Portable turntable - North Ings Farm Museum

[pskipper]

We had a great day today at the North Ings Farm Museum in Lincolnshire. In the best way possible it's just a collection of loco's, rolling stock, tractors and stationary engines run by some really nice people. We were lucky that they needed to move some coaches out of the shed just before we left so we got to see a portable turntable in action, wish I'd thought to video it now!

[tom_tom_go]

Is that just a steel plate and they slide it around?

[GTB]

Is that just a steel plate and they slide it around?

Looks like what Hudsons used to call an "Easy" turnout. Basically a simple portable turntable that was light enough for a couple of workmen to move around wherever a turnout was need.

You sat the lower plate on the track, ran the wagon up the tapered end of the bars fixed to the upper plate, balanced it, turned it to line up with the other track and rolled the wagon off. The 'rails' were basically angle iron and fitted over the rail heads of the track, to align the device while rolling a wagon on or off. There were simple stops to prevent the wagon being rolled off the other end.

The other light railway suppliers like O&K and Decauville would have had something similar available. The scan below is from a 1950s Hudson Catalogue.

It would be a simple device to make if modelling a quarry, or other industrial line.

Regards,
Graeme

Easy Turnout.jpg (104 KiB) Viewed 4507 times

[pskipper]

that's it, well a similar model from a different manufacturer. thanks for the great description and picture, I was going to try drawing one later and posting it but a genuine catalogue entry is much better

[tom_tom_go]

Hail Graeme, all knowing

[TTHLRMatt]

I have a Colin Edmondson designed one for 9 1/2" gauge. I'll try and find a photo of my Lister loco on it.

[pskipper]

One of the other visitors who was there on the day filmed it and put it onto Youtube. The turntable bit starts at around 11 minutes 40 seconds, the family in shot is us!