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largest in the usa

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largest in the usa
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 10:37 PM
hi yall, please tell me the 5 largest rr stations in us ever, we know the grand central was is largest. what were others?
also the largest round house of all times, how many stalls and where?
thanx and god bless
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Posted by jimrice4449 on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 1:11 AM
Assuming by largest you mean # of tracks I would thing Penn station in NYC (the original not the contemporary one) followed by St Louis Union Stn, and then a toss up for Kansas City Union Stn, Northwestern 's Chicago depot and possibly one of the Boston depots.
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Posted by Gunns on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 6:43 AM
As for round houses, ths is the Barellas shops in Albqurque, the rounhous is only a 57% circle but the shp area had at least 27 stalls and a transfer table. The turn table is still here and maintained and in use.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=13&X=873&Y=9705&W=1&qs=%7c%7cNew+Mexico%7c

Here is the Round House in Las Veagas NM, it is closer to being a full circle, maby 70 deg of the circle, alas the turn table is gone.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=13&X=2402&Y=19690&W=1&qs=%7clas+vegas%7cNew+Mexico%7c
They are the last Santa Fe round house and turntable in existance, or so I have been told.
Hold that here is another turn table in Belen NM photo is from 96.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=13&X=1689&Y=19180&W=1&qs=%7cbelen%7cNew+Mexico%7c
Gunns
http://www.nmslrhs.org/
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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 7:48 AM
Chicago Union Station has 14 tracks to the south and 10 tracks to the north, North Western Station has only 16 tracks.
The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by nanaimo73 on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 8:30 AM
I am pretty sure the Altoona roundhouse was a complete circle.
Dale
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Posted by cnw4001 on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 9:55 AM
As the answers apparently are including stations no longer active you might want to keep Cincinnati Union Terminal in the mix.

If my memory is correct there were 18 tracks, all through tracks.


Dale
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 7:00 PM
I think Grand Central had more tracks (well over 40) than Pennsylvania Station which had, I believe, 21 tracks. Grand Central was built with more tracks than it ever needed. I think Washington Union Station had the longest concourse (to handle inaugural crowds every 4 years).

But to some extent, size comes down to your definition: number of tracks? size of headhouse? space for all the support operations on site (as opposed to NYC support operation in Mott Haven in the Bronx and PRR's Sunnyside Yard in Queens)?
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 7:40 PM
yes,size of headhouse an tracks. thanks!!

in fulton,illinois in 1895 i think roundhouse had 100 stalls complete circle. this was unusual since fulton only had 1,000 people., on old cnw line on mississippi river then. and there were plans to even add another one not so large next to that monster!! for added space, but did not materalize.
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Posted by PBenham on Thursday, October 13, 2005 4:43 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jesus1st

hi yall, please tell me the 5 largest rr stations in us ever, we know the grand central was is largest. what were others?
also the largest round house of all times, how many stalls and where?
thanx and god bless
If you are referring to passenger stations it would be1.) Penn Station,New York,2.)Union Station, Chicago 3.) South Station, Boston 4.) St. Louis Union Station 5.) Kansas City Union Station. With Broad Street Station and later, 30th st. Station, Philadelphia, and Grand Central Terminal in New York, Lackawanna's Hoboken Terminal, PRR's Newark station and CNJ/B&O's Jersey City facility up there as well.This relates to passenger volume. Grand Central is quite compact and is one fine place to spend your time. Just don't try to take pictures there.

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