In my guestimation, the first roundhouse structure was constructed sometime around 1840 to coincide with an expanding roster of steam locomotives. Some early American roundhouse images depict fully enclosed circular structures much like the existing B&O Railroad Museum building.

This unique railroad structure was utilized as a land saving technique to eliminate the need for numerous switches via a turntable. The use of turntables on horse drawn tramways predate the invention of the steam locomotive. In addition, the roundhouse design, a refinement of the straight enginehouse, enabled the use of nearby windows to provide natural lighting.

An assumption is that locomotive maintenance departments developed their own low-cost solutions. Interestingly, the generic layout of a circular structure off a central focal point, aka a turntable, was commonplace throughout the use of steam locomotives. Ironically in the last days of modern steam, the Norfolk and Western designed run through "service"houses to maximize the utilization of their locomotives. (Is it possible that the beloved roundhouse structure would have been obsoleted anyway with or without the introduction of diesel locomotives?)

As our organization develops a museum centering around the relocated six stall San Jose roundhouse, someone will eventually ask, "where was the first roundhouse?"

Thanks in advance,
Ken Middlebrook
California Trolley and Railroad Corporation



middleboofam@earthlink.net

(Is it
> possible that the beloved roundhouse
> structure would have been obsoleted anyway
> with or without the introduction of diesel
> locomotives?)

I don't think there is any question that that is the case. Steam locomotives traditionally required a complete over pit inspection and labor intensive service which took considerable time and the "dead end" service bay worked well for that. Diesels get simple running service on an assembly line basis between runs and a linear progression makes more sense for them.

Bear in mind that heavy repairs were not done in most roundhouses but in nearby backshop facilities.

The drop table installed in the 1926 addition to the C of G roundhouse was one attempt to make an existing roundhouse more useful and it seemed to help given the backshop is an 1855 machine shop with no overhead cranes.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

The oldest railroad station in the United States at Ellicott City, MD (1830) had a two stall enginehouse and turntable at one end. The turntable has been partially excavated. It isn't round, but it served the same purpose.

kevingillespie@usa.net

> The oldest railroad station in the United
> States at Ellicott City, MD (1830) had a two
> stall enginehouse and turntable at one end.
> The turntable has been partially excavated.
> It isn't round, but it served the same
> purpose.

If it isn't (wasn't) round how did it turn?


Railway Preservation News
hkading@rypn.org

> If it isn't (wasn't) round how did it turn?

Ahh, I beleive Kevin meant to say that the station building with the two-stall enginhouse in the end isn't round. The turntable pit itself was the traditional circular shape.


Wes Barris' Surviving Steam List
eledbetter@mail.rypn.org

> Ahh, I beleive Kevin meant to say that the
> station building with the two-stall
> enginhouse in the end isn't round. The
> turntable pit itself was the traditional
> circular shape.

Though come to think of it, although the enginehouse configuration was original to the Ellicott City station, the turntable wasn't installed until 1863, removing it as a contender for first roundhouse. Prior to that the engines entered the building via conventional switches.


Wes Barris' Surviving Steam List
eledbetter@mail.rypn.org

> Though come to think of it, although the
> enginehouse configuration was original to
> the Ellicott City station, the turntable
> wasn't installed until 1863, removing it as
> a contender for first roundhouse. Prior to
> that the engines entered the building via
> conventional switches.

Thank you Eric for clearing up my rhetorical confusion.


kevingillespie@usa.net

I would think that the use of a turntable, at a minimum, would have been widely accepted to avoid backward operation of early steam locomotives. The evolution of an enginehouse, single or mutiple stalls, off the turntable would have been the next step.

middleboofam@earthlink.net