There is a portion of the original 1880's roundhouse! It is used as a tool room, lunch and locker room.
Here's a couple from 2 years ago, this is some stored units behind the mainline service spots, And here is the west end of the original roundhouse. This was also 2 years ago on a rare day with nothing between the mainline and the shop!
Late morning on the 5th and we get a LOT of units brought in to the service tracks! Even a GP39M in BN green! It is one that went through the Boise shop when I worked there, but I ain't sure how much I may have worked on it, if at all. But it is neat to see it still soldiering on!
Alan, does BNSF use the roundhouse for anything anymore? The doors being closed up the way they are makes me think not.
The oldest part is used for offices and tool room. The larger newer stalls are used for maintenance, except for 15, it is a wash bay. 16 and 17 used to be a machine shop, but are now used for warehousing GE or EMD parts.
Yesterday morning, before the daughter showed up to help install a new window, I went out to get the unit number of the bad sounding horn. Which is the 9778, by the way, it sounds like it swallowed a bug! As I got to the fence, I noticed these deer, so went back in and got the camera. They mostly didn't even worry too much about me!
Interresting lashup. Reminds what was the norm 25 and so years ago. From one's eyes as well as from human memeory. Now that,s not what we are used to seeing. Dom
If the weather is chilly, I would believe those doors would be shut. Likely, roundhouse personnel don't really do well when frozen...
Popsicles don't work well for turning wrenches! Here're a couple of neat pics. Ain't had a lot of free time to do any real train chasing, what withthe multiple jobs going on, moving in and remodeling stuff. including training the oldest daughter to do a lot of new things so she can become a self employed handyman herself! Well, sorta! Haere's a GN hopper, And an evening shot from last night. The lead unit was really cold, and had a good column of smoke coming out of the stack, which didn't show well,
So tonight on my way home, the ice fog was rising off the river thick! So I had to stop and try some off hand shots. They came out ghostly! But even a little out of focus, pretty neat!
Nice fog shots. I find manual focus is necessary for fog. the camera just cannot figure out what the subject is!
On the 11th, I saw this set which is neat! Why? Because it is led by a "swoosh" scheme, then the Big Yellow BNSF and followed by the original faux GN paint! Neat that they are in order. And this lone GP was going back to sit on the "sand track" until needed again.
So I got up and headed out this morning to try to catch a train or two on video. And had success! First is a SLOW moving grain train leaving eastbound. I managed to get setup along the creek and culvert by the Allen St underpass. It is a neat location. The train was leaving fro 1 track, not the main, so he was a slow go. Has some neat slack action here n there and lots of rail joint clacking and creaking cars!
And after checking on my buddy, I tried the west end of the yard, and was just in time to see both the Miles City turn getting back and the sun rise over the hills!