The photographs above were taken in the late 80s at the end of a pier in Wilmington, California, not far from Pier A Yard of the old LA Harbor Belt. The circular area was once a turntable that facilitated the switching of cars on the pier. The Google Map shown below shows that the circle is still barely in evidence. It was rumored among Southern California railfan circles, that the superstructure of the turntable was still under the pier. I can personally verify that this was not true, as a friend and I once piloted a raft right up to the pilings, and there was nothing visible in the way of turntable machinery. For an excellent aerial map of the area, go to this link. This location is just to the left of number 54 on this map.
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There is another turntable next to where the Lane Victory is now. It is visible from Google maps if you choose the satellite view.
ReplyDeleteThe turntable you speak of is part of a marine railway system to move boats around a former boat repair yard. From the looks of things, the area is undergoing an environmental cleanup, probably due to lead base paint being stripped off of boats over the years.
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