Western Railroad Discussion >

Today as I was chasing trains around Imperial Valley in CA, I drove by the Calipatria State Prison. This got me to thinking if there were ever any railroads that serviced or delivered to Prisons? Curious to know if there were ever any prisons with spurs off the main line or something like that.

Thanks

Tony

Alcataz had prisoners delivered in special prison cars via rail barge.

There used to be a Prision back in Virginia, I think it was a Federal Prision that used GE Centercab, it was called " The Lorton & Occoquan RR

St Elizabeth's in Washington DC, while not exactly a prison, did house folks committed either for their own safety or because they were judged to be insane by a court. The guy who shot Reagan is still there. They had a steamer to move coal around. Last locomotive built by Porter.

http://www.borail.org/St-Elizabeth-No4.aspx

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

Holmesburg Prison located on the NEC in northeast Philly had a siding going into the prison complete with guarded double swing doors on the south side of the prison ... the siding connected to the NEC main north of the prison off of #4 track at Ashburner St bridge utilizing a timetable westward geographically southward trailing point electric lock crossover with the siding extending south of the prison with a switch heading north into the prison entering in the southeast corner of the prison ... the siding also extended north of the crossover to a cpl of warehouses ... by the time i hired on Amtrak in the mid 70's the track into the prison was gone altho the track still extended to the just outside the prison walls ... the siding track was designated Prison Siding in the timetable

here's where it entered the prison:

http://binged.it/JXsvm6



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/12 00:26 by Out_Of_Service.

The New York Central regularly hauled prisoners from New York City to Sing Sing and to the prison and hospital up at Patterson / Wingdale on the Harlem line. As well as lots of coal. There's a remnant of a good sized yard by the power house. It's visible from the Upper Harlem line trains.

There was an internet site that had some details of the Delaware & Hudson prison trains to Dannemora, the Central's trains, etc.

If you look at any old, established prison, say a "state" prison, it is nearly always situated near the RR. And, Leavenworth, a Federal Prison is another example. I could go on and on. The correlation has always been evident to me, think "Joliet Jake", or San Quentin. "I hear that train a comin', it's rollin round the bend, and I'm stuck in Folsom Prison..." Because in the days these old prisons were built there was no network of highways to transport prisoners.

chico
http://www.heartlandrails.com

Minnesota's Stillwater State Prison had a spur off the CMO's Stillwater Branch that enterred the prison grounds. The Twin City Rapid Transit's Bayport line also had a spur to the same prison. Must have been a busy place to be served by two lines!

Then, overseas, there were the Holocaust trains.

-LD

Folsom Prison had their own railroad at one time.

Graterford State Prison in Grater ford, Montgomery County, Pa. was served by the Reading Railroad off their Perkiomen Banch. all trackage in this area is now gone. The prison is still in use.
Bill H.

Colorado's original state prison in Canon City, had a narrow gauge railroad on the grounds. Delivered just about anything to various places inside the fence and out to the farm they had too. An entire train is still on display outside the fence. The loco is a small foru wheel Plymouth, although they probably had steam at one time.

Rob

SilvertonRR100 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Colorado's original state prison in Canon City,
> had a narrow gauge railroad on the grounds.
> Delivered just about anything to various places
> inside the fence and out to the farm they had too.
> An entire train is still on display outside the
> fence. The loco is a small foru wheel Plymouth,
> although they probably had steam at one time.
>
> Rob


Here is a Photo of the Last train

---

UP's former MoPac line runs right past the (now abandon) prison in Jefferson City. No Spur but a few short sidings immediately north of the prison wall. I never saw delivers to the prison there but there was a HUGE door that could have been used and was used for truck delivery.

Lots of interesting info here all ! Thanks.. Learn something new everyday, that's for sure.

Tony

miralomarail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SilvertonRR100 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Colorado's original state prison in Canon City,
> > had a narrow gauge railroad on the grounds.
> > Delivered just about anything to various places
> > inside the fence and out to the farm they had
> too.
> > An entire train is still on display outside
> the
> > fence. The loco is a small foru wheel
> Plymouth,
> > although they probably had steam at one time.
> >
> > Rob
>
>
> Here is a Photo of the Last train

Thanks for that picture.

The ties (branches?) on which the locomotive rests look like they could have been created in the late 1800s, too.

The former state prison in Santa Fe NM had a rail line going through its front gate inside the unit.

Michigan had a state prison at Ionia that was at the very end of a Pere Marquette/C&O branch from Grand Ledge. The facility received coal deliveries by rail.

The Oregon State Penitentary was right next to the SP Geer branch line (since removed).

The federal prison in Atlanta was served by the Southern. It served both the powerhouse and unfinished good incoming and finished goods outgoing

http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1961/61-3/prison.html

There are a couple of photos there from my web page, including one of the sally port, and showing its location in the second photo (curved structure)

there was also a track mobile used to move cars

Tom Daspit
Morgan Hill, CA
Tom's Trains