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Turn tables are interesting objects which not a lot of people know about or what its function is, unless you have a special interest in trains.  I grew up around trains, but never knew that the picturesque town of Knysna had a turn table tugged away in its bowels. This is just another hidden gem of the Garden Route. 

So, what is a turn table all about?

Or before we go there, why am I writing about a turn table of all things under the sun?  Because I think it is worthwhile to write about it as it is not something often seen in South Africa.  I discovered this one by accident in the beautiful town of Knysna, next to the waterfront at an almost forgotten spot next to a parking lot.    On your next visit in Knysna head over to this GPS location to see it:  S 34° 02.393 E 023° 02.654 .

According to Wikipedia a railway turntable is a device for turning railway rolling stock, usually locomotives, so that they can be moved back in the direction from which they came. This is especially true in areas with economic considerations or with a lack of sufficient space.

Sadly, this is one of the features that became defunct when the Outeniqua Choo Choo stopped to operate between George and Knysna due to flood damages to the railroad. 

I also think there are not many countries in the world where you still find a train turn table.  Do you know of one?  It will be nice to see where in the world you can still find these structure so leave a location in the comments section and let’s see if we can build a trial of turn tables around the world. 

Comments (2)

  1. Inge

    Hi

    Loerie near Patensie in the Eastern Cape also has a turn table

    Reply
    1. TravelBucket (Post author)

      Thank you, Inge, for letting as know!

      Reply

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