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Roundhouses and Turntables (and transfer tables)

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Sunday, September 25, 2011 3:34 PM

I was going to respond to each reference you gave, but I probably won't live long enough to do that, so I'll not mention the ones that get added to my list.
 
The "huge list": that will take a while to traverse and checkout... many are just photos of engines and stuff, but have to look at them all to find any good info.
 
Google Earth puts "Harvey, IL" way north of the turntable you have listed.  I have the same site listed as East Hazel Crest.  Help?
 
The newly restored turntable listed as Pitkin, CO is over 6 miles away from Pitkin as the crow flies (and maybe 10 times that by road).  Who restored it... and WHY?
 
Camp DeWoody, AR... Google Earth doesn't like that name!  I finally found the same spot on Google Earth as your link to Flash Earth shows, but who the heck put a turntable out in the middle of nowhere?  There is absolutely no indication anything was ever there except the single track and the state highway.  Where did you find the info that says one was there?
 
McCarthy, AK... wish I could make out WHERE that one is, as it will give me the 1st one in Alaska!
 
Aurora and Hannibal, MO... Nice reference drawings to prove the locations.
 

Your other two posts I'll  get to as I can... THANKS!  (Me and my big mouth, "Anybody know of some others?"  I have no one to blame but me!... Thanks anyway! Wink  )

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Zwingle on Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:51 PM
 Here are some more. Again, my apologies for the duplicates. At one time my list had over 900 in the U.S alone. Sadly, that list was lost, except for the portions I posted today.

 Hyannis,MA - roundhouse turned nightclub
 Jonesboro, AR - warehouse
 Samoa,CA - restored/museum
 Truckee,CA - filled pit and tiny piece of footprint
 Another in Cheyenne, WY - warehouse - turntable gone
  Willimantic,CT - rebuilt roundhouse on old foundation. Original turntable.
 Beardstown,IL - Empty; for sale. Looks like the entire town is muddy from recent flooding.
 Portland,ME - commercial
  Waterville,ME - turntable/roundhouse in use
 
 Kingfield,ME, There's supposedly one-stall of the F&M 2' narrow gauge being used as a garage. Have not been able to pinpoint.
 NorthernMaine Jct., ME - unused - in decay
 Milltown,ME - turntable/roundhouse - both unused
 Searsport,ME - pit and partial foundation
 Bucklin,KS - Rock Island - buried foundation/footprint (easier to see in the winter)
  Hutchinson,KS - footprint
 Phillipsburg,KS - CRI&P - turntable/one remaining stall - both in use by Kyle
 Neodesha,KS - footprint
  Paris,KY - in use
  SantaBarbara, CA - Original roundhouse demolished - this one constructed on same location in tribute.
 
 Jackson,MS - in use
 LittleRock, AR - working
  LittleRock, AR - footprint
 LittleRock, AR - footprint
 Lewistown,MT - footprint/foundation
 Melstone,MT - filled pit/footprint
 Chadron,NE - railroad maufacturer
  Emerson,NE - commercial
 Wymore,NE - footprint/foundation
  Holdrege,NE - commercial
 Bridgeport,NE - CB&Q - grain
 Bartlett,NH - four stall footprint - in images taken several years later the footprint is completely overgrown.
 Keene,NH - mall
  WestLebanon, NH - abandoned
 FortErie, NY - footprint
 OysterBay, NY - preserved turntable - now part of a railroad museum
 
 Plattsburgh, NY - footprint
 Auburn,NY - footprint - However, all eight stalls are still present in this earlier image
 
.
 RousesPoint, NY - unused
 Buffalo,NY - Erie -pit/footprint
  Buffalo,NY
 Buffalo,NY - commercial
 BarrettoCove, NY - foundation/overgrown footprint of 24-stall roundhouse demolished in 1934
 Buffalo,NY - PRR -unused
  Batavia,NY - NYC - storage
 Rochester,NY - B&O - commercial
  RichmondHill, NY (Queens) - LIRR
Jacksonville, FL Roundhouse footprint and (possible) transfer table footprint

  Geneva,NY - commercial
Rhinelander, WI

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Posted by Zwingle on Sunday, September 25, 2011 12:40 PM

Here are more. I know there are duplicates, but I'm afraid if I try to sort through them first I'll never get around to posting them at all. I'll post more later.

Venice, IL

Belleville, IL

East St. Louis, IL - abandoned roundhouse
 
East St. Louis, IL - footprint

Footprint at Roodhouse, IL.

Alton, IL - footprint

Bucklin, KS

Leadville, CO

Brownstown, MI

New Buffalo, MI - Gold's Gym - 4 out of 20 stalls and turntable remains.
Niles, MI - commercial plumbing supply
Battle Creek, MI - 45-stall footprint
Calumet, MI - Calumet & Hecla Railroad - commercial - preserved as a landmark
Jackson, MI - MC -footprint
Jackson, MI - GTW - footprint
Plymouth, MI - filled pit - some remaining track - last two stalls recently torn down.
Adrian, MI - commercial
Manistee, MI - commercial
 
 Marquette, MI - foundation
 
 Ludington, MI - footprint - Roundhouse and track still exists in this older image
 
