Springfield, MO - Turntable - Springfield / Kansas Avenue / West Yard

Springfield Mo Rountable Frisco (BNSF)

 

Looks like it is still in good shape in 2013.

 

Great photo, we built that in the late 1970s.

That area used to stand full of water. I built the grade for it with a D-7 bulldozer and T-117 scraper. The bridge boys did the concrete work. I worked the backhoe and D-4 loader to backfill and clean out where the actual table sat.

I was trying to think of where the table came from, I knew at one time, but long gone in the memory banks. At the time it was used to turn engines, instead of going around the wye.

Really it was not used much.

William Jackson

 

The detail on the Google satellite is unbelievable!

I could unfortunately even read BNSF!

 

It was pretty wet, like I had said the area was a drainage for a long time, so we had to mix wet and dry to get the grade right.

I had a lot of practice by then, we had just completed the area north of the Car Shop. They wanted that area clear so the Welding Plant, Cropping Plant, Panel facility and new scrap yard could be built. I worked on that job, with the guys that knew how to handle dirt and making grade.

They brought in four D-7s and scrapers off the divisions to do that work. It was a big deal to me, in my early 20s, starting out to see all those guys doing the work. See Frisco, did not have very many off track equipment operators (OTEO) was the title for them. They did most of the right of way work, fire guard, mowing, dirt, cranes, Jordan ditchers, etc..

It was a great job, lot of travel though.

William Jackson