I have a fascination for studying old photos of railroad scenes, especially if there's something I can use to "validate" a scene that I have modeled on my layout.
However, there are times when I come across something that makes me wonder— how in the blazes did they get away with that!
So, I came across this fantastic view from the Library Of Congress of the Grafton, West Virginia, roundhouse (1977) and was immediately drawn to that pedestrian walkway that passes right over the roof of the roundhouse!
That just fascinates me! A pedestrian walkway that ambles right over the roof of the roundhouse and continues on it's way to the distant highway bridge. (Beech Street)
Here's a view from Google streets taken right where the pickup with the camper top is passing, albiet with a new bridge.
The stairway seems to lead to... not much but chain link fence. The Parkersburg branch right-of-way can be seen along the Tygart river and the blue-roofed buildings in the distance are the recent CSX structures.
Here's a contemporary Google view of the former roundhouse and area:
If you go to street view you can see where the pedestrian walkway came off of W. Main just below the tan-roofed structure and you can just make out the stairway at Beech Street.
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/374409/
In this post card from 1922 tyou can see the walkway and the stairs going up the side of the roundhouse at the far left.
I think it is fascinating to study these photos and come away with plausible ideas for unique scenes on our model layouts... sometimes just barely believeable as in the case of the walkway over the roundhouse.
Thanks, Ed
Ed,
Very interesting find. People forget that the auto was not ubiquitous before WWII. So lots of people walked, biked, or even used a horse to get around.
The RR facilities look as if they are dividing two parts of the town from each other. It probably made sense to the RR's attorneys that providing a means to deconflict trains and pedestrians would cost less in the long run than fighting the inevitable suits over the unfortunate outcomes of such interactions. Plus keeping pedestrians separate also avoided tempting them from picking up company material on their way through the area or otherwise getting in the way of RR business.
The fact that this also avoided hiking down then up again made getting across on the walkway more attractive than the ground-level route was.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Before cars, trespassing on RR property was an even bigger problem than now. I remember an old (c.1946) GN training film showing people getting off work at a plant and streaming through a GN yard to get to their homes. If nothing else, these folks were putting themselves at risk of being hit by moving trains or falling down from stepping on slippery rails (or tripping over debris). Then of course they'd have to sue the railroad for negligence....
I wonder if that walkway was for railroad employees?
SouthPenn I wonder if that walkway was for railroad employees?
I really think it was more for the townsfolk to get from a residential area into the main part of town without having to cross all that yard trackage, as Mike and Stix point out above.
I have a whole stack of correspondence between GE and Nickel Plate Road where GE was asking permission to tunnel under the NKP main, fully at their expense, so employees could get to the only available public transportation and a small parking lot. After months of negotiations and studies the final reply from NKP was, NO.
Thanks for looking,
Ed