The Sellers Turntable

The Sellers turntable was a distinctive steam-era railroad device that turned locomotives around efficiently while using less space than other methods, and it was often placed at the center of a roundhouse where engines were serviced between runs. In the 19th century, Wm. Sellers & Co. of Philadelphia, PA, was one of the best-known makers of quality turntables, producing a unique design of standard cast iron parts in several sizes. An 1885 catalog listed eight lengths from 30 to 70 feet and an extra-heavy-duty 50 foot size, and the turntables were built to be taken apart and moved as expanding rail networks relocated servicing facilities. Sellers received his first patent for the design in 1858, and in 1873 a 50' Sellers turntable cost $1645. By the early 20th century, newer structural steel turntables were needed for larger and heavier locomotives, and most older Sellers turntables were cut up for scrap. This 60 foot example was sold in 1903 to the Maryland and Pennsylvania RR, a short line between York, PA and Baltimore, MD, and was used first at York and after 1921 at Delta, PA. In 1986, the 55,000 pound turntable was donated and brought to the Museum of Transportation for preservation. It is the only known survivor in the United States, while two others survive in El Salvador and several more in Australia and New Zealand, along with local copies of the design.

Missouri · United States