Roundhouse - Official Work Thread

[Ted Miles]

Perhaps people can share their thoughts about the roundhouse that goes with the turntable;

now that it is happily turning around. If I missed one please say where it is.

Will the structure be built to plans or just to historic photographs?

Ted Miles, WW&F Member

[Robert Hale]

So will the new "show" be called "As the roundhouse turns?" 

[Dwight Winkley]

Hi Ted. Am not sure if we have the original plans, someone else can answer that question. We do have photographs.

I do know original Wiscasset  roundhouse had three tracks. When you stand on the turntable and look at the roundhouse the original roundhouse had the run thou track on the left hand track. The museum will build the new roundhouse with the run thou track on the right hand track. This track is in service at the present time, it runs from the turntable to the North Yard.

[Mike Fox]

The new roundhouse will essentially be a mirror image of the Wiscasset Roundhouse. At least externally.

[William Simonton]

A couple of notes on roundhouse construction.

1)  Typically the center of the rear wall panels were designed to "Knock Out"  in sufficient width so that only a hole the width of a locomotive was opened and the whole rear wall of that bay was not required to be rebuilt.  The walls were permanent but allowance was made for Murphy's Law.

2.  Once the railroads began replacing cinder/stone floors with concrete, an "over run pit" was added just at the end of track to drop the front truck/axle.  The pit was covered with wood flooring so that was not open but the weight of the locomotive front truck/axle would break the flooring and drop the front truck in an over run situation.

Just a couple of design notes which although construction is not imminent and not Maine 2' gauge prototype, might want to be considered when the time comes.

[Mike Fox]

Interesting observations. I get a chuckle out of thinking about a breakaway type wall. I wonder how many incidents happened before someone changed the design enough..

[Ted Miles]

Folks,
         This back wall business is still happening; the Colorado Railroad Museum built a brick six-stall Restoration Roundhouse in 2000. Just a few years ago, the Colorado  Historical Society donated the D&RGW #491, one of the largest class of narrow gauge locomotives that ever ran on the D&RGW. They had to re-build the back wall of one stall for her to fit inside the building!

I hope the new WW&F #11 will fit in the building when she is ready to go inside.

Ted Miles, WW&F and CRRM Member 

[John Kokas]

Ted,

I think that part is covered by our Engineering Department.  That's not to say that some re-engineering would be required if somehow a South African Garrett would show up on the property.   

[William Simonton]

I forgot one thing which might also be useful.  The Pulley Block.  See the attached drawing details from a standard gauge roundhouse.

[Roger Cole]

Ted,

I think that part is covered by our Engineering Department.  That's not to say that some re-engineering would be required if somehow a South African Garrett would show up on the property.   

A Garratt would need some major re-engineering on the turntable as well.

[Paul Uhland]

Pardon my ignorance...what is this pulley block, what's it for?

[William Simonton]

It is used a pulley system to move a dead engine without resorting to using another engine as the power source especially when repositioning the engine during maintenance.

Why in this case it it positioned off center I do not know.

[John Kokas]

Or completely replace all the axle, truck, and drive-rod bearing to roller bearings and re-balance the drivers, then a couple of guys would be able to just push the engine around.   

To all non-believers, there is film on youtube showing a NYC 4-8-4- Niagara with all roller bearings and rod bearings being pushed by 4 guys.

[Wayne Laepple]

I have helped push No. 9 and No. 10 in and out of the shop on several occasions. Not that hard.

[Bill Piche]

I have helped push No. 9 and No. 10 in and out of the shop on several occasions. Not that hard.

Depends on which track and how many people you have. Gordon and I had a hell of a time getting 9 out the door in bay 3 by ourselves last spring. The unseasonable humidity didn't help much, nor did that 9 doesn't like to be pushed on flat ground. Once we got her over the tipping point at the door to bay 3 she rolled fine, but those first 25 feet were killer.