I found the remains of the double turntable at Hamburg Altona. Is it right that it is one of a kind? Seems impossible to get there without crossing a few tracks [:(]

http://maps.google.no/maps/mm?f...mp;t=h&z=20&om=1

I recall seeing this when arriving in Hamburg by train - at one stage there were diesel locos stored on the tracks, then later they were pulling up the tracks. Sad.

yes great picture!

Greetings,

I found this one at Joachim's 'Eisenbahnstiftung' site:

http://h1336311.stratoserver.net/bg/pics/543.jpg

"Blick vom Wasserturm auf die Doppeldrehscheibe des Bw Hamburg-Altona. Auf der Scheibe wird 03 013 gedreht. (06.06.1958) Foto: Walter Hollnagel"

I envision a precisely timed layout with strains of Strauss 'Blue Danube Waltz' (Austrian, I know[:I]) playing in the background, with a pair of steam loks.....

Jim

P.S. - I thought I heard one time that Koln had a doppeldrehscheibe also, but I think there were only the two.

Now that is what I call Impressive!
Thanks for sharing team.

Dale,

I have a thought (which may be my drug-addalled brain) that it may have to do with the depth of the available real-estate. To have the same number a stalls in a single roundhouse would require a rather larger overall diameter (I think?) and depth, whereas this arrangement allows a more 'shallow' but broader arrangement; yet not as 'broad as two roundhouses side by side with two separate turntables. But, now that I really look at it, through-put sounds a lot better!!

Just a thought,

Jim (hedging, a little)

P. S. - Yikes! there is nothing left![:0]

Dale,

Yep, I think you are right !

Jim

I was looking at the area 500m WSE from the turntables.. the tracks are gone but it looks like old goods siding... a big pile of silver object caught my interest - I decided that being Germany they were probably empty beer kegs.

Then I browser on a few meters more and duh! The Holsten Brewery !

I bet those sidings were for receiving the raw materials and shipping the beer in days gone by... <sigh>

pictures from 1967... and 1968
http://www.die-d-zug-seite.de/html/body_h2.html
including one that looks back at the water tower from the TT

Well,

It seems the 1:32 gents have thrown down the gauntlet...

Anyway, I found yet another possibility, historical this time, but I do not have my source - just one of those pesky "Note-to-self" items:

"On the other hand, two turntables with the circumferences of their pits intersecting each other (German: Doppeldrehscheiben) was uncommon. There were only two of them in Germany, at Bw Hamburg-Altona and at Bw Köln Betriebsbahnhof. Originally, turntables at these two loco sheds were not Doppeldrehscheibe. These sheds had two turntables that were close (touching) to each other. The roundhouses for these turntables connected to each other at one end. During the 1920s there was a need for longer turntables to accommodate larger locomotives. At Altona and Köln it was impossible to install two new turntables side by side, or even one new turntable in the middle without realignment of the tracks leading to the roundhouses (which I suspect would have led to the rebuilding of the roundhouses as well). Therefore, the DRG chose to build two turntables intersecting each other at these two sites (you may say as a compromise or as a lesser of the two evils) instead."

Like I said, "source unknown" [:(](I really must start writing down my sources), so take it with a grain of salt, but it is more fuel for the fire, so to speak! Could it be??? Two original non-intersecting turntables would certainly speak to very high traffic volumes!

Thanks for your indulgence,

Jim

thanks Jim, that makes so much more sense ! duh!

Hi Dale,all,


Yes,they wereagain as a 'sign' the the doors where fullly open. Another slight but nice detail to add,...also you numbered your stalls,...right?

Dr Dirt

All that I have to say is...really cool!

Thanks, Jim. Logical explanation!

Per.

a fantastic page that shows the track layout and 51 tremendous images of this Bw
http://www.bahnbetriebsw...de/html/altona_text.html