During the auction on March 24 of Union Pacific’s former Denver & Rio Grande Western Burnham Shops complex in Denver, museum officials were able to buy the 130-foot turntable for $10,000. According to a post museum’s website, the turntable is capable of turning any locomotive in the collection.
The turntable, the hub of the now-closed shops complex, dates from 1941 and was installed to accommodate the D&RGW’s 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotives. In 2012, it was totally refurbished by UP at a reported cost of $500,000. It was designed with a low profile, an important consideration at the museum due to a high water table.
The museum has a former Chicago & North Western turntable in storage on site, which was never installed because it was too short to handle several of the museum’s larger locomotives.
More information is available at the museum’s website.
Great news for rail preservation! 1941 would make it a late build, right?
Without reading any other articles, I’m wondering why UP didn’t just DONATE IT to the museum? Much better public relations…
Will they charge to move it too?
Very good news.
It will be interesting to see how they move it. Assuming it moves by rail, it would be cool to see it go by. Since IRM is next to the UP, maybe UP can deliver it.
This is great news from IRM. Looking forward to more news about the move of the turntable from Denver to IRM and the construction of pit and so on. Way to go, IRM.
The Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, WA, has a complete turntable on an army flatcar, which was moved about 20 miles from Yakima, including a crossing over the Yakima River. The table was installed before the construction of 4-6-6-4 engines, which used it as far as I know.
Nothing like being in the right place at the right time (with some cash in hand)