NYC Roundhouse at Penn Yan, NY

I just learned today the the NYC maintained a roundhouse at Penn Yan. It was destroyed by fire in 1910 with one fatality -- an employee attempting to move a loco out of the structure. Can anyone provide additional details on the roundhouse such as location and size? Thanks.

Poppyl

No sign of it on the historic USGS maps.

The reference appeared in the local newspaper's "From the Files" section. Given the topography of the area, the only place that I can visualize enough flat ground for something would be up near the old steamboat landing. In those days more of the action was by the lake and later shifted down to Birkett's.

Because the NYC certainly didn't want to back all the way down to Dresden from Penn Yan, I'm thinking that what was being referenced in the article was probably a turntable and maybe a one or two stall shed rather than an actual roundhouse. Maybe in those days anything that stored a locomotive was considered a roundhouse, particularly within the context of newspaper reporting.

In any event, even the existence of a turntable is news to me. Of course, upon further thought its existence in PY makes sense since it was the end of the line.

Poppyl

Supposedly there was a turntable in Penn Yan at N 42.66123 W 77.04654

"....•Cross paved Cherry Street, at 5.5 miles.
•The trail becomes paved.
•Pass under a railroad trestle called “High Bridge.” It was originally built of wood in 1850 and was rebuilt in 1890.
•The large circular hollow just after the trestle was once a turntable for the train." Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96271493@N00/1307230931/

"Penn Yan and New York Railway Company, it eventually became part of the New York Central System. Railway men called it the Corkscrew Railway" because of its countless twists and turns."

CarterB wrote:Supposedly there was a turntable in Penn Yan at N 42.66123 W 77.04654

"....•Cross paved Cherry Street, at 5.5 miles.
•The trail becomes paved.
•Pass under a railroad trestle called “High Bridge.” It was originally built of wood in 1850 and was rebuilt in 1890.
•The large circular hollow just after the trestle was once a turntable for the train." Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96271493@N00/1307230931/

"Penn Yan and New York Railway Company, it eventually became part of the New York Central System. Railway men called it the Corkscrew Railway" because of its countless twists and turns."

Thanks.

I've seen that area before and never thought that it was large enough for a turntable, particularly considering K4Pacific's information that there was a three stall engine shed in the area, too. Next chance that I get, I'll explore the area in more detail.

Poppyl

CarterB wrote:Supposedly there was a turntable in Penn Yan at N 42.66123 W 77.04654

"....•Cross paved Cherry Street, at 5.5 miles.
•The trail becomes paved.
•Pass under a railroad trestle called “High Bridge.” It was originally built of wood in 1850 and was rebuilt in 1890.
•The large circular hollow just after the trestle was once a turntable for the train." Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96271493@N00/1307230931/

"Penn Yan and New York Railway Company, it eventually became part of the New York Central System. Railway men called it the Corkscrew Railway" because of its countless twists and turns."

hmmm..I doubt that is a turntable..plugging those cooridinates into bing maps *does* seem to show some kind of roundish artifact there..
but! its up on the hillside! about half way up the slope between the PRR and the NYC..definately not the home of a turntable!

Scot

Not up the hillside, close to the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail, which was the old ROW.

I haven't been to the location in quite a few years so my memory is a little fuzzy. But is it possible that the table was actually part of the ROW and swung out over the inlet? I'm also not sure that the shed was adjacent to the table as one might suppose.

Poppyl

CarterB wrote:Not up the hillside, close to the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail, which was the old ROW.

oh ok..thats not where those coordinates take you though..
I think whoever made that Flickr album note (I dont think its actually anyone participating in this thread)
gave the coordinates..and there is *something* round-ish visible on the hill..so maybe they just assumed that was an old turntable pit,
but its location says no..it could be anything, foundation of an old storage tank or something..

Scot

if you go to http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/, zoom in on penn yan ny, and click mytopo and center where the railroads intersect, you will see a circle with a line thur it. This is the location of a circular concrete foundation my father [who grew up in Penn Yan prior to WWII] identified as the roundhouse [around 1960]. Mr. C

Dang. I don't remember seeing a circular hollow there, but I was looking instead for the unlikely rumored connection between the two railroads at that location.

Thanks for that topo map. Interestingly enough, there is a discussion on another forum about sidings at the mills located on the outlet. Another topo displayed there did not have the detail on the branch line that this map has. The "new" map may help to answer some of the questions.

Also, am I seeing a wye on this map down in the area of what is now Carey's? If so, no need for a turntable on the branch back in the steam days.

Poppyl

I don't think there's any wye there, but I do see a couple of trailing-points switches.

http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%209/ ... 200763.pdf is a copy of the penn yan democrat from october 21, 1910 with a story on the fire. apparently it was scanned from a binding, cutting off some of the content. lots of good info has been scanned from this source if you can find the right search words.