Surviving Roundhouses?

The roundhouse you mention south of Wheeling, W.Va. was the B&O's Benwood roundhouse.  My early memories tell me that one was gone by the mid-1990s, though the coaling tower stood for a little longer.  I can remember travelling up to Wheeling with my grandfather and, as a five- or six-year old boy being fascinated by seeing it, and then disappointed when one day both buildings were gone.

Just northwest of where I am (Elkhart, Ind.) stands a Michigan Central roundhouse in Niles, Mich.  I think it is used by a some kind of local business.  It appears to be in good condition, and the turntable remains intact as well.  

there is one in Evanston WY that is partially restored

Here is what is left of the once very large steam roundhouse at the Cumberland MD CSX Locomotive Shop.

That's the new turntable in front.

 They were still working on the track for the new table when I made this photo.

Ed Mullan

There is a Cotton Belt roundhouse still standing in Jonesboro AR,however it has not been used by the rr in years. The tt pit was filled in years ago. The rh is used by a commerical concern.

I don't believe that demolition has started yet on the Former SP Brooklyn Roundhouse in Portland, OR. But it's days are few and numbered, Union Pacific has expansion plans for the intermodal yard at Brooklyn, and removal is the only way that the roundhouse figures into those plans.

Doug

And there are the 7 stalls remaining in Cheyenne,Wy on the U.P.

What about the Southerns' old Spencer Shops.. that is now part of the NC transportation Museum.

And what about this new one..http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.com/index.html    

I don't know how old Google's Aerial/Street View photos are, but the ATSF Roundhouse in Las Vegas, New Mexico shows up. After the tracks and turntable were long gone, the structure was used as a warehouse and other uses. The Street View showed the structure as abandoned, but intact. Search "Las Vegas, NM" on http://maps.google.com and it's pretty easy to spot. It's west of highway 25 on South Grand Avenue/Route 85.

The Great Northern's Interbay roundhouse is intact and in daily use by the BNSF.  While only 15 tracks remain coming into the building all 150 degrees or so still stand and service locomotives.  The metal clad exterior looks modern but the original brick remains underneath.

Could Interbay be the largest roundhouse in use in America?

I just toured the Roundhouse at Southern's Spencer Shops last week. It is in good shape and about half full of some good old pig iron and woodside cabooses.

It happened to be School Kids Day and they were operating the Turntable for rides and for viewing *FP-7 6133. The FP-7 was coupled to 5 coaches and loaded with Kids for the standard trip[s] around the grounds.

*correctionfrom E6 suggested by Ed king

Hard to believe no one has mentioned the B&O Railroad Museum, fully restored after the roof collapse. The largest circular industrial structure in the world.

East Broad Top Railroad's roundhouse in Orbisonia, PA.  And it is still in use.

Curt

There is a small one near Bethlehem, PA at the intersection of Rt 78 and 412.  Don't know which railroad used it.  Now it is used by a construction company.  Can't seem to get the Google maps photo to load.

Gene Anstine

There is the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse in Sioux City, IA (http://www.milwaukeerailroadshops.org/) which is currently being refurbished and includes the static display of GN1355, a 4-6-2 Pacific, a large HO train layout in a separate building, as well as several other pieces of rolling stock included on about a 30 acre complex. If you're traveling in the midwest, it's worth stop. They are open most days of the year, but check their hours at the website listed above.

The Bessemer & Lake Erie roundhouse is still standing in Greenville, PA

Dave

where is the mentioned interbay roundhouse located?

There is a small one near Bethlehem, PA at the intersection of Rt 78 and 412.  Don't know which railroad used it.  Now it is used by a construction company. 

That's the ex-Reading roundhouse in Hellertown, PA. It's in rough shape.

BTW, The former CNJ roundhouse in Bethlehem was demolished about 10 years ago. Just the pad remains.

Chris

LVHR

Seattle, Washington.

Hi Hot Water,

 Maybe you would know, has the demolition date been set yet for the Brooklyn roundhouse? That will be a Sad day when we lose another small piece of history

Doug

Doug,

Everything MUST be out of the Brooklyn Roundhouse by JUNE 30, 2012. I assume that the contractor for the UP will start demolition promptly!

Thanks Hot Water!

Doug

One of the NYS&W’s roundhouses still stands in Hawthorne, NJ. The turntable is gone and it is being used for an unrelated commercial purpose, but it’s there.

There are surviving roundhouses in Utica and Rome, NY... They are both used for non-railroad purposes, and the Rome one is in pretty tough shape.

I have the plans for the Utica yard from 1940, and it shows that there were 3 roundhouses, and 4 turntables.  There was one roundhouse and turntable on the NYC branch going north to the Adirondacks (This roundhouse still exists).

Utica 1940^

Utica 2012v

A lone turntable on the DL&W branch going south towards New Hartford (The pit can still somewhat be seen off Oriskany Blvd.), and the other 2 NYC roundhouses I believe are gone.

