Steam & Excursion > ORHC - turntable project - rim rail

as John's post of pictures from this morning, more progress this afternoon as they have now installed or placed the turntable rim rail.   my understanding is that the original turntable electric motors were well beyond redemtion/rebuilding and new ones are being installed.  (the old story was when the turntable was rotated at Brooklyn, the neighborhood lights dimmed).

we are days away from placing the pivot.   Oregon Rail Heritage Center, Portland, Oregon     Arlen

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Those old "U" frame motors would take a heck of a load without smoking and it would produce huge zero
rev torque but as you say you could suck down the neighborhood. That rail looks highly official and up to
the task of supporting the table.

Out 

Is the rail being bent on site and how are they bending it?

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

?Re-used from the original pit ?

W.

webmaster Wrote:
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> Is the rail being bent on site and how are they
> bending it?

Isn't that rail the original pi-rail from the Brooklyn Turntable? Thus, it is already "bent"?

tis re-used

That was good thinking!   That saved a lot of challenges not to mention money.   

I'd be interested in when that track was rolled, what weight it is and who produced it if anyone has that/can get that to share.   I assume it's standard rail repurposed for this specific use isn't it?  


asheldrake Wrote:
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> tis re-used

I'm pretty certain that, wherever possible, they are using parts of the old TT and the rail itself is already bent to the right curvature and appears to be in good shape.  I suspect that this philosophy may achieve two things, save a bit of money and, just as and maybe more important, preserve some of the historical integrity.  Wherever possible, I think history is important as long as it doesn't impair the functionality of the project.  It will be interesting to see what the control cabin on the end of the bridge looks like.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/23 20:09 by Jsporseen.

Wow! That is looking good.

Victor Baird

Getting stoked seeing the rail go in! Wondering if the turntable itself is being restored or repainted before installed? I suppose it's stored nearby? Thanks for posting these progress photos.   

The TT bridge has been completely restored and is ready to be installed.  Also the trucks with their new motors are ready. They are completely rebuilding the original parts where possible for historical purposes.  There are things that I am not aware of s  o don't know what the status is for things like the control house and the locking mechanisms for both ends of the bridge which I think are of major importance.  In the picture of the original locking mechanisms in a previous post, they looked in pretty bad shape and I think they are critical for safety sake.

Arlen, many thanks for your pictiures and all of your hard work!

thanks but the heavy lifting for this project is being done by others.....me, I take pictures and pick up the endless accumulations of litter.  but John and I love to watch and report the progress of this great project.encouraged on by viewers and comments.

ps: stay tuned as our new ORHF president,  Rick Franklin, leads us into 2023 and beyond.......  Arlen

dmaffei Wrote:
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> . . . . Wondering if the turntable itself is being restored or
> repainted before installed? I suppose it's stored nearby?

Yes and yes.

 

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Jim700 Wrote:
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>
> Yes and yes.
>
Turntable looks fantastic. Nothing like old school hot riveted steel. That part of SP Oregon history found a great home.
Thanks for the pics.

Dave

Will they paint anything on the side of the turntable to identify the organization? Or just "Safety First". <G>

Victor Baird

It deserves a bronze plaque with the names of key
people and organizations that made the restoration possible,
and with a date of the dedication/completion.

I'd donate to a 'dedication plaque' fund...
$$$$

I had never seen pilings sunk for the rim rail.
Watching the construction has been a wonderful 
education.

A long time ago, when building Disney Parks, they had time-lapse 
cameras --- mounted high up.  Took pics about 1 frame per minute...
When later screened,  you saw an animated work force scurrying around,
---- from the first day, to ribbon cutting..

Woulda' been fun to have had such a record for this project..

Wes Camp

One of the interesting things found after sandblasting all the crud off the turntable bridge was the imprints in the steel all along both sides (both reversed and straight).   Carnegie USA and a small-underlined H following the E at the end of Carnegie.  My research indicates the H represents the Homestead mill in Pennsylvania.   



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/23 19:38 by asheldrake.

Wes, my guess is that our expert photographer Dale Birkholz has this exact thing in mind.....time lapse video of the turntable project.......Arlen

Here's hoping!
Thank you Arlen for your wonderful, in-depth coverage.
It's greatly appreciated.

Wes C.