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  • Roundhouses in New England

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England

Moderators: MEC407, NHN503

 #1598053  by Manalishi
 
Rather than start a new thread, I decided to resurrect this nearly decade-old one on B&M Roundhouses. There were reports that the old B&M roundhouse in Portsmouth NH had been torn down but I'm happy to report that it is still standing although it's in deplorable condition. No roof and half the side walls have collapsed. The turntable pit is filled with junk and brush. The turntable bridge is still there as well but the central tower has fallen over.
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For comparison, here's a shot of the roundhouse in 2006.
Photo courtesy of Scott Currier.
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Last edited by Manalishi on Sat May 21, 2022 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #1598653  by CVRA7
 
Connecticut roundhouses:
Putnam - Massicotte Cir and Buck St. - 3 stall roundhouse with newer building grafted onto the turntable side.
Willimantic - Conn. Eastern RR Museum - full size replica of old NYNH&H 6 stall roundhouse, entrance off of Bridge St.
Danbury - Also a turntable no roundhouse at the Danbury Railway Museum, entrance off of White St..
 #1599504  by CVRA7
 
Add to Connecticut Roundhouses -
Former Norwich & Worcester roundhouse - about 8 stalls - with a covered turntable, along North Main St., Norwich, CT. Building is in decent shape, has a good roof. Apparently a furniture warehouse.
 #1599509  by Cosmo
 
Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a PLUMBING supply company, at least when I visited there some years baqck.
It may have changed since then, it was at least 6 years ago.
Last edited by MEC407 on Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total. Reason: unnecessary quoting
 #1611872  by wilswartzell
 
CVRA7 wrote: Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:56 pm Existing Roundhouses or preserved remnants in Southern New England:
CT
Old Saybrook (foundation, turntable pit)
Putnam (small roundhouse-maybe 4 or so stalls, now part of commercial building)
Willimantic (excellent replica on original foundation, with turntable - Conn. Eastern RR Museum at Columbia Jct.)
(Cedar Hill houses gone - 1 c late 1960s, larger one c. 1980s; also ex-NH house in E Hartford burned down several years ago)
I am glad someone mentioned the one in Old Saybrook that was on the Fenwick Extension as a part of the original Connecticut Valley Railroad. You can visit it today, as it is on the National Register of Historic Places. Before the turntable, it was Fort Saybrook, used to protect colonists from Native American tribes; rebuilt again for the American Revolutionary War (but never used), and rebuilt again for The War of 1812.

There was also a turntable used to turn 4-4-0's somewhere between today's milepost 11 and 12 on the Valley Railroad. It is just south of the Route 82 crossing, in the woods. I believe the only indication left is a small indent in the ground, where the turntable would pivot on, but I can't recall 100%. Someone else from FVRR or a VRR staff member can probably offer more information on it, I don't know if it had a roundhouse or not. Unsure of the exact coordinates, I circled the approximate location on Google Maps for anyone interested:

Image

I believe there was also a turntable & roundhouse in Middletown along the Connecticut Valley Railroad, as indicated here from the CT 1934 Fairchild Aerial Survey Co. collection (via UConn MAGIC database):

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It looks like it was where the current East Berlin Running Track is; today it resembles a small yard used by the Providence & Worcester Railroad to store and shuffle cars.

There was also a turntable (once again, unsure if there was a roundhouse or not) in the small village of Rockville, CT (now Vernon) on the Vernon Rail Trail, which is a part of the Hop River Rail Trail that runs from Manchester to Willimantic. It is a great ~20 mile trail to walk/bike on that I would recommend. The remains are a pit with an informational plaque, parking located at 51 Church St, Vernon, CT.

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 #1612125  by oldlob
 
There are remains of a turntable in the middle of the wye at Lowell Jct in Andover, MA. You can see the curved granite stones for a portion of the pit. The pit is filled in with debris and shrubs.
 #1612156  by chrisf
 
wilswartzell wrote: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:20 amThere was also a turntable (once again, unsure if there was a roundhouse or not) in the small village of Rockville, CT (now Vernon) on the Vernon Rail Trail,
It does not appear there was ever a roundhouse at that location. You can see pics of the water tank and where the turntable would be, at this site: http://www.vernondepot.com/Vernondepotpictures.html
 #1613347  by jbvb
 
The turntable pit of the former Portland & Ogdensburg/Maine Central engine terminal in Conway NH still exists. It's in a forested area north of the State of NH/Conway Scenic materials yard east of the MEC main line and north of Depot Rd. in Conway NH. Masonry walls and the center pier are present.
 #1613511  by arthur d.
 
jbvb wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:26 pm The turntable pit of the former Portland & Ogdensburg/Maine Central engine terminal in Conway NH still exists.
It is also listed (with photo's) in the surviving roundhouses subforum of www.steamlocomotive .com.
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