Steam Power Turning?

Now what do we do...no track and no wye...how are we going to turn this engine on the White River Division.

Last week I got an e-mail from Bill Gill with a question about the WRD. Now that the layout is point to point how do you turn your steam engines. Good question. At the moment that is not a big problem as I have only two operating steam engines on the WRD. One is a Rutland 0-8-0 which switches the yard at Bellows Falls which does not need to be turned. My other in service engine is a Rutland Ry. Mikado which gets limited use at the moment. In the short term this engine gets turned the five finger way.

In the boiler shop
I have a CV steam engine waiting DCC and sound along with a brass B&M mogul. Once there two are complete I have a Broadway Limited Mikado which will become a GT engine that ran in Vermont. In the longer term for switching White River Jct. I also have a set of  CV brass etchings to complete my 0-8-0 yard switcher.

At the shop's we find two of the four steam engines which will one day run along the WRD. Hope I get at some of these this winter.

Turning the engines
Plans for turning engines is a drop down portable turntable for WRJ at the location of the old duck-under, just something simple. At Bellows Falls I still have a lot of space into the room which could house a roundhouse and turntable or a wye...will see what I come up with. For now I got a lot to work on before that becomes a real issue...George Dutka

The crew gathers at the end of the line on the WRD. At WRJ the trackage ends at the location of the old duck-under. I added stop blocks to the main line to make sure the route ends here.

Think they are waiting for me to give them a "hand."