Turntable on the SS?

Ok, heres my question.

Was there ever a turntable or transfer table on the South Shore at some point? I thought there may have been one at Burnham Yard at one time.

Also, an old video I have shows a wooden car being turned on one at 115th st..where was that located? I wonder if any remains of any one are still around..

I have a photo taken in 1941 of a transfer table at the east end of the Shops. I don't know any details of it though, except it was removed somewhere around 1960. Was probably unused for a long time before that. I also have a track diagram from 1960 that shows the entire line and shows removed features going back to 1908. It shows a loop that was at the eastern end of South Bend yard in 1914. And a wye, that was removed in 1926, directly west of the old shop building in MC. Nothing on this diagram mentions anything about a table at Burnam yard, but who knows? Unfortunately, the diagram I have stops at Kensington.

Interesting..where was the shops transfer table located? In front of the shops itself?

The reason I ask is, In one of the books I have on the CSS it shows a picture of one of the 800's brand new, and in the background you see part of a transfer table or turntable..I never did find a location.

It's kinda hard to describe where it was, kind of southeast of what they called "new" shops. I think it was used to access the east side of the "new" shops before the ladder track was installed. I have photos that show it real well, but I don't know how to post them here.

I would doubt there was a turntable at Burnham - prior to Conrail and NS, the tracks at Burham were much thicker, as C&WI went through there, and maybe some others as well. Also, CSS never owned anything single-ended. Technically, they still don't, as roadswitchers can be operated somewhat easily in reverse (in comparison to F's, E's...)

Although they did have those F45's for a few months.

Yeah, that is true..once the got rid of the wooden cars they really wouldn't need one.

There was a turntable at Kensington, but this was for most of the early equipment. Once the line upgraded IE Insull and the more modern equipment, most looping tracks, turntables, wyes slowly dissappeared.

I don't think the shops ever had a seriously large transfer table, I think
it had a small table where you spotted a car's truck on it, raised it and ran the truck inside.

Yes, there was a drop table next to the shops, that was removed when the Wire and Signal building was built.

Here you go - in the morning sun book, page 79 top, there is a 1949 pic of 802 sitting near a transfer table at the burnham yard. Now I'm really perplexed - we've proved there was a transfer table for sure, but it only has trucks at the ends of the table - usually transfer tables have trucks every five feet, to better distribute the weight. Nothing other than a caboose, trailer, or maybe an MU could be moved on the table - no 800's or 700's. Further, what use is a transfer table without a shop building nearby? I've only seen pics of them outside shops and railcar factories, never in a yard as a stand-alone.

The plot thickens...

I have never known the Burnham yard to be a serious loco overhaul place. I don't know the full Burnham yard history and I want to know more, since I will model the SS.

The South Shore used to run on the other side of Brainard Ave with a switching lead into Burnham. Its an interchange point.

I'll be digging about on this. It also serves IHB, BRC and monon.

how would you like to model this crossing....

Isn't that where the temp platforms are now?

dinwitty: I mean the burnham yard on CSS, not others - it appears the xfer table was on the south side of CSS right of way, east end of yard. Your pic appears to be NW/NKP ROW at the SCS interlocker. Also, your photo appears to show three crossed lines under that SD45 - on is obviously NKP, one is SCS(PRR), one is ____??? You can see CSS wires in the background btw. Great pic.

With regards to heavy overhaul at burnham, I don't think CSS ever had a building of any sort there. I can't imagine what the xfer table did. In the morning sun photo, it's very light-duty looking.

I know they had a Yard office and a Clerks office there at one time. The fireworks place right on the curve is the old Clerks office. I can't say I've heard of any locomotives being based or repaired there. The 800's were based out of Gary and M.C. before that. The CSS doesn't go into the IHB yard anymore, the Harbor always brings cars into our yard. Also, I've heard stories about a Reefer repair shop on the east end of the yard near the IHB tracks.

Someone said they had a track diagram...maybe they'll know this mystery line? Although from the way it looks now, It would cut thru the Burger King/Metra parking lot and into the scrap yard.