The concept of turnpike connects the solution of long but finite time horizon optimal control problems with steady state optimal controls. A key ingredient of the analysis of the turnpike is the linear quadratic regulator problem and the convergence of the solution of the associated differential Riccati equation as the terminal time approaches infinity. This convergence has been investigated in linear systems theory in the 1980s. We extend classical system theoretic results for the investigation of turnpike properties of standard state space systems and descriptor systems. We present conditions for turnpike in the nondetectable case and for impulse controllable descriptor systems. For the latter, in line with the theory for standard linear systems, we establish existence and convergence of solutions to a generalized differential Riccati equation.