Locating old photos

[jguess733]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to locate an old areal photo of Fort Worth Texas.  Specifically the Santa Fe's yard.  The reason I ask is because on Google Earth I found what appears to be the remnants of the foundation of a roundhouse just east of the Santa Fe's station.  I count at least 12 stalls.  Thanks for the help.

 

Jason

[Railphotog]

Perhaps do a Google Images search on Fort Worth Roundhouse?

[Shilshole]

Start here:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/apfoapp?area=apfohome&subject=landing&topic=landing

Their current offerings go back to 1955.  They may have earlier images archived -- 30 years ago, I was able to acquire aerial images from the '30s.  Be aware that their standard hard copy print size and scale may not be sufficient to show the level of detail that you want.  On the other hand, they can provide the photos in a digital format (CD-ROM and DVD-ROM), and they offer free digital readers on their site.  The downside is they can be expensive.  Your local library (if in Texas) may have 1:24000 scale (or better) hard copies of Ft Worth images for the time period that you're interested in.

Another product you might find helpful is a Sanborn fire insurance map:
http://www.sanborn.com/products/fire_insurance_maps.htm

These are large-scale drawings that show all the buildings, including locations of utilities and some other features, extant for a selected time.  Maps for most areas of the country are available, some going back to the late 1800s.

[Don Z]

Jason,

I'll assume you are referring to the old roundhouse in this photo:

This photo is just north of the I35W/I20 interchange. I posed your question to a friend of mine employed by Amtrak as an engineer. His answer:

That's the old Santa Fe Passenger Roundhouse or it is the Katy Roundhouse? Santa Fe passenger depot is brownish colored building to the lower left of the frame, on the left side of the tracks which veer off to the left. Katy's Ney Yard is off the page to the bottom. The yard you see next to the roundhouse footprint is the Katy/Mop/SSW/RI transfer yard. Currently it is the start of the UP Choctaw Subdivision.

I hope this helps you.

Don Z.

[jguess733]

I wasn't even sure if I was right about it being a roundhouse. Thank you for helping to confirm it. It makes me a little sad to see all the history that has gone to the wayside to make way for progress. Oh well, I guess that's life. At least the T&P station is still standing in Ft. Worth. It sure is a pretty building.

Jason

[BigRusty]

Don Z what is the URL for the site were you got that aerial view. I have been trying to find imagery that good for the Amtrak (former NY,NH,&HRR) station at Old Saybrook, CT to no avail.

[Don Z]

BigRusty,

I used Google Earth. If you go to Google, type in Google Earth in the search bar, you'll get a link to the web page where you can download it for free. It's a cool program for following rail lines around the countryside.
I have managed to find many roundhouse shadows while 'flying' around the country.

Don Z.

[Don Z]

jguess733,

I have to correct my statement regarding the turntable photo I posted in this thread. I received an email today from my Amtrak engineer friend correcting himself. His correction:

I finally spoke to two experts on the FTW Terminal, Amtrak Conductor Tom Paterson and Amtrak Engineer Pat Bush. Both confirmed the following, which I did not know: the footprint of the roundhouse in the Google Image you provided is the old Fort Worth and Denver Railway Roundhouse. The FW&D was a subsidiary of the Burlington Route and after the merger, BN. FW&D used steam power on some of its lines, particularly in Colorado until late 1959 and in switching service until mid 1960.

Hope this helps.

 

Don Z.

[Texas Zepher]

The Santa Fe never had intended Fort Worth to be a major facility.  When the traffic dictated, a real locomotive servicing facility was built in 1945 just north of Fort Worth at the Saginaw Yard.   This info is from the book Santa Fe Locomotive Facilites - Volume One GULF LINES by Crump & Priest  ISBN #0-9651896-7-8.  It has six pages dedicated to Forth Worth.  If one is modeling AT&SF in Texas or Oklahoma it is an essential volume for their library.

the footprint of the roundhouse in the Google Image you provided is the old Fort Worth and Denver Railway Roundhouse.

The T&P round house would be just off the photo to the lower left,  and the Santa Fe (Gulf Coast & Santa Fe RR) turntable (no roundhouse) would have been out of the picture to the upper left at the north end of the yard right next to the brewery (next to Tower 55 near 17th Street).

The FW&D was a subsidiary of the Burlington Route

True, but depending on the exact year, most of the time technically the FW&D was a subsidiary of the C&S, which was in turned owned by the CB&Q.

[Don Z]

The Santa Fe never had intended Fort Worth to be a major facility.  When the traffic dictated, a real locomotive servicing facility was built in 1945 just north of Fort Worth at the Saginaw Yard.   This info is from the book Santa Fe Locomotive Facilites - Volume One GULF LINES by Crump & Priest  ISBN #0-9651896-7-8.  It has six pages dedicated to Forth Worth.  If one is modeling AT&SF in Texas or Oklahoma it is an essential volume for their library.

the footprint of the roundhouse in the Google Image you provided is the old Fort Worth and Denver Railway Roundhouse.

The T&P round house would be just off the photo to the lower left,  and the Santa Fe (Gulf Coast & Santa Fe RR) turntable (no roundhouse) would have been out of the picture to the upper left at the north end of the yard right next to the brewery (next to Tower 55 near 17th Street).

The FW&D was a subsidiary of the Burlington Route

True, but depending on the exact year, most of the time technically the FW&D was a subsidiary of the C&S, which was in turned owned by the CB&Q.

TZ, does this picture help in your explanation? Tower 55 is to the south of the roundhouse in the photo I uploaded.

Don Z.

[Jim Lowther]

The detail will very by date and location, but the USGS has a pretty good archive:

USGS EROS Archive - Aerial Photography - Aerial Photo Mosaics

Jim