So how many steam back shops are left today in some form, still operating as some kind of shop or abandoned?
ROBERT WILSON,
I toured the great Union Pacific backshop in Cheyenne in 1967 it existed with its huge overhead locomotive crane still in the ceiling of the building. I believe some of this building was torn down but a part remains and is used with the UP steam program.
I also toured the narrow gauge steam backshop in Alamosa, CO at about the same time. Here was an operating roundhouse and backshop with many locomotives in partial repair but no work going on in it. I believe they finished the engines though as they are the ones still steaming today. Sadly the Rio Grande saw fit to entirely destory the rail shop complex in the 1970s and turn the town into a wasteland.
I also inspected a backshop of sorts for the New York Central railroad in Detroit near the West Detroit Roundhouse at Central Ave and Livernois Ave. While not as big as many facilities this was definately a building used in some capacity as a "backshop" for either cars or locomotives.
Some towns like Illinois Central's Paducah, KY shops were extremely large complexes for building and repairing steam locomotives. Altoona, PA was an extremely famous shop for the Pennsylvania Railroad that not only could build steam engines from paper, it also included a large test facility where the locomotives could be run under power while held stationary and tested for horsepower and performance - one of the worlds largest "dynometer test facilites" that did not require locomotive testing under operation on the mainline.
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Another often overlooked point was that these "backshops" were located across America in many small industrial towns. They did everything from design to foundry to machining of parts to assembly of engines to testing of engines. These skills fed into local populations and provided a huge skill set to rural areas that were cut off from heavy manufacturing. Many famous business people and engineers came out of this railroad technology culture - such as Walter P Chrysler who began an automotive company - he grew up in Kansas in this railroad culture which enabled him to become a consumate corporate head. Also the Johnson Brothers who built the first fixed wing monoplane in America in South Bend, Indiana and who later started Johnson Outboard Motor Company in Waukeegan, ILL.
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America today lacks this industrial skill set and most American highschools do not even teach "shop" classes. No drafting, no machine shop, no woodshop - most people today cannot even give the proper names to handtools. Think about that when you get your car serviced.
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Doc
Clifton Fordge VA- Used as a CSX warehouse , Sayre PA- Used by GE railcar as a repair shop
In Cleveland we have the B&O Roundhouse and remaining shop buildings: http://www.midwestrailway.org/b-o-roundhouse.html
I took these photos during an open house a few years back:
There was also the NYC Cleveland Union Terminal roundhouse at Linndale which was located right down the street from my house. Too bad I never got to see that one!
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Yeah , I knew about the ex b&o facility on w third. But great pics.
The NC Transportation Museum Spencer Shops backshop is very active. In a Trains article, this Aug. p.61, they report that they are doing $1.66 million in improvements.
Orbisonia PA, EBT, and it was a gem when I saw it 20 years ago.
Mac
Why has Spencer not been mentioned ?
blue streak 1 Why has Spencer not been mentioned ?
Look 2 posts previous to yours.
Are we also forgetting one more Strasburg Railroad out in PA. Sorry my husband has been putting together a Steam trip bucket list he wants to do. They came up on it.
The backshop in Waycross was ACL--SAL did not serve Waycross. Conting the ABC, the ACL had six lines converging here.
Johnny
Great shots Becky! They kind of give that old roundhouse the same quiet dignity the Collosseum in Rome has, or old Roman or Greek amphitheaters.
Well they hope to do a full restoration, including replacing the missing stalls. At the time I was there, the city wouldn't allow them to let anyone get closer than 6 feet to the roundhouse doors because of the recent collapse of the roof. Which was a pity because behind those doors is our local 2-8-2, ex-GTW mikado 4070.
Becky, didn't GTW 4070 used to run on the Cuyahoga Valley Line? Seem to remember reading about that somewhere.
Yep. I rode behind it in 1976 from Brookside Park (which is near the Cleveland Zoo so people used to call it the "zoo train") to Hale Farm and Village and back. I was 6 so I hardly remember anything other than "Big", "Black" and "Loud". They (MRHS at that time) had also painted up a baggage car with a beautiful Spirit of 76 paint sheme. Mom's a lousy photographer so only blurry pics from that trip exist. But there are a few that show most of the baggage car semi-clear.
I have tickets for a 3 hour excursion on Sept. 17th on the CVL but they'll be using the 765 as motive power not our local Mike.
Riding behind 765? Lucky you! I wish some big steam would come to the Richmond VA area, there's been nothing here since the glory days of the NS steam program.
I did see Mighty 611 when it came to Petersburg back in May, but they weren't picking up any riders. Great sight to see anyway, after that 20+ year absense.
http://cvsr.com/steam-in-the-valley
Inexpensive too!
I followed the link and checked the ticket prices, and WOW, are they reasonable!
Everybody in Ohio's crazy if they don't take a ride on that train!
Fire lock come to Cleveland when the 765 is here on the cvl line. Was on her last time. The tickets are reasonably priced, run bysand easy to chase.
The cvl is a great group. Great scenery to boot.
West Jacksonville was a major SAL shop - while CSX still occupys the property, most all evidence of the shop facilities has been demolished. The 'roundhouse' that exists today was the site of the CSX's Centrailized Dispatching facility and never saw the footprint of a locomotive as it was constructed in the late 1980's.
Google Earth 30°19'40.10" N 81°42'21.27" W
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
ROBERT WILLISON Fire lock come to Cleveland when the 765 is here on the cvl line. Was on her last time. The tickets are reasonably priced, run bysand easy to chase. The cvl is a great group. Great scenery to boot.
One day brother, maybe one day. As the saying goes, "Had we world enough and time..."
I'll tell you it'd be a gas to fill up a car with "Trains," "Classic Trains," and "Classic Toy Trains" Forumites! It'd be the "meet and greet" of all time!
It would be an interesting group to get on one train.
I can think of a title or two for that excursion...
Doesn't SteamTown in Scranton PA have a shop? I've seen restoration work going on there.
The Nevada Northern Railway (in Ely, Nevada) has a working backshop.
Paul Chi Doesn't SteamTown in Scranton PA have a shop? I've seen restoration work going on there. I was thinking about that but I wasn't sure how much of the site is "real".
Nevada Northern is the most complete infrastructure for a steam railroad in existance. They have all the machinery and buildings to not only maintain but build locomotives. I toured the facility again this year and discovered they could roll their own boiler shells back in the day and the machines are still there along with the foundry AND many wooden forms for building molds. A must visit for any steam fan.
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Penny Trains Paul Chi Doesn't SteamTown in Scranton PA have a shop? I've seen restoration work going on there. I was thinking about that but I wasn't sure how much of the site is "real".
Their shops are real. Now if they could only get decent funding.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
The Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio. It is brand-new, but there is no better-equipped, more complete roundhouse and backshop in the country. It was built just like the originals, looks just like the originals, and functions just like the originals.
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