Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative - Wiki

Use of this site is subject to our Terms & Conditions.

Difference between revisions of "Kentville Roundhouse"

From DARwiki
(sorting images)
Line 1: Line 1:
==Kentville Roundhouse==
+
[[File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse - Engine 8139 - Harold Jenkins Photo-1959.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Kentville Roundhouse]], 1959.]]
[[File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse - SW1200 in stalls - Harold Jenkins Photo-1959.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The [[Kentville Roundhouse]] in the steam to diesel transition era, 1959.]]
 
 
 
The Dominion Atlantic Railway's locomotives were serviced in a series of roundhouse and machine shop buildings located at the west end of the [[Kentville Railyard]] which grew from a 3-stall engine shed in 1868 to a 6-stal roundhouse in 1915 and then a 10-stall roundhouse in 1926. The roundhouse continued to service locomotives into the diesel era until 1963 when it became a apple juice warehouse. The building survived to become one of the last railway roundhouse in Atlantic Canada. It was demolished by the town of Kentville, despite a province-wide protest in 2007.
 
  
 +
The Dominion Atlantic Railway's locomotives were serviced in a series of roundhouse and machine shop buildings located at the west end of the [[Kentville Railyard]]. They grew from  a 3-stall engine shed in 1868 to a 6-stall roundhouse in 1915 and then a 10-stall roundhouse in 1926. The roundhouse continued to service locomotives into the diesel era until 1961 when it became a apple juice warehouse. The building survived to become one of the last railway roundhouse in Atlantic Canada. It was demolished by the town of Kentville, despite a province-wide protest in 2007.
 
==The First Three Stall Roundhouse/Engine House 1868-1915==
 
==The First Three Stall Roundhouse/Engine House 1868-1915==
 
The [[Windsor and Annapolis Railway]] built the first turntable and engine house at Kentville in 1869 south of the mainline. It consisted of a three stall engine house<ref>[[Marguerite Woodworth]], ''History of the Dominion Atlantic'', Dominion Atlantic Railway (1936) page 64</ref> and a covered turntable with an attached machine shop.<ref>Alexander MacNab, ''[[Windsor and Annapolis Railway, Report of Alexander MacNab 1873|Windsor and Annapolis Railway, Report of Alexander MacNab Nov 1, 1873,]]'' (1873), page 22</ref> It burned in a fire on July 8, 1915 which also destroyed two locomotives inside the sheds, [[DAR0012|No. 12]] and [[DAR0022|No. 22]], although firefighters managed to save the attached [[Kentville Machine Shop|Machine Shop]].<ref>"KENTVILLE HIT BY ANOTHER FIRE The D.A.R. Roundhouse and Engine Sheds Burned and Two Locomotives Destroyed", ''Digby Courier'', July 9, 1915, Carl Riff Notes</ref>
 
The [[Windsor and Annapolis Railway]] built the first turntable and engine house at Kentville in 1869 south of the mainline. It consisted of a three stall engine house<ref>[[Marguerite Woodworth]], ''History of the Dominion Atlantic'', Dominion Atlantic Railway (1936) page 64</ref> and a covered turntable with an attached machine shop.<ref>Alexander MacNab, ''[[Windsor and Annapolis Railway, Report of Alexander MacNab 1873|Windsor and Annapolis Railway, Report of Alexander MacNab Nov 1, 1873,]]'' (1873), page 22</ref> It burned in a fire on July 8, 1915 which also destroyed two locomotives inside the sheds, [[DAR0012|No. 12]] and [[DAR0022|No. 22]], although firefighters managed to save the attached [[Kentville Machine Shop|Machine Shop]].<ref>"KENTVILLE HIT BY ANOTHER FIRE The D.A.R. Roundhouse and Engine Sheds Burned and Two Locomotives Destroyed", ''Digby Courier'', July 9, 1915, Carl Riff Notes</ref>
 +
 +
<Gallery>
 +
File:Kentville Engine House and Lightning 1872.jpg|Lightning, a broad gauge locomotive in front of the [[W&AR]] [[Kentville Roundhouse|Engine House]] and [[Kentville Machine Shop|Machine Shop]], 1872.
 +
</gallery>
  
 
==The Six Stall roundhouse 1916-1926==
 
==The Six Stall roundhouse 1916-1926==
A replacement roundhouse was built in 1916, north of the mainline near the [[Kentville Cornwallis River Bridge|Cornwallis River Bridge]] with a 70-foot turntable serving the six stalls<ref>Some sources say the roundhouse started with five stalls but a tour by a Halifax journalist in 1928 indicates 6 original stalls, with four added in 1926, ''Halifax Chroncile Herald'', May 1, 1928, Carl Riff notes.</ref> as well as several outside storage tracks.
+
A replacement roundhouse was built in 1916, north of the mainline near the [[Kentville Cornwallis River Bridge|Cornwallis River Bridge]] where DAR subsidiary the [[:Category:Subdivision Kingsport|Cornwallis Valley Railway]] branched off for Kingsport, with a 70-foot turntable serving the six stalls<ref>Some sources say the roundhouse started with five stalls but a tour by a Halifax journalist in 1928 indicates 6 original stalls, with four added in 1926, ''Halifax Chroncile Herald'', May 1, 1928, Carl Riff notes.</ref> as well as several outside storage tracks.
  
