OK, after reading this thread…
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It sounds like I am OK in 1954 running my 4 axle USRA steamers on mainline, and my two USRA 0-8-0 switchers are plausible. OK.
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It also sounds like the diesels and steam engines shared the roundhouse during this time period. Is that correct?
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I was going to put the steamers in a rectangular engine house. If I do not need to do that some space would be freed up for other things.
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-Kevin
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IIRC the last steam engines built in the U.S. for service on U.S. railroads were some USRA-copy 0-8-0s that N&W bought in I think 1951 or '52. The DM&IR didn’t buy it’s first diesel until 1953, and used 0-8-0 steam switchers until the late fifties. Having USRA-type 4-8-2 or 2-8-2 engines on a railroad c.1954 wouldn’t seem odd, although it would depend on the railroad; by that time, some railroads were already all diesel, but a few were all (or virtually all) steam.
Some railroads that began buying road diesels early on, like the Santa Fe, built separate diesel shops in the 1940’s. However, some railroads continued using roundhouses for diesels even after all their steam engines were gone.
Yes. USRA designs were starting to be long in the tooth by the mid to late 50’s, they would have been in the 25-30 year old range by then (depending on when they were actually built).
They could have.
Not all locations had “roundhouses”, some locations had “square houses” rectangular engine houses that were built for steam and served both steam and diesel. If a rectangular engine house fits better, use it. The advantage of a roundhouse is it allowed more stalls to be accessible to the turntable. If you are only going to have 2 or 3 stalls, then the rectangular engine house may be better.
The C&O ordered some of those 0-8-0s around the same time frame and shortly after arrival the C&O sold them to the N&W.
A google search for Norfolk and Western lubritorium yields this:
A
I don’t think the “lubritorium” is an enginehouse. It’s designed for only a specific task. An enginehouse (and roundhouse) is for all kinds of light-duty maintenance and repair.
It WAS a great idea, though.
Ed
A lubratorium is not an engine house, its a “jiffy lube” for steam engines.
The RDG had a rectangular engine house for steam engines at both Darby Creek and Gordon, PA. Darby Creek had a turntable and Gordon was on the leg of a wye. I haven’t found any good pictures of either, both were knocked down by the 1980’s.
Here’s the best I could find for Gordon, it was the helper base for the coal regions of the Reading, operating numerous 2-8-8-2, 2-8-8-0, 2-10-2, 4-8-4 and 2-8-0 engines as both pushers and coal mine shifters.
Until a few years ago, there was a wood frame enginehouse at Klamath Falls. I can’t find a decent picture online, sadly. It had at least 6 tracks. The center two had a raised roof that implies to me an overhead crane on those tracks.
It was originally Great Northern, thus steam was there. I don’t know when it was built. It went from Great Northern to Burlington Northern to BNSF.
There was no turntable, but there was a wye closeby. With a VERY long tail track.
Ed
Yeah. NKP is a good example to follow. In 1954, their typical freight trains were hauled by Mikados and Berkshires. Most of the Mikes were USRA or USRA copies. Most (not all) Consiolidations had been retired by then. The surviving Consolidations were usually assigned to work trains, light branch service, and similar duties. The NKP made its commitment to the diesel at a time when the F style cab unit was falling out of favor and the road switcher was coming into widespread use. In 1954, NKP had a small fleet of GP7’s and RS3’s for freight service, and would eventually dieselize with GP9’s and comparable units from Alco.
Passenger duties (never a big factor in NKP’s operations) had been assumed by a small fleet of PA’s. Most or all of the Pacifics had been retired, and the NKP’s eight Hudsons were retained as protection power, and were sometimes seen on freight trains and passenger extras such as Cleveland Indians baseball specials. I’ve seen one photo showing a Hudson handling the Company’s supply train, which traveled the system to deliver Company forms, stationery, etc. to the various stations.
For switching service, NKP began to buy diesels during WWII, and quickly disposed of its oldest and least efficient steam switchers. By 1954, switching service was performed by an assortment of first generation diesel switchers from EMD, Alco, FM, Lima-Hamil
This 2012 photo shows the old Pere Marquette Railroad roundhouse in Saginaw, MI still standing and used today by the Lake States Railway.
The IC bought their first diesel switchers in the 1930s. They were used in Chicago to comply with the anti-smoke ordinances. Passenger trains started dieselizing in the 40s with E units. But outside of the diesel switchers (mainly in Chicago but some at the other end of the main line) and the E units pulling the passenger trains, it was pretty much a steam railroad until 1955 when the last through mainline freights were dieselized. USRA clone 0-8-0s bought in 1920-21 continued to handle switching duties at some of the larger yards until the end of steam in 1960. There was plenty of steam on the mainline especially on the St Louis division and the Kentucky divison until the end of steam.
The big yard at Centralia was all steam switching until 58 or 59.
Jeff White
Alma, IL
Well, well.
That picture prompted me to look at some slides from the olden days. Turns out I was there at the roundhouse taking pictures on a rainy day in early 1963. They are not my best.
I realize that I should be posting one or two. At this time, posting pix is, uh, difficult.
Ed
