomotive on the table is ex-CPR RSD17 #8921.



Photo courtesy of Brian Thompson.

The Maine Montreal and Atlantic shops in Derby Maine is still in use. The former Maine Central now Pan Am Railways in Waterville Maine is still in use, too.
Leverett Fernald

The former Northern Pacific Railroad Shops (now operated by Talgo) still has its transfer table (and the entire shops complex-sans roundhouse) in Livingston Montana.

The former Milwuakee Railroad backshops in Miles City (currently operated (?) by Trinity Railcar has a working transfer table as well, I believe.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

California State Railroad Museum installed a new transfer table in a pit at the former Southern Pacific Sacramento Shops.

I think you'll find one at Wilmington Shops (Amtrak, ex-PRR) in Wilmington, DE.

It has been some years since I was there, but doesn't Orange Empire have a transfer table? I seem to remember the funeral car 'Descanso' positioned on or near it at the time of our visit.

sc 'doc' lewis

Yes, Orange Empire has a transfer table. It was one of two that were once at the Pacific Electric's Torrance shop. It was cut apart for the relocation and later welded back together by a "Seabee" reserve unit. We have no idea as how well this welding work was done.

Presently, the table sets between the two 42" gauge carbarns. Two tracks run out of the front one and into the rear one. It is in the rear one where the Descanso resides and comes out a few times a year. At some time in the future a pit will be excavated and the table will have a home. Plans have changed over the years; but, the hope is to have at least a short demonstration installation.

The other Torrance transfer table was bought by a member who wanted to relocated it to Branford Trolley Museum; he cut out the rivets and stored the parts for years at Orange Empire. In time, he gave up on the idea and that table was scrapped.

If you’re interested, the Los Angeles Railway transfer table at South Park Shops was not saved. It was pulled out a few weeks prior to the end of streetcar service in 1963 and its pit was filled and paved to allow buses, etc. to enter the same work bays.

Mt. Washington Cog Railway

The ex-PRR backshop in Logansport, IN has a transfer table at one end and turntable at the other. Still used for car repair at last I knew.

This thread tells me that two rail museums have transfer tables so perhaps I should be colecting this info as well in addition to the turntable info. Can anyone report on how long the ones at Orange Empire and Elgin County are? And when was the one moved to Orange Empire and installed? Are there any others at museums or tourist lines other than the one at Mt. Washington? I already have info on the one at Sacramento.

Norfolk Southern’s Shaffer’s Crossing Locomotive Shops in Roanoke VA. has and operates a large Transfer table on one side of its shops there with the Turntable on the other side.

Both the car shop transfer table and an appx. 90' diameter turntable (just barely long enough to turn Milwaukee Road 261; seen it done) were still in place at the former Soo Line Wisconsin Central Ltd. shop in North Fond du Lac, WI when CN took over a couple of years ago. The transfer table had recently been converted to roller bearings, sometime in the late nineties, IIRC. I believe that CN has since downgraded the importance of this facility, favoring the ex- Illinois Central shop in Woodcrest, IL, but as far as I know, everything is still in place in N. FDL.

The LIRR used to have one at the Morris Park Shops. When the M-1 married pairs were put in service, they had to be broken up on account excessive length. Thus only half the pair could fit into a given bay.

As most of the work done at MP has been moved to HMC, I suspect the table is no longer in use and will no doubt be removed.

Question-did the PRR have a table at JBS ?

Dave