Steam & Excursion > UP Steam Shops Facility Questions

I had a few questions as I'm trying to make a diorama later this year of the UP steam shops as they are present day:

What does the steam crew use the 7 stall roundhouse for?  Has it changed since the Steve Lee Era?  From my understanding, all the steam locos being worked on are in the car shop to the right of the roundhouse?  Does the roundhouse just store things not worked on?

Thanks!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/20 05:20 by JLW2K.

Yes, the roundhouse 7 stalls are storing the equiptment not being used by the program at this time.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

JLW2K Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had a few questions as I'm trying to make a
> diorama later this year of the UP steam shops as
> they are present day:
>
> What does the steam crew use the 7 stall
> roundhouse for? 

Indoor storage.

Has it changed since the Steve
> Lee Era? 

No.

From my understanding, all the steam
> locos being worked on are in the car shop to the
> right of the roundhouse? 


That is not a "car shop", but the remaining portion of the steam locomotive Back Shop.

Does the roundhouse
> just store things not worked on?

Yes.

> Thanks!

Thanks everyone.  Additionally, what is the large body of water to the southwest of the facilities used for?  

-James

Have the remaining whisker tracks to the roundhouse been reinstalled yet?

The water to the southwest is the drainage pond that serves the entire yard.  As water is collected in the yard it is sent to the pond area where it is filtered and checked for chemicals or bad stuff.  If it passes, it is released into the normal water system.   It is a very complex system...but works very well!

Wasatch-RR-Cont Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The water to the southwest is the drainage pond
> that serves the entire yard.  As water is
> collected in the yard it is sent to the pond area
> where it is filtered and checked for chemicals or
> bad stuff.  If it passes, it is released into the
> normal water system.   It is a very complex
> system...but works very well!

Ah, that was my guess but I wasn't sure.  Thanks for the back story.

-James

That drawing does not include the additional 10 stalls in front of the back shop to make the final figure of 48 stalls.
When I hired out in 1976 there were like 40 stalls remaining.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

How deep are the remaining roundhouse stalls?  They don't appear to be long enough to house a very large steam locomotive and tender.

sgriggs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How deep are the remaining roundhouse stalls? 
> They don't appear to be long enough to house a
> very large steam locomotive and tender.

Well, the 2-10-2 #5511 is in one stall, and 3985 was in the last stall with her tender, until her tender was needed for use behind 4014.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sgriggs Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > How deep are the remaining roundhouse stalls? 
> > They don't appear to be long enough to house a
> > very large steam locomotive and tender.
>
> Well, the 2-10-2 #5511 is in one stall, and 3985
> was in the last stall with her tender, until her
> tender was needed for use behind 4014.

Oh, I didn't realize the 3985 fit with the tender connected.  That's a pretty good sized stall.

The 3985 only fits into one stall, the one with the extension on it.  Even then, the 3985 nearly touches the east wall to be able to close the door behind it with the tender on it.  Currently 3985 sits at the far west stall with no tender. 

In the steam days, the roundhouse was broken up into sections.  The big engines (Challengers and Big Boys) generally were housed in the "freight" portion of the round house which generally were the south east bays of the roundhouse.  They were also extended in some cases.  They were generally directly across from the coal tower.   They were also closest to the Back shop.    The portion of the roundhouse that still stands was generally known as the passenger house.  In these bays you would most commonly find power that ran on passenger trains.  That would be the FEF class, the Mountains, and Pacific class locomotives.  These bays easily fit any of these locomotives (including the FEF class which was the largest of this fleet).   

Often, we think a roundhouse is a roundhouse and if a stall is empty....fill it.  Not in those days.  The crews and the bays had specific functions and places and locomotives went to bays in a roundhouse based on the need and demand of the work it needed in order to turn it and send it again.   In many cases, locomotives came home, they got serviced and fueled, inspected, a pit inspection and back out on a waiting/ready track.   It was NOT required that a locomotive made it to the "house."