I hiked the jeep road several times, hunting the turntable. It is not visible from the road, and as has been mentioned, it is separated from the road by a very, very tough gulch. Finally I decided to go on the grade. The Ouray Historical Soc. organized a hike from Red Mountain, down the grade, to the turntable and then further down, going cross-country to 550.
Well, here was my chance, because cars were going to be parked at both ends of the hike, hence it would be almost all downhill.
The turntable was easy to find.
Coming back from the turntable a few hundred yards on the railroad grade, we veered off and went downhill, coming out at the Joker Boarding House. So, here is the easy way to hike to the turntable. Drive north on 550, past the really sharp turns. Don't go all the way down. If you get to the 55 mph section you have gone too far. There is a gate on the east side of the road and you can look down onto the Joker Boarding house. It has an outside staircase and is two stories. Park the car where you can, walk down to the boarding house, then start going straight up the hillside. After a few hundred yards you suddenly encounter the RR grade. Go left on it and you'll get to the turntable.
I was there with my wife on a July Fourth several years ago. As she was bending down,looking at the mechanism there was a loud explosion and soon small rocks were falling all around us. Someone over on the jeep road had set off a stick of dynamite to celebrate the Fourth. I doubt he had any idea there were people on the south side of the gulch just a hundred yards away.
Just one of those incidents that make life memorable.