Hello, I'm curious about something I noticed on Google Earth at Curtis Hill in Oklahoma, just southwest of Waynoka. You can see where there was an old line change, right near the Belva siding, and on the satellite view, there is a huge circular foundation with a couple of straight 'legs' radiating out. Does anyone know what this was? I thought maybe a roundhouse for steam helpers, but I can find no mention of it, and the Waynoka roundhouse was just a couple of miles away. Thanks, Adams
Adam,if you are looking at the location just to the north of where the N2210RD overpass crosses the BNSF I believe the two locations seen are related to oil and gas production or perhaps some farming operation. There was no roundhouse or other significant Santa Fe structures here.
I'm just guessing, but I suspect he's talking about this:
Convicted One'm just guessing, but I suspect he's talking about this:
The topo map shows a circle there (dashed line - usually indicating a trail), but no indication of what it is.
The "arm" on the left appears to have round hay bales in it, as does a disconnected "arm" above and to the right.
Fenced in pens and other artifacts in the satellite image lead me to a conclusion that it's currently agricultural. But the stuff in the middle of the circle (including the round tanks) might tend toward oil, at least in a past life.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
In street view it appears to be a small feed lot.
Norm
See an archived Fred Frailey piece with some information.
http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/fred-frailey/archive/2012/06/20/the-santa-fe-s-transcon-in-1953.aspx
Apparently I've lost the ability to activate links.
The site is in an oil field, but the wells are recent, and the circle (looks like concrete pavement) pre-dates the wells. Street view shows the 2 white "tanks" as dry bulk hoppers. The 4 larger circles look like concrete sumps or maybe foundations of silos. There appears to be a pipe rack to the north of that, but an oilfield supply yard would have several pipe racks. Maybe its irrigation pipe. In looking online for feedlot photos, I came across this one:
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/media/crops0802.jpg
It should be noted that E0360RD is the former ROW.
While this doesn't appear to have been a railroad facility, it may well have been a railroad related facility.
Here are some links to sources of Oklahoma historical aerial photos,
Their instructions: http://www.occeweb.com/og/OHADP%20newsletter%202014-08%20update.pdf
The archive: http://okmaps.org/ogi/search.aspx
Click on the "Historical Aerial Photos" tab on the left side, select the time period you wish, then select the Green + on the drop down tab to get the available photos tabs to overlay on the map, then select the overlay section you desire and a menu pops up offering several photos of that area for the period in question
Another link to the okalahoma dept of Libraries: http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/resources/aerial.htm
Here's the image for 1959, nothing really there at that time
ftp://okmaps.org//Historical_Photos/OK_SS_Photos_FTP/1950-1959/ss_1959/1959-23N-16W-IM/OP-9W-159.jpg
Aerial 1959
But image #206 in the 1966 aerial set shows a facility in place
ftp://okmaps.org//Historical_Photos/OK_SS_Photos_FTP/1960-1969/ss_1966/1966-23N-16W-IM/OK-2HH-206.jpg
Aerial 1966
Since whatever it is that is there was built after 1959, I feel it's safe to assume it is NOT an artifact from the steam era of railroading.
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