Constructed in 1907 along the Montpelier Riverfront, this railroad turntable is a physical reminder of the once-thriving granite industry and its supporting railroad infrastructure. Also known as a gallows turntable because of its shape, it could rotate a steam locomotive to change its direction and align it with tracks leading into the adjacent engine house for repairs. Its rotating track deck is supported by metal trusses and turns on a central pivot mounted on a concrete pedestal. The deck’s thick middle and tapered ends concentrated the locomotive’s weight on the center pivot, allowing the entire assembly to turn freely on a circular track embedded in the concrete foundation, with sets of wheels at each end of the track deck. Once a locomotive was perfectly centered on the turntable, an electric motor rotated the track deck to the desired position.