Turning for home. During a programmed 75-minute layover in Summerville, GA, TVRM crews begin the work of turning the power for the 50-mile run back to Chattanooga. Unlike many tourist lines, TVRM has turning facilities on both ends of the Summerville run, so the locomotives are always facing forward. As the helper on today's trip, Consolidation #630 is the first to ride the turntable. Shortly, she'll head north to the station area, where's she'll have her tender filled with water and receive a thorough greasing, oiling and inspection. Next up, the crews will bring the big Mike #4501 onto the table and the ritual will continue.
For safety reasons, the large turntable at Summerville is surrounded by a sort of cage. A fairly large crowd of passengers and locals usually gather to watch the operation, so keeping people at a safe distance is a must. Getting a clean shot of the locomotive on the table requires either a drone or in my case, a 14-24mm zoom lens, the wide end of which just barely fits through the bars.
