Manchester roundhouse - taxpayers watch your wallets!

Leo_Ames wrote:I drove by here after the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen yesterday. Was the water tower that's nearby used for filling steam locomotive tenders with water?

IIRC, yes that water tower was the LV's. Its distance from the roundhouse would indicate water was piped over to a standpipe rather than having the locos take water from it directly.

What water tower? Let's try that. The only tower anywhere near the roundhouse is one put up after 1973 on the south side of the yard, at the end of Lehigh Street, looks to be municipal in use. I say after 1973 because it's not in the June 1973 aerial photo on page 98 of Bednar's Lehigh Valley Railroad Wyoming & Buffalo Division.

A factory was built where the coal tower was, and that's all that was left in that area in 1992-3. A small building is south and east of the roundhouse that has a partial cutout and pad for a round tank of some sort - I can't pick a tall tank out there in the 1973 picture either.

Everything else that looks like a tank is newer and for grain or plastics or maybe even sand for the glass company. And that's with some time spent on Google Maps and Street View looking around.

I'm guessing the water tower in question is the smaller one just to the east of Railroad St., next to the humongous
stacks of old cross-ties. Much smaller than the municipal one to the far left of the photo.

Charlie

Yes Charlie, that's the tower I was talking about. And I'm guessing that was the one Leo Ames was talking about, altho he did not specify, since the municipal water tower is so much more modern in appearance it seems obvious it was not around in steam engine days.

While that tank does appear in the aerial, it's well away from any tracks and even in that shot appears to be on the property of the mobile home and not in the former RR equipment dealer lot. I don't think you can conclusively say who it belonged to without more details, a val map, someone who actually worked there, etc. -

I dont know for sure either, but it seems pretty unlikely it was a water tank owned or used by the LV, for one reason: Its location.

Why would the LV place a water tank *all the way across* the many yard tracks, and the mainline, then have to pipe water underneath all those tracks, digging up and taking tracks out of service in the process of digging an underground water pipe, when they could instead simply place the tank where it was needed? in the vicinity of the roundhouse and engine terminal. Which is of course what all railroads did.

So based on its location, its very unlikely IMO it had anything to do with the railroad..More likey to have been used by whatever was on the south side of the yard..a farm perhaps? was there ever any industry there?

Scot

lvrr325 wrote:While that tank does appear in the aerial, it's well away from any tracks and even in that shot appears to be on the property of the mobile home and not in the former RR equipment dealer lot. I don't think you can conclusively say who it belonged to without more details, a val map, someone who actually worked there, etc. -

BR&P had confirmed that it belongs to LV....

sd80mac wrote: BR&P had confirmed that it belongs to LV....

well, technically he didnt "confirm" it. he said

BR&P wrote: IIRC, yes that water tower was the LV's. Its distance from the roundhouse would indicate water was piped over to a standpipe rather than having the locos take water from it directly.

It could be a LV water tank! we dont know for sure yet..I was just saying that IMO, it seems unlikely, because they wouldnt pipe water underneath all those tracks.

1904 map shows activitiy down there:

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ances ... _84_SE.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The question is, what is that? Is it something operated by the railroad itself? if so, it might have needed its own water supply down there, in which case, it could be a LV water tank, but for water seperate from the engine terminal area.

Or..is it some facility/industry *not* operated by the railroad, but only served by the railroad?
We dont know yet..

Scot

Yes, the steam era water tank is obviously what I was referring to. Not the modern municipal water tower.

What would "water" indicate on a topographical map? On a 1953 map, that word is next to the water tank and is also marked in another spot just NE of the roundhouse, while not showing up anywhere else such as swampy areas or the river running through the center of the village.

I'm skeptical there's a connection, but if there is, perhaps it means that they had two servicing locations for filling tenders?

scottychaos wrote:1904 map shows activitiy down there:

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ances ... _84_SE.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the map you posted does not have that same water tower in it. We can see circle one (water tower?) right across track from station, but that is north of Gilligan property (current map shows Gilligan Dr (not shown in 1904) and 2 buildings which are possibility the matches to 2 buildings in 1904. Also 3 another circles ones at the roundhouse.

I know that someone here or in FB had posted the pictures of yard. need to look at that pic.

Brunch Friday AM with several LV men. I will confirm details.

Well.....two sources, two answers. One says no, the black water tower was not LV, although the memory is not sharp on the situation. Another source says the tank WAS LV but may not have been for locos - might have been to supply various buildings, shop facilities etc. I'm trying to track down a guy who might settle it, will report back here if I do.

I dug out my copy of Mike Bednar's book (referenced earlier by LVRR325) and looked at the aerial view. It appears there was a rectangular
shaped building between the small metal water tower being discussed and the larger municipal water tower. My memory escapes me as to what
that rectangle shaped building was. Was it possibly used to store livestock at one point? If so, I wonder if the purpose of the water tower was
to keep water for them?

Charlie

Is it possible this old tank is the original municipal water tank?

Edit - The Historic Aerials website shows the tank on the 1953 and after topomaps but not on the 1944 and before maps. Also there is more yard trackage on the south side 1953+.