Once common…now a rare commodity…this one complete with a turntable now appears destined to be a survivor.
Some photos:
The article:
Good news , having worked in a number of them I can attest to the fact that a roundhouse is the most efficient way to service power !!!
[tup]
Roundhouses are nice. I drive past the old Lehigh and New England roundhouse and shops in Pen Argyl PA just about every day. Though the tracks were taken out long ago, the buildings live on, and they’re very utilitarian structures symbolic of a lost era.
I was there 2 years ago and spent almost 2 hours poking around. I was able to squeeze in through a door and walk around inside. Talk about IMPRESSIVE!!! Glad to see that it will be saved.
I don’t know. I don’t have any problem with my straight track shop. If I need to move a unit to a different work station and some other units are in the way, I just pick it up and set it on the other track.
Oh wait…
(Fantasy railroading is sooo much easier!)
There are two working turntables/roundhouses here in St.Paul MN. GN’s old Jackson St. roundhouse is operated by the MN Transportation Museum, just had the kickoff last weekend for the 100th anniversary of the roundhouse. The other is the old MN Transfer RR roundhouse now used by MN Commercial Ry, it’s a couple blocks south of the Amtrak depot in the Midway area.
Sadly, most are now History.
Just like Steam.
How did they get a dead locomotive in or out of a turntable/roundhouse?
Method 1.) have a locomotive small enough to fit on the turntable with the dead locomotive you are trying to move. Since most surviving turntables are quite long to accommodate large steam locomotives, most of which were 90-125’ long,this is seldom a problem. Now, for the alternative or Method 2.) Bleed off the brakes on the unit one desires to move. Then, using whatever divices one has around, gently “urge” the locomotive on to the table, turn it and then repeat the processs, usually with a pry bar on each side. This method is not very popular, needless to say! Method 3.) Where available (the catch here: there are very few of these around) hook up the locomotive to the “house power”, literally a cable for use in moving dead locomotives, then the traction motors-if they aren’t the source of the problem-will move the locomotive as far as the cable lets you. Method 4.) Use of a “donkey”, a single locomotive truck, powered by a third rail, battery or a small diesel engine, which will pull or push the dead locomotive you need to move around.
Yard goats. If the dead engine is small enough, both the yard goat and the dead engine will fit on the turntable at the same time. If not, then you could use two yard goats - if you have them. One is pre-positioned on the stub track opposite the destination track for the dead engine. The other is used to move the dead engine onto the table - and then continues across the table to the stub tack to get out of the way. The dead engine is then rotated to the destination track and the pre spotted yard goat can push it off the turntable.
If you don’t have yard goats then there is the handy little lever that I call a car jack. You get several of them - one behind (or in front) of each driver and then 1-2-3 heave and jack the locomotive onto and off the table. It takes time but it can and has been done.
dd
Sometimes, with Difficulty.
This is the remaining portion of the Milwaukee roundhouse in Sioux City Iowa. Photos of it from the 1930’s show a 12 stall structure, I don’t know when it was downsized. The turntable is operable.
Years ago during the NMRA National Convention in Madison WI some of us took a bus tour up to Stevens Point WI and toured the Wisconsin Central, former Soo Line, roundhouse. Some of the doors had also been sealed and the areas there used for storage. Most interestingly, not only did we get a complete tour of the roundhouse itself but we were invited to all get on the turntable, hang on to the railing, and were given a spin on the turntable. It’s not the smoothest ride in the world I can tell you.
Dave Nelson
the North Carolina Transportation Museum at Spencer has a wonderful round house and also offers turntable rides.
dd
Is this the one a little north of Sioux City, along the old highway by the Big Sioux River?
When I was in El Paso TX recently I saw one at both the UPRR & BNSF yards there
I once spent a day in Evanston, Wy. while travelling out west. What a beautiful town that place is and you should see the town’s train station. It looks like 1940 and nothing’s changed except they keep it clean. I couldn’t believe the place was unlocked when I approached the station about 7:00 PM. There was nobody there and the place wide opened and lit up. Had I been a thief I could have walked off with lanterns and telegraph keys and who know’s what. Where I come from in New Jersey the place would have looted bare in 15 minutes. I saw the abbandoned UP facilities but did not know they were under restoration but if they are done as well as the station they will be a sight worth visiting. As for the working roundhouse I think I can add to the list the present CSX facility, formerly B&O, Eastside Yard in Philly which had a working turn table just a few years ago and it may still be in operation.
The CSX has a operating turntable in Russell,Ky.
Years ago when I was about 13 years old I ran a set of GP-38’s from the service track to the turntable into the old wooden roundhouse that Russell use to have.It along with the coaling tower were torn down about 22 years ago.
The NS has it’s brick Roundhouse and turntable in use in Williamson,WVa.But the roundhouse is used for a backshop and the turntable to direct the shop cars to the stalls for repair.The turntable isn’t certified to handle locomotives.But the N&W 611 was turned on it when they use to have the steam trips here.
Now as far as how to move a dead loco…If the unit has a charged battery and it has a feature called “spotter control” all you have to do is have the battery knive switch up and put the reverser in the position you want to go and push the s.c. button and off you go.
The Southern and N&W had alot of older locos. with this on them.I’ve been seeing the NS taking this feature off these locos…I don’t know why because most shops shove engines in dead and leave them shutdown until their serviced.
Yes, Murphy, you have the location along the Big Sioux correct. Among other things, it contains a partially restored steamer, Great Northern 1355, which is a Baldwin 4-6-2.