Chalk Creek

[Randy Rieck]

100 years ago today the Colorado & Southern completed the installation at Romley of the lattice girder turntable from Gunnison.
The turntable was installed to eliminate the need to run the locomotive to Hancock to turn on the wye.
Source: Denver South Park & Pacific by M. C. Poor.

[Don Gustavson II]

Any pictures of this turntable out there ?

[Jim Courtney]

Don,

Richard Kindig took thie post-abandonment photo of the Romely turntable in 1938. Supposedly it was recovered for scrap metal during early WWII, gone by 1942 when Kindig returned:


In the Klingers' South Park's Gunnison Division Memories . . .


The turntable approach track came off the mainline just behind the small fir tree in the right foreground. According to Derrell Poole's site map, the Romely depot (after being moved from Hancock) was located at the site of the turntable before its demise.

[Randy Rieck]

Hi Don,

As you are discovering there are not nearly as many pictures of Chalk Creek and even fewer people who try to model Chalk Creek.
There are several pictures of the turntable in various books. In Tom Klinger's South Park's Gunnison Division Memories on page 147 there are 2 photos after abandonment.  In Don Helmer's Historic Alpine Tunnel on page 121 there is a very small photo that shows the complete turntable and pit.  Attached is a Jackson Thode photo that shows the lattice under the deck.  A second photo from the Speas' family collection, provided by Margaret Coel, Sam Speas' grandaughter,  shows engine 67 on the ground and the down hill side of the turntable pit.  Lastly, there are 2 photos of the turntable on my railroad at the west end of Romley and the end of my  railroad.

On another matter - the 1918 valuation map only shows one track crossing the metal bridge at Pomeroy Gulch.  The map shows what probably is the trestle on the east side of the bridge.  The photo of Neal Miller's car on the bridge clearly shows the top of the trestle bents.
Hope this helps your project.

[Jim Courtney]

Great model building Randy!!

[Jeff Young]

Indeed.  Nicely done!

[Robert McFarland]

Would this throw light on the time period of when the Gunnison roundhouse was demolished,or would the building have been used for storage for awhile?

[Robert McFarland]

There is one in the Photo section of the DSP-P Yahoo Group.What about Goin' Railroading?

[Don Gustavson II]

Nice work Randy.

Thank you all for the pictures. This helps out a lot!
(Guess someday I will need to rebuild the bridge deck.)
Might be king of fun to work in the locomotive.

[Randy Rieck]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the kind words.
When you are ready to build the bridge, let me know.  About 10 years ago, Todd Hackett graciously gave me a set of plans,
and I think I can find them.

Cheers,
Randy

[Todd A Ferguson]

Randy, if you have the turntable plans I would be interested in a copy of the information.  Happy to pay any costs.

Best,
Todd

[Randy Rieck]

Hi Todd,
There are no plans that I am aware of for this turntable. I studied the prototype pictures to make my model.  Mac Poor lists it as 50 foot turntable.  The model is 48 feet because of the 12 inch length of the structural brass.  Here are pictures of the turntable next to a scale rule.  If you are planning to build a working model, you should consider using brass shapes for the longitudinal beams. I hope you post pictures of your finished turntable.  Let me know if you have questions.
Cheers,
Randy

[SteveG]

Hi Randy,

Beautiful work! How are you planning to drive it?

Steve Guty
Lakeway, TX

[Randy Rieck]

Thanks for the kind comments.  The turntable is powered with my finger.

Cheers,
Randy

[nickgully]

Armstrong, just like the prototype.