 
 Saginaw, MI - leased to a historical society
  Austin, MN - Milwaukee footprint almost vanished.  The filled pit is easier to discern.
  Two Harbors, MN - empty
 Proctor, MN - in use
 Breckenridge, MN - commercial
 Scott City, MO - filled turntable pit with turntable still in place
 New Franklin, MO Katy turntable/footprint
 St. Louis, MO - footprint
 St. Louis, MO - pit/footprint
 Kansas City, MO - footprint
Trenton, MO - pit/foundation - what remains of roundhouse in ruins.
 Joplin, MO - commercial storage
Meridian, MS - filled pit/foundation
 Sioux Falls, SD - commercial
 Sioux Falls, SD - commercial
Deadwood, SD - Ancient enginehouse; filled pit - turntable purchased in 1950 by Boeing.
  Mobridge, SD - footprint
 Mystic, SD - CB&Q - filled pit/turntable beside the Mickelson Trail - abandoned 1983
 Pollock, SD - filled pit/one stall footprint remaining
 Linton, ND - Milwaukee
 Ludlow, KY - commercial
 Niagara Falls, Canada - Filled pit and partial foundation - Built 1857; razed1971. 
 Brooklyn, OR - Storage for historic locomotives
Bartlett, NH - abandoned roundhouse w/preservation club
 Columbia, SC - Roundhouse now used by SCU athletic dept.
 Louisville, KY - partial footprint/stone foundation
 Louisville, KY - footprint
 Minden, LA - filled pit and partial footprint
Flemington, NJ - Turntable Jct. - Now a park w/filled/bricked turntable pit.
Glen Rock, NJ - Turntable ruins hidden in the trees
Port Morris, NJ

Hammonton, NJ - operating Armstrong turntable for Haluasa Shoreline RR (tourist.)
Hawthorne, NJ - NYS&W commercial

New Egypt, NJ - abandoned one-stall recently razed. Slab remains. Turntable now resides uninstalled on a tender at the Pine Creek Railroad (tourist) at Allaire, NJ.

 Cranford,NJ - public works
 Chama,NM - tourist - Cumbres & Toltec - working
 LasVegas, NM - county/municipal storage
Imlay, NV footprint 

Colusa, CA foundation for recently razed 4-stall narrow gauge roundhouse abandoned in 1915 (still standing in Street View.)

Moberly, MO - footprint

Brookfield, MO - CB&Q footprint


 
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Posted by Zwingle on Sunday, September 25, 2011 11:44 AM

The roundhouse in Iowa City was built by the BCR&N. The line went to Elmira, and then on to Clinton. I think by the time the RI had taken over in 1902, the roundhouse was already down to two stalls. Today it's slightly less than two stalls remaining.

Sault Ste. Marie, MI - footprint by international bridge

I have a huge list here, but sorting through them to eliminate duplicates is going to take a long time. I might just post them anyway to be safe. There are also many more here. Undoubtedly with duplicates as well.

Footprint at Joliet, IL. (South of the one from the list)

Abandoned turntable with footprint at Joliet, IL.

CRI&P Roundhouse at Moline, IL.

CB&Q footprint at Rock Island, IL. (very near the CRI&P footprint)

Turntable at East Peoria, IL.

Piece of footprint at Galesburg, IL.

IC Footprint at Clinton, IL.

Turntable at Harvey, IL. (I like this shot.)

Alpine turntable, from a line abandoned in 1910, east of Pitkin, CO. This turntable has recently been restored.

Camp DeWoody, AR - abandoned turntable

McCarthy, AK - abandoned turntable (at one time I had it pinpointed. There's a YouTube video of people turning it.)

Aurora, MO - Filled SL&SF turntable pit.

Hannibal, MO - foundation remnants (this is not the same Hannibal from the list.)

Rocklin, CA - Outer wall and overgrown footprint.  This one is in the planning for a restoration

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Sunday, September 25, 2011 11:42 AM

Here are the questions about page 5 (and the last one on page 4) of the Trains list of existing roundhouses:

 


I have 2 listed for Sioux Falls, SD, but the one at:  43°33'20.90"N,  96°43'32.51"W was torn down prior to 2003.  Is there another?

 

The one I have for Superior, WI was torn down prior to 1998.  Is there some other that still exists?


I updated my 2 entries for Fond du Lac to be "N. Fond du Lac", but kept the trailing "c" which belongs there.

 


I have 2 entries for Cheyenne, WY, one with a turntable and one without.  I don't know which one is the one in the Trains list.

 

I finally found the remains of a roundhouse in Lusk, WY and will add it to the list.

 

I can find no evidence of a roundhouse in Woodstock, VT.  I can't even find evidence of a railroad ROW.  The colors of the terrain are such that seeing the black lines that Google Earth puts in for RRs is difficult to see, but I don't see any.  And I don't even see the typical indicators of a ROW anywhere in the area, not even paralleling the river in the area.  The closest rail line I can find is about 8 miles (as the crow flys) to the east in Hartford.  Can anyone shed any light on where a roundhouse would be in Woodstock, VT?

 


Well, that takes care of the last page of the Trains pdf file. 

The list did add several to my list and caused some corrections to be made, but it seems to have several errors of its own.  Maybe someone at Kalmbach can take my comments and do some research to correct those things and improve the list for 2011 and on.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 11:22 PM

Paul_D_North_Jr

Troy, NY:  Possibly ex-D&H, vicinity of the Colonie Shops ? 

 

Lansford, PA:  Let me research that one a bit - likely ex-Lehigh & New England RR, but perhaps ex-Greenwood Colliery and/ or Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. private facilities. 