==The Ten Stall Roundhouse 1926-2007==
+
<Gallery>
The roundhouse was expanded in 1926, with work being announced in March<ref>The expansion was announced in the ''Kentville Advertiser'' March 26, 1926</ref> with four news stalls being added.<ref>''Halifax Chroncile Herald'', May 1, 1928, Carl Riff notes. The article describes a tour by Halifax journalist who notes that four stalls were added in 1926.</ref> The ten-stall roundhouse was complete and in use by the end of the year.<ref>''Halifax Chronicle Herald'', Feb. 6, 1927, Carl Riff notes. Tour by Rotary group notes the roundhouse is complete and in service.</ref> The new stalls filled in the storage tracks next to the [[Kentville Machine Shop]].
+
File:CSTM-STR18240a 001 aa cs.jpg|[[DAR0028|No. 28]] "Pioneer" ar the [[Kentville Roundhouse]], 1922.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==The Ten Stall Roundhouse 1926-1960==
 +
The roundhouse was expanded in 1926, with work being announced in March<ref>The expansion was announced in the ''Kentville Advertiser'' March 26, 1926</ref> with four news stalls being added.<ref>''Halifax Chroncile Herald'', May 1, 1928, Carl Riff notes. The article describes a tour by Halifax journalist who notes that four stalls were added in 1926.</ref> The ten-stall roundhouse was complete and in use by the end of the year.<ref>''Halifax Chronicle Herald'', Feb. 6, 1927, Carl Riff notes. Tour by Rotary group notes the roundhouse is complete and in service.</ref> The new stalls filled in the storage tracks next to the [[Kentville Machine Shop]]. in 1936, Stalls 5 to 10 were extended to accommodate arrival of Pacific locomotives.<ref>"Railway Notes", ''Kentville Advertiser'', Oct. 15, 1936</ref>
  
 
===Layout of the 10-stall Roundhouse===
 
===Layout of the 10-stall Roundhouse===
 
The roundhouse stalls were numbered from south to north, starting with Stall No. 1 closest to the mainline and ending with Stall No. 10 near the Cornwallis River.<ref>Stall numbers are shown in Harold Jenkins 1927 photo and Canada Science and Technology 1943 photo of Locomotive 2511 (STR08416a).</ref> Stalls Nos. 5 to 10 had a three foot extension built on to the doors to accommodate the longer Pacific locomotives.  
 
The roundhouse stalls were numbered from south to north, starting with Stall No. 1 closest to the mainline and ending with Stall No. 10 near the Cornwallis River.<ref>Stall numbers are shown in Harold Jenkins 1927 photo and Canada Science and Technology 1943 photo of Locomotive 2511 (STR08416a).</ref> Stalls Nos. 5 to 10 had a three foot extension built on to the doors to accommodate the longer Pacific locomotives.  
  
The 70-foot turntable was air-powered by the locomotive riding on it.  The air motor was under the control platform, and connected to the airhose of the engine by a normal glad hand.  The engine was moved so that the there was some weight on the air motor's wheels, and then the air cock was cracked.  The air motor chuffed loudly, slipping and sliding, but eventually doing its job. The turntable survives today in the New Ross area, repurposed as a bridge on a private road.<ref>Personal communication with Leon Barron, 200</ref>
+
The 70-foot turntable was air-powered by the locomotive riding on it.  The air motor was under the control platform, and connected to the airhose of the engine by a normal glad hand.  The engine was moved so that the there was some weight on the air motor's wheels, and then the air cock was cracked.  The air motor chuffed loudly, slipping and sliding, but eventually doing its job.  
  
 
Roundhouse dimensions were:
 
Roundhouse dimensions were:
Line 24: Line 30:
 
* Doors: Four south doors, 13' 4" wide, Six North Doors 13' wide. Doors separated by 10" posts<ref>Dimensions based on onsite measurements by Dan Conlin and Leon Barron and a 1980 drainage plan of the Canada Foods plant from Graves Ltd.</ref>
 
* Doors: Four south doors, 13' 4" wide, Six North Doors 13' wide. Doors separated by 10" posts<ref>Dimensions based on onsite measurements by Dan Conlin and Leon Barron and a 1980 drainage plan of the Canada Foods plant from Graves Ltd.</ref>
  
===Chronology===
 
 
1916 - the DAR constructs a 6-stall roundhouse at the west end of the Kentville yard where DAR subsidiary the [[:Category:Subdivision Kingsport|Cornwallis Valley Railway]] branches off for Kingsport.
 
