International Railroad Discussion > Armenia, Part 11. Gyumri roundhouse

I saw on my GPS that there might be a roundhouse a couple blocks north of the station. So I proceeded up there, and found a developed path that ran from a dead-end street, through the roundhouse yards to the neighborhoods on the far sides of the tracks.

It somehow looked a little bit foreboding, and along came the photographer trio walking through. So I asked them if they wanted to walk over there with me, and they said they were very bus, and had to head home. Which I interpreted to mean that they'd gotten busted on more than one occasion for taking photos in the engine shops.

So I wandered over for a quick 10 minute tour. I just sauntered through like the locals going over, and took my time coming back taking photos, and I think at one point a rail worker motioned that I should move on, which I did.

1) Looking down the footpath across the yards to the roundhouse.

2) View of the roundhouse. Everything looked derelict, I didn't think any of the engines were in running condition. Or the roundhouse doors, or turntable. But there were a few workers around.

3) Side view of the roundhouse.

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4) Whisker track with pit

5) Builders plate

6) Turntable

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7) Resourceful folks had used scrap engine panel doors to fill in a garage door.

8) This is what clued me in on the GPS that there might be a roundhouse in Gyumri

If you want to be a virtual tourist and see the decrepit roundhouses of the world, download GPS software, and wander the cities in far flung places. And when you find a roundhouse, switch over to Google Satellite View to see what's going on there.

Roundhouse location
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7904588,43.8629774,178m/data=!3m1!1e3

Photos taken early November, 2017

Questions, comments?

Ted in OR

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Bonus photos -- bicycling in NW Armenia

This was probably my favorite bicycle section on the whole trip. Open high country (5000 - 6000' elevation), grassy meadows, grassy mountains. Shepherds, small towns. I stayed on gravel back roads for about 50 miles, then got back on the highway near the Georgian border.

9) Climbing along a river, through villages.

10) At a summit

11) Friendly shepherds (vodka for breakfast, story posted a few threads back)

Summit location
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.9993238,43.8094475,1137m/data=!3m1!1e3

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12) Passing some small reservoir.

13) More friendly shepherds, they shared their dinner with me. (smoked fish, tomatoes, cheese, don't remember what else...)

14) Close to the Georgian border.

That's all for now, folks. I'm headed out of town for a couple weeks. (I planned to bike the Big Sur coast in January, but work projects swallowed up the time I allotted to it. So I'm headed back down there tomorrow, plan to take a few days to ride the coast, then do some work in Davis, will be back to my desktop computer to post more photos from Georgia in early May.)

Thanks for all the appreciative comments in the last few threads, I'm glad you're enjoying the content.

Ted in OR

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Thanks for this continuing series. Just wondering: Did you experience any flat tires on your bicycle? Where did you find spare tires? Did you repair punctures in the field? Did you carry with you spare tires?

Thank you,Ted! I will never be able to see overseas again. (too many birthdays). Mrs. Gibson and I enjoyed your photos. wag216

What an incredible trip and adventure you are living. Have you thought of writing a book about your travels?

I like!

Thanks for the appreciative comments, everyone.

As for tires, I did pretty well. I got into two patches of goatheads in Aktau, Kazakhstan, and got multiple holes in tubes from each incident. After that I carried a spare tire and about 4 spare tubes. (Goatheads are an annoying ground level week that grows in disturbed soils in dry areas. Utah has a lot of them, as does Roseville, California). It was an adventure finding a spare tire in Aktau, which was a major city otherwise, but none of the sporting goods stores on my GPS had bicycle supplies. Finally someone directed me to a place on the north side of town, and they had exactly one 26" tire. But no patch kits. This is where I finally found the bike shop
https://goo.gl/maps/9Z29RBNE4Zr

But no other problems with thorns after leaving Kazahstan. So after a week or two of no flats I had found a tube patch kit, and I gave away my spare tire to some kids with bikes.

The only serious mechanical problem was a cracked seatpost. I went into a hardware store looking for twine and epoxy to reinforce it. But the staff there suggested a heavy duty hose clamp, which worked out just fine. I also twisted my chain a bit in Ukraine, not sure how, and straightened it out with two pairs of pliers.

I've been riding bicycles for my entire adult life, so I'm pretty good at catching things and keeping things in adjustment. But there are always a few surprises.

Ted in OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/18 20:11 by gobbl3gook.

gobbl3gook Wrote:
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> 5) Builders plate

A ChMe3, Czech, diesel electric, switcher type 3, universal 5' gauge switcher. Standard gauge versions are T669.

Great series

Tubeless!!! Just saying...

GREAT series --- thanks!!!!