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  • RDG turntable at Lansdale

  • Discussion Related to the Reading Company 1833-1976 and it's predecessors Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.
Discussion Related to the Reading Company 1833-1976 and it's predecessors Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.

Moderator: Franklin Gowen

 #630904  by BuddSilverliner269
 
theWatusi wrote:I was browsing some old maps and I came across this one from 1893.

http://tinyurl.com/cufs2y

It clearly shows a turntable in the middle of the Lansdale yard. Anyone know when this was removed?
Wow, good find. I would love to find out more. I will see what I can dig up or find out....
 #668328  by Schuylkill Valley
 
Up until a few years ago before they tore out some of the yard to put in a parking lot, you could still see the out line of the round table pit . It was filled in but you could see that there was one there.

Len.
 #740020  by theWatusi
 
Well I went over to the Lansdale Historical Society today. They have county maps (including the original that I linked to in my first post) that show a turntable in the yard. The Sanborn maps from the early 20th century show no turntable at all. I'm guessing the one shown about was ripped out sometime between 1895 and 1914.

Interestingly enough, they have an aerial photo from 1951 that shows what looks very much like a turntable pit beyond the wye where what is now left field of the softball field. That photo also shows hundreds of ties stacked up all over the place in the yard and where the ball field is now. In 1955 they were gone, so I'm assuming some kind of huge track replacment project was going on at that time.

I asked if I could photograph the picture (it's huge, must be 3x4'), but they have to check into that for me. I also asked them to look for any old track diagrams for the yard. When they get back to me, I'll report it here.