Port Clinton, PA:  That's the 'recently' constructed/ installed Reading & Northern's shop.   

Bethlehem, PA: Ex-Central RR of New Jersey - Not sure about the year it was razed - perhaps earlier - but 1999 is not far off. 

Here are several more in eastern Pennsylvania which I didn't see listed (though I might have missed them - if so, I apologize) - coords. are per ACME Mapper 2.0:

Hellertown/ Bethlehem, PA - ex-Reading RR: N 40.59836 W 75.34240

(South) Easton, PA - ex-Lehigh Valley RR, removed sometime in the last 10 - 15 years:  N 40.68173 W 75.22351 

Jim Thorpe, PA - ex-CNJ: N 40.87076 W 75.74075

Coalport/ East Jim Thorpe, PA - former CNJ or Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co.: N 40.87573 W 75.75660

Strasburg, PA - RR Museum of Pennsylvania:  N 39.98201 W 76.16230

- Paul North. 

If I had any idea where "Colonie Shops" were, I'd check it out.  A search using Google Earth provides a bunch of commercial stores in Albany, NY. which are not near enough to Troy for my understanding.

I can believe that Lansford has some coal mines in the area and maybe there was a roundhouse for a mining train operation, but I can't see anything on Google Earth.

I listed the Port Clinton turntable; but that ain't no ROUNDhouse!  Okay okay, I know many places refer to an "engine house" as the "roundhouse", but, oh please,... Oh well.

I added the Hellertown/Bethelehem PA roundhouse.

Easton, PA, at the coords you gave, I see nothing on Google Earth... Parking lot today and scrub field as far back as 1992.

I see a turntable at Jim Thorpe, PA, but no building of any sort as far back as 1992.  I added the turntable to my list.

Coalport/ East Jim Thorpe, PA..... the coords you gave takes me to a forest clearing North and WEST of Jim Thorpe, PA.  No evidence of a roundhouse at all and only the kind-of-round bare spot as evidence of a turntable.  Using Google Earth to search for Coalport reveals a small town half the state's width to the west of Jim Thorpe with no RR in the area.  I'm confused.

I added the turntable at Strasburg to my list.

Thanks for the additions.  If you have the time and inclination, see if you can verify the coords you gave (typo maybe?) or otherwise releive my confusions Dunce.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Saturday, September 24, 2011 9:50 PM

Semper Vaporo
  [snipped]  I cannot find a roundhouse in Troy, New York.  Help needed. . . .

I cannot find a roundhouse in Lansford, PA.  Help?

Not sure what I have found in Port Clinton, PA is a roundhouse... I see a rectangular building with a turntable in front of it.  40°34'53.72"N,  76° 1'36.74"W

The one I found in Bethlehem, PA does not have a building, just a footprint of a roundhouse. it appears it was torn down in 1999. . . .

  Troy, NY:  Possibly ex-D&H, vicinity of the Colonie Shops ? 

Lansford, PA:  Let me research that one a bit - likely ex-Lehigh & New England RR, but perhaps ex-Greenwood Colliery and/ or Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. private facilities. 

Port Clinton, PA:  That's the 'recently' constructed/ installed Reading & Northern's shop.   

Bethlehem, PA: Ex-Central RR of New Jersey - Not sure about the year it was razed - perhaps earlier - but 1999 is not far off. 

Here are several more in eastern Pennsylvania which I didn't see listed (though I might have missed them - if so, I apologize) - coords. are per ACME Mapper 2.0:

Hellertown/ Bethlehem, PA - ex-Reading RR: N 40.59836 W 75.34240

(South) Easton, PA - ex-Lehigh Valley RR, removed sometime in the last 10 - 15 years:  N 40.68173 W 75.22351 

Jim Thorpe, PA - ex-CNJ: N 40.87076 W 75.74075

Coalport/ East Jim Thorpe, PA - former CNJ or Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co.: N 40.87573 W 75.75660

Strasburg, PA - RR Museum of Pennsylvania:  N 39.98201 W 76.16230

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by MidlandMike on Saturday, September 24, 2011 9:31 PM

I was to Port Clinton, PA  last year as it was the destination of a steam excursion during the NRHS Scranton Convention.  I remember seeing stored equipment, including at least one large steam engine in the area of your geo-reference.  However, our actual destination was Reading & Northern's modern engine shop about a half mile south of the above location.  My guess is that Trains' list is refering to the building next to the turntable you cited.

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Saturday, September 24, 2011 9:30 PM

Semper Vaporo
   [snipped] The roundhouse at Marquette, MI seems to have been demolished sometime before 1998, assumming the one I have found is the one the Trains list is referring to. . . .

  If it was the one at about these coords. (per ACME Mapper 2.0) - N 46.54510 W 87.41636 - I can verify that several stalls were still there in August 1994.  I believe my photos of an excursion train and locos from then showed them in the background. 

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 9:11 PM

CShaveRR

You wrote,

The roundhouse at Holland MI is now gone.  It was there last year, but it seems another one has bit the dust.


I have wandered all over Waverly, MI but cannot find a roundhouse.  Help, please.  (BTW: Lansing MI is just to the east of Waverly and it has a nice coal tower still standing over a mainline southeast of town.  See:  42°43'9.24"N,  84°31'13.78")

The yard at Holland is known as Waverly Yard, and has been forever; I'm pretty sure that your late roundhouse in Holland is also the one in Waverly.

