January 2016 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman has articles and photos of an uncommon solution to moving boxcars at what is now a grain elevator but was built as a Pillsbury flour mill in the 1920's. Four parallel tracks along side a row of concrete bins with a concrete roof over all four tracks where grain was unloaded on the two outer tracks, possibly with a suction system. Tracks closer to the bins were loaded via spouts fed from the adjacent head house. Pretty elaborate, high volume system for its day of 36' and 40' boxcars. Inbound/outbound on the south end is a conventional fan of tracks tied together with switches. The opposite end, instead of more switches and a tail track, is a transfer table. I presume the property for a conventional tail wasn't available. Table is 40'+ long, designed for boxcars, moved by a three phase 480 v electric motor which has been stripped by copper thieves.

Out of curiosity, I called Beachner Grain Terminal, 1-316-267-2610. Mgr. Brady Cox called me back. The table was out of service when Beachner Grain bought the facility about 23 years ago. The flour mill portion is gone, just a concrete slab used as parking for trucks remains. A young man, he was intrigued I called. We had a nice chat. Of interest to the preservation community, the 1917 rolled rail nearer the connection with the UP is in pretty poor line and surface. The intent, no time frame given, is to remove all the track, including the transfer table. Mr. Cox agreed that the current market for steel scrap is such that they would not get much for the steel. Of all the things a steel preservationist wouldn't want to see is the auto scrap yard right next to the facility.

Mr. Cox agreed to my posting the information that the table was available for purchase. There is road access right to it. See Google Earth. Call Mr. Cox if you have a use (and some money) for the table. He has looked at it and feels other than the damage done to the motor (and ancillary wiring I imagine), all of the machinery is still intact.

Alex Huff

Two long gone industries here in Seattle had transfer tables. The Wycoff creosote plant in Seattle had a 3' gauge table to feed their two retorts. At there plant in Winsolw/Eagle Harbor they had a dual standard and 3' gauge table. The retort cars were 3' and their locomotive cranes were standard.

One of the Philadelphia & Reading (Reading Company) piers (#14?) near Richmond & Cumberland Sts. in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had a transfer table at the river end to serve 4 tracks. I think that pier was used for loading 40 foot long gondola cars from ships. Some of the car movement was done with towing cables, and the 4th track was for getting cars out past the traffic jam.