 
1926 - CPR expands its subsidiary's roundhouse in Kentville, adding 4 additional stalls.<ref>The expansion was announced in the ''Kentville Advertiser'' March 26, 1926</ref>
 
 
1936 - Stalls 5 to 10 extended to accommodate arrival of Pacific locomotives.<ref>"Railway Notes", ''Kentville Advertiser'', Oct. 15, 1936</ref>
 
 
1961 - Canadian Pacific Railway stops using the roundhouse for locomotive maintenance.
 
 
2007 - The roundhouse is demolished, July 9 to 13.
 
 
==Gallery==
 
 
<Gallery>
 
<Gallery>
File:Kentville Engine House and Lightning 1872.jpg|Lightning, a broad gauge locomotive in front of the [[W&AR]] [[Kentville Roundhouse|Engine House]] and [[Kentville Machine Shop|Machine Shop]], 1872.
 
 
File:CSTM-STR18240a 001 aa cs.jpg|[[DAR0028|No. 28]] "Pioneer" ar the [[Kentville Roundhouse]], 1922.
 
 
 
File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse-Engines in Stalls-Harold Jenkins Photo-1927.JPG|[[Kentville Roundhouse]] with numbered stalls, 1927. [[DAR0039|Locomotive No. 39]] visible in Stall No. 5.
 
File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse-Engines in Stalls-Harold Jenkins Photo-1927.JPG|[[Kentville Roundhouse]] with numbered stalls, 1927. [[DAR0039|Locomotive No. 39]] visible in Stall No. 5.
  
Line 99: Line 88:
  
 
File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse with SW1200s-12June1960.JPG|The [[Kentville Roundhouse]] with a [[:Category:S-3|S-3]] and SW1200 locomotives in the stalls and the smokestack of the [[Canada Foods Plant]] in background, June 12, 1960.
 
File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse with SW1200s-12June1960.JPG|The [[Kentville Roundhouse]] with a [[:Category:S-3|S-3]] and SW1200 locomotives in the stalls and the smokestack of the [[Canada Foods Plant]] in background, June 12, 1960.
 +
 +
File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse with Engine 8134-12June1960.JPG|The [[Kentville Roundhouse]] with diesels Nos. [[CPR8135|8135]], [[CPR8132|8132]], [[CPR8137|8137]], [[CPR8133|8133]], [[CPR8140|8140]], [[CPR8134|8134]], [[DAR000003#Dominion_Atlantic_Railway_Track_Crane_No._3.|DAR Track Crane No. 3]] and the [[Canada Foods Plant]] stack, June 12, 1960.
 +
</Gallery>
  
File:DAR - Kentville Roundhouse with Engine 8134-12June1960.JPG|The [[Kentville Roundhouse]] with diesels [[CPR8135|No. 8135]], [[CPR8132|No. 8132]], [[CPR8137|No. 8137]], [[CPR8133|No. 8133]], [[CPR8140|No. 8140]], [[CPR8134|No. 8134]], the [[DAR000003#Dominion_Atlantic_Railway_Track_Crane_No._3.|DAR Track Crane No. 3]] and the [[Canada Foods Plant]] smokestack, June 12, 1960.
+
==The Roundhouse as Warehouse 1961-2007==
 +
Canadian Pacific shifted serving of locomotives to the [[Kentville Car Shop|Car Shop]] in 1961 and stopped using the roundhouse. It was leased to the [[Canada Foods Plant]] (later Great Valley Juices]] for use as a warehouse, although the turntable remained in use to turn locomotives and RDCs. After the railway abandoned Kentville in 1993, the turntable was purchased and moved to the New Ross area, repurposed as a bridge on a private road.<ref>Personal communication with Leon Barron, 2000</ref> The roundhouse remained the last remaining railway structure in until it was demolished from July 9 to 13, 2007 by the Town of Kentville to make way for a private seniors complex despite a province-wide protest advocating adaptive re-use for the historic structure.
  
 +
<Gallery>
 
Image:CP8136 at Kentville Yard.jpg|[[Kentville]] engine servicing facilities on July 20, 1967. Visible is the [[Kentville Coaling Tower]], Engine [[CPR8136|No. 8136]], the [[Kentville Roundhouse]] and the corner of the [[Kentville Car Shop]].
 
Image:CP8136 at Kentville Yard.jpg|[[Kentville]] engine servicing facilities on July 20, 1967. Visible is the [[Kentville Coaling Tower]], Engine [[CPR8136|No. 8136]], the [[Kentville Roundhouse]] and the corner of the [[Kentville Car Shop]].
  

