During my various offsite assignments I spent a period in St. Louis and spent much time driving around down by the river on both sides. On a recent trip, two summers ago, the B&O roundhouse in East St. Louis was still there, but hard to belive it doesn't collapse under it's own weight. The nearby TRRA roundhouse had recently succumbed to an arson's handiwork.

There were at least two turntables still in the ground on the west side (St. Louis proper) when I lived there, last in 1996, but no roundhouses. As far as I know they are all since removed (think the MoT got one of them).

Anyway, during my time in St. Louis I wrote an article for the Age of Steam newsletter Stack Talk, about roundhouses on both sides of the river, with the help of people at MoT. I don't have the article, but it seems like there was some unbelievable number, like maybe 7 on the west side of the river, and at least 11, but as many as 14 on the east side.

Is there any other place in the United States that ever had anywhere near that concentration of roundhouses all within a few miles of each other?

Roundhouse in Crestline Ohio
hkading@rypn.org

The B&O roundhouse is still falling down. The turntable from the TRRA roundhouse was saved and can be seen on the Illinois Transit Assembly website. On the west side there are still three turntables in the ground. Two of these are in regular use but the roundhouses are long gone. The third table is not in use but is not endangered. It has previuosly been offered to the MOT and is publicly owned.

The MOT already has a fairly long modern table from the Frisco shops. In addition they have a short cast iron table. The only table that has been lost in recent years is the table at the UP, former MOP, shops at Ewing Ave.


sflinh@stlmsd.com

MOT has two turntables in storage. One is a modern 100 foot table, and the other is a 60 foot cast iron Sellers example. They aren't going anywhere, and someday we hope to have the funds to make them usable.

Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

> The only table that has been lost in recent
> years is the table at the UP, former MOP, shops > at Ewing Ave.

The entire exMP shop setup there, while not a roundhouse, did include a large shop building with pits, ramps, drop tables, overhead crane, tool rooms, locker rooms, office facilties, storehouse, turntable and sufficient trackage to store several dozen cars and/or locomotives. Much of the track space was indoors. The buildings were 1950's-1960's era steel and concrete construction.

For those who agonize over the loss of the occasional railroad shop facility, it should be noted that this entire complex was offered to a local rail preservation group. They rejected the offer unless the railroad would also agree to make repairs and upgrades on the buildings and grounds, and to pay for the monthly utility bills (gas, water, sewer, electricity, garbage hauling, etc) and to provide property and liabilty insurance.

Thus the buildings and turnable were demolished, and the railroad has never offered that group anything since AFAIK.

> The B&O roundhouse is still falling
> down. The turntable from the TRRA roundhouse
> was saved and can be seen on the Illinois
> Transit Assembly website. On the west side
> there are still three turntables in the
> ground. Two of these are in regular use but
> the roundhouses are long gone. The third
> table is not in use but is not endangered.
> It has previuosly been offered to the MOT
> and is publicly owned.

> The MOT already has a fairly long modern
> table from the Frisco shops. In addition
> they have a short cast iron table. The only
> table that has been lost in recent years is
> the table at the UP, former MOP, shops at
> Ewing Ave.

The turntable at Ewing was right next to an overpass and clearly visible form the road? If that's it I got pictures of it before it was removed.

Is there still a turntable under the freeway at the (former?) Purina grain elevators, across from an old (Wabash) interlocking tower, right next to the Metrolink ROW?


Merci Train
hkading@rypn.org

The table under the freeway near the former Purina elevator is part of the old Wabash terminal and is now owned by MetroLink. It is still in place.

The turntable at the UP shops could be seen from Compton Ave viaduct approximately two blocks west of the table.


sflinh@stlmsd.com

An 80-footer (deck girder style) will eventually be needed at Hugo, Colorado.

ryarger@rypn.org

The one shown on the Illinois Transit Assembly site is 78 feet long. Will it do? It's available.


rdgoldfede@aol.com

From 1989 to 1991 I attended Parks College in Cahokia, Il. adjacent to the UP/SP mainline. I used to make the 2.5 mile drive to Valley Jct. to watch all the action. At that time, Espee still had a turntable in use. The roundhouse was gone but the tracks were still used to park locos. It was easy to see, being just a few feet from a public street. Is that still there?

I also think there was a turntable in the IC/Gateway Western yard. It lead to a small shop building/engine house. Not sure that I remember that right, though.


nitmo@nwlink.com