 

Thanks, I'll handle that one like I did Proviso;  I labeled it Holland (Waverly), MI

Oh, and I missed a "W" in that lat/lon of the coaling tower; it should be:

 42°43'9.24"N, 84°31'13.78"W

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by CShaveRR on Saturday, September 24, 2011 8:07 PM

You wrote,

The roundhouse at Holland MI is now gone.  It was there last year, but it seems another one has bit the dust.


I have wandered all over Waverly, MI but cannot find a roundhouse.  Help, please.  (BTW: Lansing MI is just to the east of Waverly and it has a nice coal tower still standing over a mainline southeast of town.  See:  42°43'9.24"N,  84°31'13.78")

The yard at Holland is known as Waverly Yard, and has been forever; I'm pretty sure that your late roundhouse in Holland is also the one in Waverly.

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 7:40 PM

Here are the questions about page 4 of the Trains list of existing roundhouses:


I suspect that this is the roundhouse refered to in Chama, New Mexico but I need confirmation:   36°54'10.71"N, 106°34'40.83"W

 

I cannot find a roundhouse in Troy, New York.  Help needed.


I do not find a city by the specific name of E. Binghamton, but I do see a roundhouse remnant to the east of Binghamton, NY.  Is that the one?

 

I see no evidence of there ever being a roundhouse in Linton, ND.  Help?

 

Finally found an existing roundhouse structure in Ashtabula, OH.  I have already published the location in the last update here.


I show two roundhouses in Cleveland, OH.  Wonder which one the Trains list is for.


I show one roundhouse in Columbus, OH, and the history that magically appeared when I found it says it was built in 1920 for the Hocking Valley and then went to the C&O.  The Trains list has two, one for the C&O and the other for the Hocking Valley with dates of 1917, 1930.  Is there just one or are there two?  If there are two, which one is the one I have listed and where is the other one?


Finally found an existing roundhouse structure in Jackson, OH.  Already published in the last update here.


I have two roundhouse locations for Toledo, OH, but neither one was in existance after 2000, so I probably don't have the same ones.  Need help here, too.

 


I have one roundhouse location for Portland, OR but it was torn down prior to 1970.  Need help for this one, too.

 

I cannot find a roundhouse in Lansford, PA.  Help?


Not sure what I have found in Port Clinton, PA is a roundhouse... I see a rectangular building with a turntable in front of it.  40°34'53.72"N,  76° 1'36.74"W


The one I found in Bethlehem, PA does not have a building, just a footprint of a roundhouse. it appears it was torn down in 1999.

 

 

Well, that takes care of most of the  4th page of the Trains pdf file.  Page 5 is about done.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 7:35 PM

Here are the questions about page 3 of the Trains list of existing roundhouses, starting with the remaining Michigan items:

 

The roundhouse at Marquette, MI seems to have been demolished sometime before 1998, assumming the one I have found is the one the Trains list is referring to.


The roundhouse at Holland MI is now gone.  It was there last year, but it seems another one has bit the dust.


I have wanderd all over Waverly, MI but cannot find a roundhouse.  Help, please.  (BTW: Lansing MI is just to the east of Waverly and it has a nice coal tower still standing over a mainline southeast of town.  See:  42°43'9.24"N,  84°31'13.78"  )


The only place my practiced eye (and wishful thinking) can find in Plymouth, MI is at  42°22'54.41"N,  83°27'55.76"W in 2002 and it is just a vague outline of a turntable pit and somewhat of a footprint of some arcs on the ground.  The building in the area was obviously not part of a roundhouse.  Anyone know if this is the site the Trains list is referring to?

 

I cannot find a roundhouse in Nevada, MO.  Need help with locating it.

 

I cannot find a roundhouse in Emerson, NE.  There might have been a RR that skirted the south edge of town at one time, but all evidence is gone except some curved streets that may have been beside a RR track (and the Ironhorse Bar and Casino, which may or may not be named for some RR theme).  Help needed here too.


I find a Falls City NE, but not a Fall City.  There are some remnants of a footprint of a roundhouse there, but the buildings are questionable as to whether they were part of the roundhouse or of later construction.


I see only a footprint evidence of a roundhouse in Wymore, NE in the oldest of the historical imagery in Google Earth.  No buildings that I can see. Help?

 

I see a mistake in my list... I have Portsmouth in Massachusetts.  Subtract one from MA and add it to NH!  My apologies to the people of both Massachusetts and New Hampshire for confusing the two!


I had to use Street View to study the semicircular building in Keene, NH to try to prove to myself that it was at one time a RR building.  If I am wrong, the archetech of the shopping center did a nice job of making it look like one!

 


Well, that takes care of the 3rd page of the Trains pdf file.  Page 4 is in process.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 7:31 PM

Today's updates:

I renamed Hermon to Northern Mainee Jct., (Thank you MidlandMike... And thanks for the URL to the reference tool, I will be looking to it.)

and added the following:

OH Ashtabula  41°52'29.31"N  80°47'53.63"W
OH Jackson  39° 3'29.00"N  82°37'53.14"W

ME Phillips  44°49'41.23"N  70°20'40.81"W

MI Plymouth  42°22'54.41"N  83°27'55.76"W

 

That is 695 in my list now.