Utica 1940^

Rome 2012^ 

While we're on this track... If anyone wants to take a look at the blueprints, we can meet for coffee! Here's a teaser of the station trackage layout...

Utica, NY Union Station 1940^

Utica, NY Union Station 2012v

Thanks,

Mario...

The D&RGW Chama, NM engine house is still quite active and the outer wall and building is exactly as it was in 1908-era Fred Jukes photos with a sea of diamond-stack C-16s and C-19s in front of it. Chama is an intact steam operated division point - a truly marvelous piece of historic preservation.

       Another beauty is the preserved CB&Q limestone block roundhouse in downtown Aurora, IL. The initial sections were built in 1859 and additions came in 1864, completing a full 360 degree circle. It is a restaurant/bar/reception hall complex these days (recently owned by Walter Payton, of Chicago Bears fame) and as one strolls through the building, observing the wooden roof trusses bound together with bolts and truss rods, one is taken with how huge the building is. And there lies the paradox......it ceased being used because it was too small, with the demise of the 4-4-0 American Standard! It is a classic 19th century run-through building where in a locomotive emerged to be spun on a wood covered turntable. The Burlington last used it about 1974 as a component of it's Aurora Shop complex. Well worth a visit and a beer!

Como, CO

http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/BS/BS-Como.html

The N&W roundhouse in Bristol, Va. is still in existance; it has been used by another business for about a half-century, now and no trace of its tracks remain.

BTW - Southern 6133 is not an E6 - it's an FP7.

EdKing

There is, I mean was, or is... not sure if it counts, a CB&Q roundhouse that was converted into a restaurant by Chicagos most famous running back, now its a pub/brewery. Still looks like a roundhouse on the outside.......not sure if that counts. Hotwater, your welcome to add any details.

NKP - Bellevue, OH - in daily use. NKP 765 spent several winters here back in the 80's in the last two stalls on the south end. NS now uses the house to service and maintain their ROW equipment.

Also in daily use...CSX (B&O) in Cumberland, MD

NKP - Frankfort, IN - no longer in use for the railroad, but still serving...

And how about a turntable that is still in daily use...but no roundhouse? This is the NS (former N&W) table at Shaffers Crossing in Roanoke.

Here's a list of surviving railroad structures including roundhouses.

Central of Georgia roundhouse and shops in Savannah.  You can see some pictures here. The web site for the Coastal Heritage Society that maintains the roundhouse and other buildings is here. 

I do not know but i think there is one some where in crestline Ohio it may be gone. There is also the one roundhouse in Martinsburg West Virginia. there are a lot more that i can name but this reply would become a long list.

Matthew

juniata guy,

    Thanks for mentioning the EBT roundhouse. Here are photos I took last summer.

Yes, the former PRR roundhouse in Crestline is still there, but it is an empty shell. It is vacant and not used for anything. I'm surprised that it has not fallen down, it is in such bad shape.

Here it is today. The turntable pit is a pond (the table itself is gone) and there are no tracks leading to the table or into the house. You can drive right next to it on County Road 35. It's a sad sight...

When I was in Crestline in 2009, the only stalls left where the 8 or so on the west end.

Such a shame that more of these structures could not be saved, can't save them all but still....

Here is a shot taken last year of the Lehigh and New England RR roundhouse in Penn Argyl, PA. A construction company currently owns the site. The TT pit was filled in quite a while back.

Chris

LVHR

Google extant roundhouses. This means only pictures on Google. Like Crestline, things may be different today.

There are two turntables at Schaffer's Crossing. 

DM&IR Two Harbors MN. Not used by the railroad.

DM&IR Proctor MN. Actually two of them. The bigger one to the west looks like the turntable is still in use.

Ma & Pa Baltimore MD. Used by Baltimore DOT.

L&NH West Pen Argyl PA.

Sandy River RR Phillips ME. Reconstructed.

Sierra RR Jamestown CA.

Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum. Reconstructed.

LIRR Morris Park, Jamaica, NY. In use!

Enola PA. Two stalls down from a full circle. In use.

And last but not least the one I work in on occasion.

Steamtown NHS, Scranton PA. Reconstructed.

 The old N&W roundhouse in Williamson,WV is still standing,and in use as a car repair facility.

  The old West yard office as well as the old East yard office are no longer standing,but a new $3 million dollar West yard office building was completed in 2011.

 One that was standing until about 3 weeks ago was the old B&O roundhouse in Chillicothe,Ohio.An arson put and end to it  . I drove by the location it stood at  last Sunday after attending the Springfield,Ohio train show,to only see the foundation now exists.

the ex-CNJ roundhouse in Cranford, NJ is still in use, though not by a RR. It has been a garage-workshop for the township DPW for decades.

The Colorado Midland roundhouse in Colorado Springs has been restored and is now a strip mall.  I took some pictures of it a month ago.  They did a nice job.