Steam & Excursion > A Steam Transfer Table In Service Tacoma, WA-Milwaukee!

The Milwaukee Railroad had their stem shop facilities for their Western division located in the tide flats in Tacoma, WA in the days of steam. It was at this facility that steam locomotives of the MILW received all levels of Class repairs over the years.

In the late 1940's Al Farrow was able to get access to this facility on the day that MILW 2-8-0 #1394 was rolled out of the shops and on to the transfer table as she was being readied to return to active service. You can see the care and pride in workmanship that the Tacoma Shop crews showed in their work on this fine steam locomotive.

On e can only wonder if this will be the last rebuild for this engine.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/14 04:11 by LoggerHogger.

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I had no idea that the MILW did that kind of extensive work right in Tacoma!
Pete

Very nice. I have never heard of a "steam transfer table" either. Wonder how well that worked.

The transfer table isn't steam, it's electric. Note the positive and negative trolley wires running the length of the transfer table pit and the trolley poles on the other side of the locomotive.

I am sure Jack was aware this is not a "steam powered" transfer table.

The caption on this board only holds so many words and I wanted folks to know if they opened this page they would see a transfer table in the days of steam on the Milwaukee in Tacama.

Martin

Used to be one in Jackson, MI. It was still there when I hired out in 1970. Never had the foresight back then to take a picture of it.

William Wilson
St. Johns, MI

The Milwaukee transfer table in Miles City, MT is still in service! The Milwaukee also had steam shops with transfer tables in Minneapolis and Milwaukee. Others?

-John

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1200v Wrote:
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> The transfer table isn't steam, it's electric.
> Note the positive and negative trolley wires
> running the length of the transfer table pit and
> the trolley poles on the other side of the
> locomotive.

I saw all that overhead trolley wire, but just assumed that was the power for the electric steam generator.

The Milwaukee did have a steam powered transfer table, which I believe was in Milwaukee, WI. A 4-4-0 from the Bellevue and Cascade powered the table using 3' gage tracks laid perpendicular to the table in the pit. (See Hilton, American Narrow Gauge Railroads, p. 394)

TL

Badly scanned photos here: http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,264623,264636#msg-264636



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/14 14:59 by TorchLake.

The Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff, AR (home of SSW819) has a transfer table. Only one in 'preservation' as far as I know.

Orange Empire Ry. Museum in Perris CA has had a transfer table from the Pacific Electric Torrance Shops for many years, and work is in progress to put it into service.

Here's one of four or five transfer tables at the Santa Fe San Bernardino Shops back in 1970. Note the footbridge that can be hooked up to the south table to move it where it can provide a shortcut for workers going from one building to another. I was doing radio work on a GP35 when the shop crew needed to move it to another bay. It's a very strange sensation to be going sideways in the cab of a locomotive.

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Pegasuspinto Wrote:
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> The Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff, AR
> (home of SSW819) has a transfer table. Only one
> in 'preservation' as far as I know.

I believe the transfer table at the Sacramento General Shops, now under ownership of the California State Rail Museum, is still operable.

Elizabeth

The transfer table at the Sacramento Locomotive Works is a new table running on the old rails.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2218218

TL

OK, so the table at the ARM is the only old(not original, it was replaced at some point), operable table in preservation. Of course, the sad part is that it is the only operational rail equipment at the ARM. It's vital because there is no way in or out of the building without it.