Revision as of 20:09, 28 March 2019

The Dominion Atlantic Railway's locomotives were serviced in a series of roundhouse and machine shop buildings located at the west end of the Kentville Railyard. They grew from a 3-stall engine shed in 1868 to a 6-stall roundhouse in 1915 and then a 10-stall roundhouse in 1926. The roundhouse continued to service locomotives into the diesel era until 1961 when it became a apple juice warehouse. The building survived to become one of the last railway roundhouse in Atlantic Canada. It was demolished by the town of Kentville, despite a province-wide protest in 2007.

The First Three Stall Roundhouse/Engine House 1868-1915

The Windsor and Annapolis Railway built the first turntable and engine house at Kentville in 1869 south of the mainline. It consisted of a three stall engine house[1] and a covered turntable with an attached machine shop.[2] It burned in a fire on July 8, 1915 which also destroyed two locomotives inside the sheds, No. 12 and No. 22, although firefighters managed to save the attached Machine Shop.[3]

The Six Stall roundhouse 1916-1926

A replacement roundhouse was built in 1916, north of the mainline near the Cornwallis River Bridge where DAR subsidiary the Cornwallis Valley Railway branched off for Kingsport, with a 70-foot turntable serving the six stalls[4] as well as several outside storage tracks.

The Ten Stall Roundhouse 1926-1960

The roundhouse was expanded in 1926, with work being announced in March[5] with four news stalls being added.[6] The ten-stall roundhouse was complete and in use by the end of the year.[7] The new stalls filled in the storage tracks next to the Kentville Machine Shop. in 1936, Stalls 5 to 10 were extended to accommodate arrival of Pacific locomotives.[8]

Layout of the 10-stall Roundhouse

The roundhouse stalls were numbered from south to north, starting with Stall No. 1 closest to the mainline and ending with Stall No. 10 near the Cornwallis River.[9] Stalls Nos. 5 to 10 had a three foot extension built on to the doors to accommodate the longer Pacific locomotives.

The 70-foot turntable was air-powered by the locomotive riding on it. The air motor was under the control platform, and connected to the airhose of the engine by a normal glad hand. The engine was moved so that the there was some weight on the air motor's wheels, and then the air cock was cracked. The air motor chuffed loudly, slipping and sliding, but eventually doing its job.

Roundhouse dimensions were:

  • South wall: 80' 6"
  • North wall: 83' 7"
  • Rear (west) wall of each stall: 27' 5" wide
  • Doors: Four south doors, 13' 4" wide, Six North Doors 13' wide. Doors separated by 10" posts[10]

The Roundhouse as Warehouse 1961-2007

Canadian Pacific shifted serving of locomotives to the Car Shop in 1961 and stopped using the roundhouse. It was leased to the Canada Foods Plant (later Great Valley Juices]] for use as a warehouse, although the turntable remained in use to turn locomotives and RDCs. After the railway abandoned Kentville in 1993, the turntable was purchased and moved to the New Ross area, repurposed as a bridge on a private road.[11] The roundhouse remained the last remaining railway structure in until it was demolished from July 9 to 13, 2007 by the Town of Kentville to make way for a private seniors complex despite a province-wide protest advocating adaptive re-use for the historic structure.

References and Footnotes

  1. Marguerite Woodworth, History of the Dominion Atlantic, Dominion Atlantic Railway (1936) page 64
  2. Alexander MacNab, Windsor and Annapolis Railway, Report of Alexander MacNab Nov 1, 1873, (1873), page 22
  3. "KENTVILLE HIT BY ANOTHER FIRE The D.A.R. Roundhouse and Engine Sheds Burned and Two Locomotives Destroyed", Digby Courier, July 9, 1915, Carl Riff Notes
  4. Some sources say the roundhouse started with five stalls but a tour by a Halifax journalist in 1928 indicates 6 original stalls, with four added in 1926, Halifax Chroncile Herald, May 1, 1928, Carl Riff notes.
  5. The expansion was announced in the Kentville Advertiser March 26, 1926
  6. Halifax Chroncile Herald, May 1, 1928, Carl Riff notes. The article describes a tour by Halifax journalist who notes that four stalls were added in 1926.
  7. Halifax Chronicle Herald, Feb. 6, 1927, Carl Riff notes. Tour by Rotary group notes the roundhouse is complete and in service.
  8. "Railway Notes", Kentville Advertiser, Oct. 15, 1936
  9. Stall numbers are shown in Harold Jenkins 1927 photo and Canada Science and Technology 1943 photo of Locomotive 2511 (STR08416a).
  10. Dimensions based on onsite measurements by Dan Conlin and Leon Barron and a 1980 drainage plan of the Canada Foods plant from Graves Ltd.
  11. Personal communication with Leon Barron, 2000

External Links