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by MidlandMike on Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:50 PM

In Phillips, ME, the recreated roundhouse is located N of town at

Phillips, ME    44°49'41.54"N, 70°20'41.41"W    SR&RL

The original roundhouse was located in town.  A tool I find handy in locating old railroads is at

http://maptech.mytopo.com/onlinemaps/index.cfm

Click on Historical Maps.  It only covers the old topo maps for the northeast US.

Northern Maine Junction seems to be the name usually associated with the roundhouse near Hermon.

 I live in Michigan, and it is safe to assume that N. Buffalo meant New Buffalo.  I am researching some other sites in the state and will follow-up.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 12:01 PM

Some more questions from the Trains magazine list of existing roundhouses in the United States in 2010...

 

The Trains list has a Rock Island roundhouse in Iowa City, IA, listed as a "4 stall business". I have one roundhouse in Iowa City, but I was told it was a Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern RR roundhouse presently used as a bar/tavern, and from Google Earth it appears to be only 2 stalls.  I do not know the linage of either RI or BCR&N, so I don't have a handle on whether the two references are of the same location... there are RR tracks about 3 blocks south of the pie-slice shaped building, but no evidence of there ever being any to its location (all streets, alleys and buildings now).  Does anyone know more info about either of these referenced roundhouses?  Are they one and the same?  Is the one I have listed really a remnant of a roudhouse?


I have a roundhouse listed as in Davenport, IA, but not one in Nahant, the city listed in the Trains list.  I do see a Nahant Marsh Education Center marker near the one I have listed, so maybe that name is more appropriate.  Anybody know?


The Trains list shows a roundhouse existant in Sioux City, IA, but all I can find is a turntable and a vague outline of a roundhouse NorthEast of Sioux City and a turntable and roundhouse in "North Sioux City, but I am thinking the second one I have not named properly because North Sioux City is in a peninsula dangling down from the southeast corner of South Dakata.  So I am tempted to change that name to drop the "North" part... anybody know for sure?


The Trains list has a "Shelby, Kentucky" C&O roundhouse listed.  I cannot find a "Shelby" other than a general area (County?)  There is a Shelbyville, but I see no roundhouses near it.  Again, does anyone know what roundhouse the Trains list is about?


Whoops, a duplicate of the Aurora, IL CB&Q roundhouse interrupts the list.


The Trains list has a Hyannis, Masschusetts roundhouse, but I think the city is usually referred to as Hyannis Port.  I added the roundhouse I found as Hyannis, but I'd like to know if it would be more properly listed as Hyannis Port.


I have a roundhouse listed as being in South Portland, Maine, but the Trains list shows only Portland, ME.  Does anyone know the correct name to apply?  Or is there another roundhouse in the area that I have not found yet?


I cannot find a roundhouse at Phillips, ME per the Trains list.  I can't even find any evidence of RR tracks!  Help?


I finally found a N. Maine Jct, ME, but the "N." means "Northern", not just "North" (Google Earth does not find anything useful using either "N." or "North").  I have a roundhouse near the place that Google Earth finds in conjuction with the name "Northern Maine Jct", but I found it a long time ago and named it Hermon.  Does anyone know the best name to use?


I don't see a roundhouse associated with a turntable in Milinocket, ME.  Is there another that I have missed?


Calais, ME seems to be the name applied to an urban area south, across the river from St. Stephen, ME and I can see the remnants of a ROW along the river, but I see no roundhouse in the area.  Anyone help?


Whoops, 3 more Massachusetts cities to go with the lone one out of order above.

I can find no roundhouse in Revere, MA.  Anybody confirm the one listed in the Trains list? 

There is an East Deerfield shown in Google Earth, but only if you enter a search for it; it is on the south side of a large switch yard with a roundhouse on the north side.  I have the roundhouse listed as Greenfield, a city to the northwest of the yard.  Does anyone know which name is correct.


The Trains list shows "N.Buffalo" but I only find a "New Buffalo" and it does have a roundhouse.  Help needed here too.


I cannot find evidence of a roundhouse in Sault St. Marie, MI.  Anyone know where it might have been?


Well, that takes care of the rest of the 2nd page of the Trains pdf file.  There are some more Michigan to do, but I'll list them in my next missive about page 3.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Saturday, September 24, 2011 11:41 AM

Thank you MidlandMike.  After you pointed the coord's out to me the footprints of the two roundhouses stick out like sore toes in a dark bedroom full of cedar chests!

So here are the latest additions:

CT New Haven  41°19'39.07"N  72°53'33.16"W
CT New Haven  41°19'34.56"N  72°53'29.97"W

NE North Platte  41° 8'37.63"N 100°46'41.12"W

ON, Canada Kenora  49°46'18.02"N  94°27'44.99"W

 

I have been looking for one in North Platte for a long time, but could not see it... now it too sticks out like a sore thumb.  Maybe the images have been updated recently?

 

Yes, the Trains list has the historical aspect to it and that is a good thing.  I too tried to add that to my list and I still have a column on my spreadsheet that can have the RR name and I have a column for comments that has some historical info, (and it would be easy to add more columns for other data) but when I was actively trying to add that info I found it too difficult to get factual data and there was often some argument as to which RR really built the roundhouse or who it belongs to now (which changes too often to really keep up with) so I gave up on that aspect for a while, to just get the geographic locations down.  I can go back and add the historical info at some later time. 

