It is currently Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:13 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:54 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:35 am
Posts: 8139
Location: Wilton, NY
Ran across this nice color photo of a Southern 4-8-2 on the table at Ashville, NC in 1944. Am I correct that part of this roundhouse still exists? Is the table still there?

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?f ... anColl.jpg

Plus this 1966 shot of 4501, with its proper original tender:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?f ... 0-2-66.jpg


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: AshEville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:55 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11473
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
You might have better luck if you spelled Asheville correctly, Bob. As of my last visit down that-a-ways in 1994 (en route to/from the last NS steam trips out of Greenville, SC--see, there's that extra "e" again....), the roundhouse and turntable were still intact, but that was admittedly years ago.......

Ain't gonna complain about a photo of a representative of my favorite class of green-painted 4-8-2's, however........... <:-)


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:42 pm 

Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2004 1:41 pm
Posts: 834
Location: Bowling Green, KY
It is also viewable on google earth. The structures stand but the table is gone. Replaced by several switches to provide access to only several stalls.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:58 am 

Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:21 pm
Posts: 486
Location: Columbus, OH
Bringing up this old topic as this roundhouse appears to be gone now. I found information that this roundhouse was slated for demolition by Norfolk Southern in 2014 and there was some degree of public outcry.

http://www.athousandcountryroads.com/2016/01/old-asheville-railroad-roundhouse-wont-round-much-longer.html
http://psabc.org/2014/10/23/asheville-roundhouse-this-place-matters/
http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2014/10/20/ashevilles-roundhouse-matters-many/17628897/

The latest streetview is 2012 and the roundhouse was still there then, and the last article noted above was from January 2016 and the speak of the roundhouse being not long for the world. It appears in some "current" satellite views but is clearly demolished in others, so clearly NS went ahead with the demolition of the structure.

_________________
Christopher D. Coleman

https://www.oldeastie.com Old Eastie: East Broad Top Homepage
https://www.febt.org Friends of the East Broad Top
https://www.eastbroadtop.com East Broad Top Railroad


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 2:59 pm 

Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:17 am
Posts: 244
Location: New York
A few reasons why roundhouses are difficult to save:

1) Asbestos and lead contamination. No one wants to be on the hook for remediation.

2) Proximity to active railroad property, no good plan for public access and egress, and the railroad doesn't want the liability of visitors.

3) Very large, open spaces that are very expensive to heat and cool, unless rebuilt and converted into smaller units.

-otto-

_________________
----------------------------------------------
—Otto M. Vondrak
President, Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Rochester, N.Y.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 7:10 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:19 am
Posts: 6394
Location: southeastern USA
Otto..... it must first be remediated in order to be demolished.

_________________
“God, the beautiful racket of it all: the sighing and hissing, the rattle and clack of the cars over the rails. These were the sounds that made America the greatest country on earth." Jonathan Evison


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 8:04 pm 

Joined: Sat May 07, 2016 1:12 am
Posts: 140
A hypothetical question here. Why not disassemble the roundhouse and donate/sell it to the Fort Wayne group to use for their new riverfront development? Then they would already have a vintage roundhouse. Seems cheaper then building a new one from scratch, plus it already has historic value. Seems worth checking into at least


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:49 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:21 pm
Posts: 486
Location: Columbus, OH
JayZee wrote:
A hypothetical question here. Why not disassemble the roundhouse and donate/sell it to the Fort Wayne group to use for their new riverfront development? Then they would already have a vintage roundhouse. Seems cheaper then building a new one from scratch, plus it already has historic value. Seems worth checking into at least


This was done with the Lenzen Roundhouse in San Jose, CA in 2000. As far as I am aware 17 years later the parts are still stored on pallets without a site to re-erect them.

It is too late for the Ashville roundhouse, but there are other endangered ones, such as the B&O one in East St Louis, and the Southern one in Birmingham, AL.

_________________
Christopher D. Coleman

https://www.oldeastie.com Old Eastie: East Broad Top Homepage
https://www.febt.org Friends of the East Broad Top
https://www.eastbroadtop.com East Broad Top Railroad


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 6:19 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2004 5:48 pm
Posts: 380
Location: Hickory, NC
The last of the Asheville roundhouse was demolished at the end of last year. The turntable was not in place for the last few decades, at least.

Matt Bumgarner


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:58 am 
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 6:30 pm
Posts: 238
Is the roundhouse at Bellevue, OH still standing?

Thomas Dyrek

_________________
My train of thought derailed.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 10:16 am 

Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:21 pm
Posts: 486
Location: Columbus, OH
Trainkid456 wrote:
Is the roundhouse at Bellevue, OH still standing?

Thomas Dyrek


At last report, the roof has been removed but the walls and roof structure are still standing. Something about the roof needing replaced but NS not wanting to pay for it, but yet not wanting to tear down the building yet.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/47491339@N04/26458126201

_________________
Christopher D. Coleman

https://www.oldeastie.com Old Eastie: East Broad Top Homepage
https://www.febt.org Friends of the East Broad Top
https://www.eastbroadtop.com East Broad Top Railroad


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 3:20 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:29 pm
Posts: 397
For the record: the Asheville round house had been radically modified over the years and has not really looked like a round house in a long time. They used it for storage and I think the turntable has been gone for many years.
Now...the old SR Knoxville roundhouse (at Sevier Yard) is still in existance and still looks like a round house (many stalls removed)...still has a working turntable. But now that the humpyard at Sevier has been shut down no telling how long it might remain. It's pretty deserted out there these days. And it is all concrete so I have no idea how you could "donate" it to somebody.
T7


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:54 pm 

Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:17 am
Posts: 244
Location: New York
Dave wrote:
Otto..... it must first be remediated in order to be demolished.


That's a good point and another reason why so many roundhouses remain standing in derelict condition.

-otto-

_________________
----------------------------------------------
—Otto M. Vondrak
President, Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Rochester, N.Y.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:55 pm 

Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:17 am
Posts: 244
Location: New York
JayZee wrote:
A hypothetical question here. Why not disassemble the roundhouse and donate/sell it to the Fort Wayne group to use for their new riverfront development? Then they would already have a vintage roundhouse. Seems cheaper then building a new one from scratch, plus it already has historic value. Seems worth checking into at least


How would that be any different from ordering a truckload of cinderblocks and bricks?

-otto-

_________________
----------------------------------------------
—Otto M. Vondrak
President, Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Rochester, N.Y.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ashville roundhouse question
PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 7:32 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:50 pm
Posts: 2815
Location: Northern Illinois
Otto Vondrak wrote:
JayZee wrote:
A hypothetical question here. Why not disassemble the roundhouse and donate/sell it to the Fort Wayne group to use for their new riverfront development? Then they would already have a vintage roundhouse. Seems cheaper then building a new one from scratch, plus it already has historic value. Seems worth checking into at least


How would that be any different from ordering a truckload of cinderblocks and bricks?

-otto-


Well, it worked for The Henry Ford, taking the 1890's DT&M? roundhouse from Marshal MI for Greenfield Village. But a later building, I think I agree with you.

_________________
Dennis Storzek


Offline
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


 Who is online

Users browsing this forum: bigjim4life, Google [Bot], jrevans and 42 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: