I drove past this for close to 20 years now and never knew what it was. From the interstate all I could see was one wall. Then Simon 1966 (member) told me it was a round house.
Not a Round house but remnants of the old Concord New Hampshire Turntable, I found this last week while looking for areas to train spot, Although Southern NH doesn’t seem to have much Train Traffic…
Ken, the roundhouse in E. STL is the B and O Roundhouse, The map you have shown is the old Frisco Roundhouse over in St. Louis south of Chouteau Ave. According to what I have read the Frisco roundhouse was demolished in the 20’s
I was also going to say the first roundhouse was the old B&O’s at Cone Yard. It’s visible this time of year just north of I-64, 70, 55. I’m no expert on East St. Louis but the roundhouse “footprint” closer to the river may have been the GM&O. Here’s an interesting link I found on railroads and their facilities in St. Louis:
judging from the photos, i am pretty sure we are looking at what is/was left of the old B&O facility. it is right along the west side of I-55/ I-70. St Clair ave. (ill hwy 3) passes under the B&O tracks. years ago, the B&O road crews stayed at the National Hotel, just a city block west of the St Clair ave underpass. they had the entire second or third floor as a railroad bunk room. home terminal for their road crews was Washington Indiana so they just used the hotel to get their rest before returning east.
i have no idea what the map is. if it is part of E St Louis, it must be from before the interstate highway and Poplar Street Bridge complex were built. none of the street names are familiar.
the NKP yard would be farther north, up in or near Granite City. I think Ill hwy 203 passes over it just north of the Gateway Raceway and before you get to the curve going in to GC.
I used to work in that area but it has been many years and things have changed a lot including my ability to recall all the past.
the metrolink does run along part of the old Wabash right of way in St Louis. it is nowhere near the Wabash facility on the east side at Brooklyn although there was a large roundhouse and turntable there too.
if the one near trendley avenue is a GM&O facility, it would date way back before they got hold of the C&A. after that i think all their facilities were concentrated at Venice. we may be looking at the old ICRR facility, i have been there years ago but never saw it from the air.
as for the Q roundhouse along hall st. i remember when they turned and serviced the 2-8-2 # 4960 there when running fan trips back in the 60’s. guess that makes me an old codger eh?
the Wabash had three engine terminals in the greater St Louis area. one at Brooklyn Illinois, one at Luther yard in north St Louis and the one west of Union Station which i think was mostly for passenger power.
In St. Paul Minnesota, there is the Jackson Street Roundhouse, which is the home of the MTM (Minnesota Transportation Museum). This roundhouse is a former Great Northern Steam Locomotive facility. I have yet to visit there; but, will soon! http://trainride.org/jsrh.shtml Although the Website isn’t very exciting, if you look through the equipment roster, you can see that there is a lot of stuff there to see.
Also, in Proctor Minnesota, just to the west of Duluth, is a roundhouse that was for the Duluth Mesabi and Iron Range Railway (DM&IRR) You can look at all these facilities on Google Earth. The Proctor Roundhouse is a 90 degree sector and is probably only used as a storage facility, now. However, to the Northwest of this facility, about a mile along Proctor yard is a roundhouse w/turntable that may still be in use! The western sector of this roundhouse has an area that looks to have been extended (possibly to house and work on the DM&IR’s many Yellowstone 2-8-8-4 locomotives). One of these locomotives can be seen, on display, about a 1/4 mile to the south and slightly east of the 90 degree roundhouse.
Wow Charlie, my Grandfather House over looked the B&O yards in Washington Ind and my uncle was a Engineer for the B&O! As a small boy I use to watch Santa Fe Warbonnets pulling in the yard, I loved the bright colors. Guess Uncle Charlie (yes that was his name) was at the roundhouse a few times!
Pretty cool having a family link to the roundhouse!
In Fort Wayne the Nickle Plate (West Wayne yard), Wabash, and Pennsy roundhouses are long gone. There is one surviving frieght warehouse and 2 passenger stations still standing. The stations are well preserved and in use today. The warehouse is not and may soon fall to the wrecking ball. Interestingly all that remains of the Wabash station in a cement staircase that goes up to the track level.
I believe there is still a turn table in use at the NS yard between FW and New Haven, Indaina. It appears in the google Sattelite photos at the East end of the yard.