I also have many places in the Google Earth KMZ file that has more info and some of those just magically appeared when I created my reference to it... Some sort of feature in Google Earth does this, but I don't understand it, I just let it happen and may at a later time copy some of that info to the Excel spreadsheet.

I have another post to make with questions about the next page of the Trains list... stay tuned...

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by MidlandMike on Friday, September 23, 2011 1:49 PM

While I agree that alphabetization of the entries in Trains' roundhouse list would have made it easier to work with, I appreciate their effort in creating this valuable reference tool.  Theirs has more historical context, while your list has more of a geographical context.  I am hoping some one combines the two.

Their site in Colorado Springs denoted for Colorado Midland is your site at                                                    38° 50' 25" N,, 104° 51' 36" W,   I know this since I visited there when it was a well known pottery studio.  

Regarding New Haven, there is a picture showing an overview if the Cedar Hill yard on page 51 of the Kalmbach publication "The New Haven Railroad along the Shore Line".  It shows two large roundhouses.  Their former locations are only discernible by ground patterns at

 41°19'39.07"N, 72°53'33.16"W  and  41°19'34.56"N, 72°53'29.97"W

Maybe the "motor" shops are still standing. 

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, September 22, 2011 10:13 PM

That is another delema... Do I name it by the company name for the yard or by the city in which it resides?  The yard name might change if the company changes, but it may not actually reside in just one city (like Provisio Yard).  I think using the city name would make it easier to mentally understand. But even city names can change or bigger cities grow up around an area that was initially built away from the original city.

For now I think I'll do it this way:

IL Melrose Park (Provisio)  41° 53' 55" N  87° 53' 42" W

(Hopefully, the Latitude and Longitude will not change! Geeked )

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, September 22, 2011 8:54 PM

Semper Vaporo

Melrose Park, IL. I have a turntable listed in Stone Park, IL. (just west of Melrose Park) where the remains of a roundhouse were torn down somewhere between 1993 and 1998 (according the the Historical Imagery scenes).  Should mine be named Melrose Park or is there one I have not found.

Call it Proviso!

Melrose Park would be correct, as Stone Park doesn't extend quite that far west (or on that side of Lake Street, for that matter).  However, the roundhouse (and the turntable, which is still used) belongs to Proviso Yard, whose footprint actually covers portions of five or six Chicago suburbs in two counties (and Stone Park isn't one of them!).

(I was a resident of Stone Park for a couple of years before my wife snatched me away from there and married me!)

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, September 22, 2011 4:38 PM

About that Trains magazine list of existing roundhouses in the United States in 2010...

First, I hate to insult anyone, but a publication from a company whose major tool is language and its operation, someone has an abysmal understanding of alphabetizing... Brisbane does not come between Samoa and Sacramento, nor does Hugo come before Durango... and that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Then there are the misspelled names, such as "Atanta", which I have assumed is supposed to be "Atlanta", not that I know for sure there is no location in Georgia of the that name, but I can't find it in Google Earths search function... not that I should complain, as my spelling is also atrocious

There are 182 items in the file.  About half I had already found and from my posting, above you can see I added 34 from the file to my list.

I will assume here that those sites that have the same name in both the Trains list and my list are referring to the same site.  I will list what I find could be the same site, but with different names in the two lists.  If anyone knows which name is correct, I will update my list as necessary. 

I will also list those entries in the Trains list that I cannot find any evidence of a roundhouse in the specified city.

 

Brisbane, CA... This city is south of a roundhouse I found that I associated with the name Bayshore, CA.   37°42'5.15"N, 122°24'23.23"W  Does anyone know which is correct, or is there a different roundhouse in Brisbane that I have not found?

 

I found 2 Roundhouses in Colorado Springs, but the Trains list has only one.  I don't know which one it is referring to (or if there is yet another it refers to)., or if one of mine should be associated with some other place name.

CO Colorado Springs  38° 50' 25" N 104° 51' 36" W
CO Colorado Springs  38° 52' 00" N 104° 49' 54" W

 

I could not find a roundhouse in New Haven, CT.  Nor in the adjacent cities of West Haven, East Haven or North Haven.  Does anyone know what location the Trains list refers to?

 
 
There is a W.Jacksonville, FL. in the Trains list, but Google Earth does not find such a name. I found a footprint (just the concrete floor in a Daisy petal pattern) in Jacksonville, FL. but I question whether it is the site referred to.  The Trains list is supposed to be existing roundhouses in 2010 and Google Earth's Historical Imagery shows just scrub brush and debris back to 1994 (the foot print is clearer in more recent images where the debris has been cleared away).  Is there a location known as West Jacksonville that has a roundhouse I have not been able to find?

 

I have 2 listed as in Cicero, IL, the Trains list has just one.  Maybe one of mine should be associated with a different city.

IL Cicero  41°50'15.61"N  87°45'56.29"W
IL Cicero  41°50'44.66"N  87°44'28.01"W

 

I have a listing for just outside of Joliet, IL. but it is just a turntable and the footprint of a full circle roundhouse now.  The building was removed sometime between: 10/06/2009 and 06/30/2010.

 

Melrose Park, IL. I have a turntable listed in Stone Park, IL. (just west of Melrose Park) where the remains of a roundhouse were torn down somewhere between 1993 and 1998 (according the the Historical Imagery scenes).  Should mine be named Melrose Park or is there one I have not found.

