Old railway turntable from area found in Israel

A railway turntable manufactured in the Black Country has been dug up in Israel, where it is set to become a centrepiece at a museum.

The turntable was made by Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon & Finance Company at the Old Park Works in Wednesbury, which later became part of Metro-Cammell.

It was found in the grounds of the Israel Defence Forces History Museum in Jaffa. It dates back to the period of the British Mandate of Palestine, which was in force from 1923 until 1948.

Bosses at the Israel Railway Museum are now hoping people in the Black Country can help it with information to restore it to its original condition.

Chen Melling, who is deputy manager of the railway museum at Haifa, said the turntable was dug up in part of Jaffa Railway Station, now used for the Israel Defence Forces History Museum.

He said: "The turntable's survival was a complete surprise to railway enthusiasts in Israel, as previously no turntable was believed to have survived in the country.

"However, further investigation revealed that it was actually the IDF that buried it in the first place, probably in the 1960s."

It was discovered when the site was being built on and the museum started a historic survey of the surviving buildings in its lot. This research was done by the Israel Antiquity Authority, who also managed the actual digging and uncovering of the turntable. The museum has already allocated funds for the repair work and plans to turn it into the visual centrepiece of the compound.

However, other than the maker's photo and a few other less clear images, there are no other clues to help in the restoration, and it seems that no appropriate technical drawings survived in Israel.

The Historical Model Railway Society, which holds at least part of the Metro-Cammell drawing collection, informed the Israel Railway Museum that the cataloguing is still only partial, and so far it has not found any turntable drawings. Anyone who has information can email museum@rail.co.il