Existing comment:
The 1863 turntable consists of a center pin that rests atop a center pivot mechanism and stone support pier. The turntable bridge is then connected to four wheels which rest on a circular rail around the outer edge of the pit. One person (or animal) could power the rotation of a single locomotive balanced on the center of the turntable. The turntable is 50 feet in diameter with a pit seven and a half feet deep and weight capacity of about 30 tons. A portion of the Ellicott City center-balance turntable was excavated in 1999. The remainder of the turntable extends under the track still used by CSX today. This advertisement from the December 1853 issue of The American Railroad Journal depicts a similar turntable. |