 

The Trains list has a Louisville, IN.  I know of no cities in Indiana named Louisville.  I considered that maybe the list has confused the Indiana cities (New Albany, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville) across the river with the Kentucky city of Louisville (or "lou'vul" if you are from the area!), but I could not find any roundhouse evidence on the Indiana side.  Is it possible that it is referring to the Kentucky and Indiana RR roundhouse in Louisville at:  38°16'7.55"N, 85°48'8.54"W  ?

 

Well, that takes care of the 1st page of the pdf file (plus 2 entries)... I'll question more later!

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, September 22, 2011 1:29 PM

OOOookaaaay... I went through the Trains list mentioned above and added a few new ones, but also generated a lot of questions.

First the new ones that I do not have a problem adding:

AR Jonesboro  35°50'34.77"N  90°42'12.08"W

CA Samoa  40°49'12.79"N 124°10'48.43"W

IL Beardstown  40° 0'46.15"N  90°25'29.71"W
IL Murphysboro  37°46'6.57"N  89°20'33.40"W
IL Rossville  40°21'53.43"N  87°39'1.70"W

MA Cambrige  42°22'32.67"N  71° 4'33.95"W
MA Hyannis  41°39'30.34"N  70°16'43.70"W
MA Portsmouth  43° 4'25.06"N  70°46'10.36"W

ME Calais  45°10'37.91"N  67°17'33.52"W
ME Rumford  44°32'51.68"N  70°32'9.09"W

MI Adrian  41°53'36.80"N  84° 1'27.35"W
MI Bay City  43°38'2.73"N  83°54'56.08"W
MI Holland  42°48'0.46"N  86° 5'17.59"W
MI Marquette  46°32'36.50"N  87°24'25.55"W
MI Niles  41°51'25.20"N  86°13'17.32"W

MN Biwabik  47°31'31.21"N  92°20'17.41"W
MN Proctor  46°44'43.71"N  92°13'34.79"W

MT Anaconda  46° 7'54.60"N 112°57'51.36"W

NE Holdrege  40°25'58.12"N  99°23'27.56"W
NE Wymore  40° 7'14.80"N  96°39'25.19"W

NH Keene  42°55'52.61"N  72°17'4.32"W
NH North Walpole  43° 8'5.68"N  72°26'19.40"W
NH West Lebanon  43°38'41.71"N  72°18'40.02"W

NM Las Vegas  35°35'12.81"N 105°12'57.02"W

NY Retsof  42°50'10.55"N  77°52'53.31"W
NY Rouses Point  44°59'30.41"N  73°22'29.78"W

PA Chambersburg  39°56'30.97"N  77°39'17.46"W
PA Pen Argyl  40°51'32.89"N  75°16'32.21"W

RI Peace Dale  41°26'57.18"N  71°29'51.11"W

SD Lead  44°21'4.51"N 103°46'33.77"W

TX Texarkana  33°24'33.43"N  94° 3'29.42"W

VT Newport  44°55'26.55"N  72°12'12.38"W
VT St. Albans  44°48'52.59"N  73° 5'13.68"W

WI Wisconsin Rapids  44°24'1.67"N  89°48'50.82"W

That brings the total to 667.  Nice to finally have one from Rhode Island; that leaves only Alaska as a state in which I have not found a roundhouse, turntable or transfer table.

I will get to the questions generated by the Trains list in my next postings.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 10:47 PM

Thanks Mike:  here are yours and a few more additions of my own:

FL Jacksonville  30°21'27.95"N  81°42'59.67"W

IL Chicago  41°41'52.46"N  87°34'5.42"W
IL Hillsboro  39° 9'31.35"N  89°28'22.83"W

IN East Chicago   41°39'28.11"N  87°27'14.67"W

ME  Bucksport  44°34'49.02"N  68°48'26.88"W

Mexico Veracruz  19°11'55.19"N  96° 8'53.44"W

MI Alpena  45° 4'47.49"N  83°25'56.17"W

MN Breckenridge  46°15'43.03"N  96°35'29.57"W
MN St. Cloud  45°33'49.58"N  94°10'39.05"W

ND Fordfille  48°12'49.22"N  97°47'17.61"W

That makes 664 in my list.  I will have to check my list (which includes both existing and vague evidence of roundhouses) against the Trains Magazine list.   I wonder how many more that will add?

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by MidlandMike on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 9:29 PM

I noticed a couple of more that I didn't see on the list,

ME    Bucksport    44°34'49.02"N, 68°48'26.88"W    (MEC)    TT

MI    Alpena    45° 4'48.15"N, 83°25'54.59"W    (D&M)    RH

Also, there is a list of Roundhouses on the Trains Magazine site at Railroad Reference>Railroad History>Esisting roundhouses

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Monday, September 12, 2011 9:30 PM

And a few more from France...

France Avignon  43°56'19.74"N   4°49'24.13"E
France Avignon  43°56'21.95"N   4°49'30.16"E
France Brive-la-Gaillarde  45° 8'57.03"N   1°30'1.54"E
France Chalindrey  47°48'7.65"N   5°26'43.84"E
France Dijon  47°17'59.33"N   5° 1'54.48"E
France Hendaye  43°21'22.12"N   1°46'41.09"W
France Miramas  43°34'55.61"N   4°59'42.61"E
France Morcenx  44° 2'9.16"N   0°54'28.87"W

EDIT:  And the added Michigan sites from the post made while I was busy creating this one!

