Roundhouse
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2008-07-14T05:36:10Z
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:''This article is about a railroad shop structure called a roundhouse. For other meanings, see [[Roundhouse (disambiguation)]].''
[[Image:Train roundhose 1909.jpg|thumb|300px|Roundhouse in 1909, [[turntable (railroad)|turntable]] in the front]]
[[Image:Uster roundhouse.jpg|thumb|300px|Roundhouse in [[Uster]], Switzerland]]
[[Image:Locomotives-Roundhouse2.jpg|thumb|300px|Steam locomotives sit in the [[Chicago and North Western Railway]] roundhouse at the [[Chicago, Illinois]] freight yards, December 1942]]
[[Image:Derby roundhouse.jpg|thumb|300px|[[North Midland Railway]] roundhouse at [[Derby Works|Derby]], [[England]], built in 1839, as it was in 2006]]
[[Image:Pankow_Lokschuppen.jpg|thumb|Roundhouse in [[Berlin]]-[[Pankow]]]]
A '''roundhouse''' is a building used by [[rail transport|railroad]]s for servicing [[locomotive]]s. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to [[turntable (rail)|turntables]]. The defining feature of the traditional roundhouse was the turntable, which facilitates access when the building is used for repair facilities or for storage of [[steam locomotive]]s.
Early steam locomotives normally travelled forwards only; although reverse operations capabilities were soon built into locomotive mechanisms, the controls were normally optimized for forward travel, and the locomotives often could not operate as well in reverse. Some [[Passenger car (rail)|passenger car]]s, such as [[observation car]]s, were also designed as late as the 1960s for operations in a particular direction. A turntable allowed a locomotive or other [[rolling stock]] to be turned around for the return journey.
Most modern [[diesel locomotive|diesel]] and [[electric locomotive]]s can run equally well in either direction, and many have control cabs at each end. In addition, railroads often use multiple locomotives to pull trains, and even with locomotives that have distinct front and rear ends, the engines at opposing ends of a locomotive "consist" (a group of locomotives [[coupling (railway)|coupled]] together and controlled as a single unit) can be aligned so they face opposite directions. With such a setup, trains needing to reverse direction can use a technique known as a "run around," in which the engines are uncoupled from the train, pull around it on an adjacent track or siding, and reattach at the other end. The engineer changes operating ends from the original locomotive to the one on the opposite end of the locomotive consist.
Railroad terminals also use features such as [[balloon loop]]s and [[wye (railroad)|wye]]s (Commonwealth: triangle) to reverse the orientation of railroad equipment. Because of the advent of these practices, modern roundhouses are frequently not round and are simply large buildings used for servicing locomotives. Like much other railroad terminology, however, the structure has retained its traditional name. The alternative term ''engine-house'' encompasses both semi-circular and rectangular structures and broadly describes all buildings intended for storage and servicing of locomotives.<ref>The Elements of Railroad Engineering, 5th Edition, 1937, William G. Raymond. Published by John Wiley and Sons, New York</ref> ''Shops'' or ''workshops'' are buildings containing hoists and heavy machinery capable of major repairs beyond routine servicing.<ref>Steam Works, 1994, Derek Huntriss. Published by Ian Allen ISBN 0-7110-2269-0</ref> Some roundhouses include shop facilities internally or in adjoining buildings.
==History==
Probably the first railway roundhouse was built in 1839 at [[Derby]], [[England]] by the [[North Midland Railway]]. Some private workshops, such as that of [[Fenton, Murray and Jackson]] in [[Leeds]] (1831–1843), may previously have been laid out in a radial pattern. In a guidebook of the time we are told ''"The engine-house is a polygon of sixteen sides, and {{convert|190|ft|m}} in diameter, lighted from a dome-shaped roof, of the height of {{convert|50|ft|m}}. It contains 16 lines of rails, radiating from a single turn-table in the centre: the engines, on their arrival, are taken in there, placed upon the turn-table, and wheeled into any stall that may be vacant. Each of the 16 stalls will hold two, or perhaps more, engines."''<ref name="Midland Railway Guide">The North Midland Railway Guide, 1842, Nottingham: R. Allen. Republished (1973) by Turntable Enterprises, Leeds</ref> This roundhouse narrowly escaped demolition when the works closed down; the roundhouse was classified as a [[listed building]]. In 2006 there is a proposal by the [[Derby College]] to refurbish it as one of its sites.
Since the great [[dieselisation]] era of the 1940s and 1950s, many roundhouses have been demolished or put to other uses, but a few still stand and remain in use on the railroads. Early roundhouses were too small for later locomotives: [[Roundhouse (venue)|The Roundhouse]], [[Chalk Farm]], [[London]] was built in 1847, but was too small for its function within 20 years (it is now an arts centre). The unusual shape of the buildings can make them difficult to adapt to new uses, but can also be aesthetically appealing.
The [[B&O Railroad Museum]] in [[Baltimore, Maryland]] is located in the restored roundhouse of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]. It is said to be the world's largest 22-sided building.<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=130073| PRNewswire press release, September 15, 2004.]</ref>
The [[Steam Whistle Brewing]] brewery in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]] is located in the building known as the [[John Street Roundhouse]], a former [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] steam locomotive repair facility.
The Roundhouse located on the [[BNSF Railway|BNSF line]], with the last stop in [[Aurora, Illinois]], was purchased by [[Walter Payton]] and has become Walter Payton's Roundhouse Brewery and Restaurant.
==References==
<references />
==External links==
*[http://bhess.shu.ac.uk/ Barrow Hill, Derbyshire, England: includes a list of other worldwide roundhouses]
[[Category:Rail infrastructure]]
[[Category:Railway roundhouses| ]]
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