housing electric locos

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

How were (are?) electric locomotives housed and serviced? I would think a conventional turntable and roundhouse wouldn't work well for electrics due to the overhead pantagraphs and catenaries.

Thanks
Alvie

[jimrice4449]

The Milw had a single track shed for servicing electrics at Avery Idaho. The trolley wire stopped just short of the building and an engine would drift in. One of the steam engines would (this was the point at which Rocky Mountain Divn electrics handed over their trains to Idaho divn steam or diesles) would pull it out when it was serviced and ready to go. At Deer Lodge Mt. they had an ingenious device which allowed the use of a ceteneraryless turntable. They rigged a Fairbanks Morse two axle power truck w/ a controller's shed on top and powered w/ an extension cord from the roundhouse. Really, this isn't an effort at humor, I saw the thing and there have been published pix of it. It probably started at 220 VAC which would have to be converted to DC at sufficient voltag/amperage to move a Little Joe onto or off of the turntable. Whether the current change was effected in the roundhouse or on the shop goat I don't know.

[marknewton]

That rather depends on the individual railway - I've seen European loco depots that had a "spiderweb" of catenary over the turntable to accomodate electric locos. Most facilities I've seen are like the depot I work in, though. It's a conventional straight shed with four parallel tracks that are wired throughout their length.

There is a sectioning switch and air gap at the entry to the shed. The overhead is normally energised to allow locos to enter and leave, but the sectioning switch can be opened to isolate the current inside the shed. Entry to the elevated walkways that give access to the top of the locos is via a gate that is interlocked with the sectioning switch. It can't be opened unless the switch is also open and the current isolated, ensuring that the employees are safe from electrocution.

http://marknewton01.fotopic.net/p5305546.html
http://marknewton01.fotopic.net/p5305544.html

The simplest arrangement I've seen was an unwired shed, where they used a wandering lead clipped to the overhead outside to move locos in and out.

Third or fourth rail sheds can be similar - they will often use a long lead inside the shed to move locos or trains.

All the best,

Mark.

[Eddystone]

Alvie, Jim
Here is link to the Miwaukee Road shop switcher:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=65036&REPLY_ID=733344#733344
Also I have seen a book with pictures of a roundhouse and turntable with catenary. I don't remember the country they were taken in but it was over in Europe.

[ndbprr]

Wilmington was a one ended shop where the PRR and Amtrak serviced motors. They were pushed in and there was no overhead wire. Virginian had a double ended shop with the highest doors I have ever seen at MUllins West Virginia.

[GN-Rick]

The Great Northern's motors were all double ended, so there was no need'
to turn them at either Wenatchee or Skykomish, Washington. As far as the
motor shop was concerned, the GN considered it unsafe to have catenary
inside the building, so an incoming motor would proceed slowly toward
the shop, the pantograph would be lowered on the fly and the locomotive
would coast into the shop. To get them out again, the railroad would employ
either a steam or a diesel switcher to hostle the motor to where the overhead
was.

[David_Telesha]

The New Haven's electrics were dual-ended. Work could be done at motor storage, but at the shops, the pantographs were dropped and they were moved by the shop switcher.

[AntonioFP45]

New York Central had an intesting set up for its electric 3rd rail DC locomotives at the Harmon shop (just 33 miles north of New York City).

Inside the shop building the locomotives could be moved easily by a hand held jumper that was connected between the 3rd rail pick up shoe and an over head trolley wire that suppled the 660 volts dc to the locomotive.

[bnnrailroad]

If I'm not mistaken, in Strasburg, PA, they have a picture of a GG1 (my favorite electric) being pulled to the musem by a steam locomotive because they don't have the overhead electric on that line. It's a neat picture. I was wondering how the lectrics got serviced in a "non electric" enviroment. Since I have a GG1 and I'm looking for a couple of other electrics, it would be neat to have a servicing area for them.