Hi,
I am a french modeler and I am designing a american layout. I have planned to have a small engine shop but I don’t know if turntables and roundhouses are still used by diesel locomotives. Could you tell me that ?
Thanks.
Since some turntables have survived (even hood units have a front end and a back end) you can have a turntable and deisels. Same with roundhouses. In many cases the roundhouse would be knocked down and a new shop building would be built, but the turntable would be kept. If there was a wye available, the turntable would be retired and the wye used. In some cases the roundhouse was kept, but the turntable was retired and replaced with switches. So any combination of turntable and roundhouse, from both to neither is prototypical.
The CNR roundhouse and turntable in Toronto lasted well into the diesel age. It was conveniently located next to Union Station and had all the track connections required for operations. It was finally knocked down to be replaced by a football stadium. The coach yard was also scrapped and the passenger yard moved about 10 miles away from the station.
One of the last sights I saw was an Amtrak diesel nose down in the turntable pit.
Many railroads would need a better reason than " It’s no longer fashionable" to replace a piece of equipment that still worked and wasn’t costing anything.
I think there is still a working turntable at the Altoona (Juniata ) shops in Altoona Pa. It’s at the end of the engine facility maintanence building. You have to use a side street to get there. There is also a turntable in Port Jervis Pa. It’s not connected to any track but it is preserved as a historical site. (no round house) There is a three foot turntable at th e East Broad Top facilities in Pa. (and round house)
Lines like CN and GTW that converted to diesel late found new uses for the old roundhouse. Some have a rebuilt back wall from when a diesel hostler forgot to stop in time. Diesels still need to be watered & sanded so a RR may have added more hoses for water & a pipe for sand.
It might be fun to post this on the Trains side of the forum to see how many old roundhouses might still be in operation today! The BN facility in Seattle comes to mind.
The Union RR still uses their turntable and roundhouse for diesel switcher storage and turn arounds. It is clearly visable from the Rt-22 overpass in Monroeville,Pa. They have quite a facility packed into a small area there.
The turntable and Erection and Maintenance shop in Altoona, Pa. are indeed still in service. Altoona is at the base of the mountain, and is a helper district. The former Pennsylvania RR-Penn Central-Conrail-now Norfolk Southern main line uses a “helper turnaround” loop at the top of the mountain (Cresson) to allow helper locos to return.They are usually used in pairs-back to back-so the crew just swaps cabs & reverses the set.
I would be happy to send you photos of the turntable facilities and Cresson loop if you would find this useful in your modelling. Let me know. Good luck!
The Union Pacific still has a turntable and roundhouse in their Taylor Yard Shops in Los Angeles. Back in the glory days of steam, Taylor yard had two merry-go-rounds: the one that is still there and a smaller one. To my knowledge, the Cheyenne roundhouse and turntable still stand and are regularly used, and I believe that the world-record turntables (132 feet) in Green River and one other place in Wyoming are still there as well.
-Daniel
Yes but they are getting rarer. iT’s your railroad and if you want it go for it. I think what is happening is the ones that are left are wearing out and the reapirs don’t justify replacement at this point in time.
There is a working turntable in Havre, MT at the BNSF service facility there. I was lucky enough to see it in action from my window on the east bound Empire Builder turning a SD70. The roundhouse, however, is long gone.
The BNSF removed the turntable located in Creston, Iowa about 12 years ago and put it in at their Lincoln, Neb. yard to turn their SD motors. Also the UP still uses their turntable in Council Bluffs, Iowa yard.