MI Calumet  47°14'27.14"N  88°27'1.29"W
MI Elberta  44°37'39.25"N  86°14'5.80"W
MI Gladstone  45°50'52.30"N  87° 1'50.29"W
MI Hancock  47° 8'1.82"N  88°34'37.19"W

Thanks MidlandMIke..

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by MidlandMike on Monday, September 12, 2011 8:22 PM

Here are 4 more Michigan entries:

Calumet, MI    47°14'27.00"N, 88°27'0.87"W    Calumet & Hecla    RH, repurposed

Elberta, MI    44°37'39.25"N, 86°14'05.80"W    Ann Arbor    TT in buried pit, RH ruin

Gladstone, MI    45°50'52.30"N, 87°01'50.29"W    CN (Soo)    TT & RH

Hancock, MI     47° 8'1.32"N, 88°34'39.08"W    Quincy & Torch Lake    RH ruin

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Monday, September 12, 2011 12:06 PM

Some additions from the last few replies and some time I spent this morning wandering around in southern France (I went looking for the Nuclear Plant where an explosion occurred some time today... never found the nuclear site, but did find 6 Turntables and Roundhouses! Smile  )

Azerbaijan Baki  40°26'10.16"N  49°48'7.22"E

Bangladesh Dhaka  23°44'21.67"N  90°25'38.90"E

Decatur IL  39°50'50.50"N  88°56'26.88"W

France Lunel  43°40'49.58"N   4° 7'49.75"E
France Marseille  43°17'42.47"N   5°24'54.22"E
France Marseille  43°17'46.49"N   5°24'57.45"E
France Marseille  43°18'33.52"N   5°23'39.60"E
France Nimes  43°50'29.79"N   4°22'25.32"E
France Nimes  43°50'33.98"N   4°22'24.05"E

Iran Tehran  35°39'21.37"N  51°24'19.72"E

Kolkata India  22°34'15.63"N  88°22'40.82"E

NY Hornell  42°18'56.89"N  77°39'9.37"W
NY Manchester  42°57'53.59"N  77°14'4.14"W
NY Rochester  43° 9'1.87"N  77°39'11.19"W
NY Rush  43° 0'11.24"N  77°43'14.27"W

Pakistan Taxila  33°44'17.67"N  72°49'0.91"E

Russia Yaroslavl  57°38'0.22"N  39°48'47.08"E

 

Note:  In Google Earth, Lunel and Nimes, France have "Street View" images that take you right up to the turntable and roundhouse... Very unusual to get that close.

 

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by beaulieu on Thursday, September 8, 2011 9:45 PM

In memory of some great hockey players who died when the plane carrying Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Yaroslavl Locomotives, sponsored by RZD Russian State Railways)  to their first game of the season. There is a Roundhouse and Turntable in Yaroslavl, Russia

57° 38' 00.14" N  39° 48' 43.19" E

RIP Pavol Demitra and teammates

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Posted by lenzfamily on Thursday, September 8, 2011 7:29 PM

Semper Vaporo

 

 lenzfamily:

 

Semper

In St Thomas Ontario there is still a transfer table at the Elgin County Railway Museum. It's located in downtown St Thomas at the west end of the former Michigan Central shops just north of Wellington St and west of First Ave. I couldn't see it on Google Earth, however I know it's still there and occasionally in use. The MCRR yard in St Thomas also had a turntable near its east end but I believe this was removed late in the 1960's. Penn Central track layout diagrams and charts of the of the CASO Sub in 1964 IIRC show it.

Charlie

Chilliwack, BC 

 

 

The resolution of the images for St. Thomas are too poor to really make anything as detailed as a transfer table pit, but I would be pretty sure it is on one side of that large building in the middle of that area.

The Street View photos are pretty good and show the entrance to the museum and a 2 and a half story building with the top being what I think is probably an overhead transfer crane running nearly the length (N/S) of the building.  But the building is too far away to make out what is near the ground next to it.

Is the transfer table outside of that building?  If so, which side?

 

SV

You experienced the same as I did with Google.

You are right. The large square building in the middle of the satellite picture is the former MCRR shops. The transfer table is on the left hand or west side of that building. From Google Earth street view, it is as you say. Table is to the left of the large building as you see it in that view, facing it, looking North.

Charlie 

Chilliwack, BC

 

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Posted by firstbelt on Thursday, September 8, 2011 4:41 PM

Hi Semper,

I have a couple additions for New York:

B&O Rochester 43.149812 -77.653629 (West Ave).  Part of building still stands, but appears to have been partly demolished.

I have fond memories of visiting the head mechanic in the 1970s there, listening to him tell of maintaining B&O steam in western PA.  He gave me the run of the place, and I took several photos inside and outside the roundhouse.

The Rochester NRHS Chapter acquired the B&O turntable, moved it to its museum property in Rush, NY, visible along the road at the LA&L (former Erie) crossing:

Turntable Rush 43.003093 -77.720237

LV Manchester 42.965076 -77.232506  Building still stands, turntable pit has been filled in.  Yard was once about the largest freight transfer facility in New York.

Erie Hornell 42.317452 -77.652637  Shops are now Alstom Transport; I can see a turntable in an aerial view in Live.com map.  I wandered around the area in last days of E-L, never realized there was a turntable.

regards,

Bob

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