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Railroad turntable in Oregon

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An old turntable in the railroad yard in Eugene, Oregon.

Built decades ago by the Southern Pacific Railroad, it now sits abandoned on Union Pacific land. Turntables were once a common feature in many rail yards because steam locomotives couldn't back up well. They needed help getting pointed in the right direction after leaving the roundhouses where repairs were made. Almost all the turntables in the country were dug up and discarded when newer diesel electric locomotives came into use in the 1940s, replacing virtually all steam locomotives by the mid-1950s.

Filename
united-states-2021-jeffrey-drone-18.JPG
Copyright
Paul Jeffrey
Image Size
6742x5271 / 7.0MB
USA drone aerial Oregon trains railroad tracks rail yard switching yard transportation turntable abandoned historic steam locomotives circular circle
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Aerial Images
An old turntable in the railroad yard in Eugene, Oregon. <br />
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Built decades ago by the Southern Pacific Railroad, it now sits abandoned on Union Pacific land. Turntables were once a common feature in many rail yards because steam locomotives couldn't back up well. They needed help getting pointed in the right direction after leaving the roundhouses where repairs were made. Almost all the turntables in the country were dug up and discarded when newer diesel electric locomotives came into use in the 1940s, replacing virtually all steam locomotives by the mid-1950s.