When Steam was here

I'm wondering if anyone would know if there ever was a roundhouse in Medicine Hat, Alberta when steam was exclusively used and if so would anyone have a picture of it or a diagram of the yards.

Thank you

 

I've sent an email off to four friends on this, if I hear back from any one of them, I'll forward the anwer.

 

This is the first answer I have:

There is a Medicine Hat model railroad group/club,
I am pretty sure there was a round house there -
see David Morgan's classic volume "Canadian Steam".
it hasd photos of locs at medicine hate, but they are clos to the loco's.

There might be more answers.

 

Yes, I know there is one but the only way I've found to contact them is through an E-Mail off there home page and the E-Mail doesn't work. It keeps returning my E-Mail as undeliverable.

I do appreciate the help.

Thak You

Jim

 

Response two:

Hi Rick:
Yes indeed, there was a roundhouse in Medicine Hat. When I was last there
during 1985 it was still in use but I don't know of it's current status. After
dieselization it was reduced in size to about six or eight pits but appeared
to have been quite a large size during the steam age, judging from the razed
foundation which was still evident. As an engine change point on C.P.'s
mainline I'm guessing it may have been as large as a half circle. After 1952,
when the Mountain Subdivision was dieselized, All of the Selkirks operated
between Calgary and Medicine Hat until the end of steam so the turntable
would have been a fair size as well. Sorry, but I didn't photograph the
roundhouse nor turntable when I was there in the eighties but do remember the
building as being of brick construction and a typical CPR design.

 

Response three:

In a message dated Sun, 11 Apr 2004 2:57:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, Rick Nicholson <nicholson1318@shaw.ca> writes:

>Here is a question I found in a forum, anyone know the answer?
>
>I'm wondering if anyone would know if there ever was a roundhouse in Medicine Hat, Alberta when steam was exclusively used and if so would anyone have a picture of it or a diagram of the yards.
>
>Rick N


Rick one place to try is
http://www.rrshs.org/Alberta/abrrstruc2.htm
or

http://www.ovar.ca/Interchange/mar2003.pdf

aerial photo
http://www.globalairphotos.com/large/ab/Medicine_Hat/all/2002/043/2
>
http://www.crowsnest.bc.ca/railtravel09.html
http://www.crowsnest.bc.ca/crowtravel23_02.html

For sure Lethbridge had a roundhouse, and Medicine had was
the connection of the southern and northern routes through BC for the CPR, so I believe it would be an excellent bet that there was a significant railway facilty there.

FWIW

John

 

I work for CP Rail in Medicine Hat as an engineer. There was a roundhouse. When I hired on in 1976 it was mostly torn down except for about 4 stalls. The turnatable was still in. When they widen the road about 10 years ago the land that it sat on was sold and the roundhouse was destroyed so now the road goes over that spot.

I might be able to find some pictures.

Brent

.

 

Welcome to Trainboard Brent and thanks for your offer to help. You can post photos on RailImages if you set up an account for yourself.
Gil

 

That would be great if you had a few pictures. I'm trying to get some information from the City of Medicine Hat but so far they aren't answering their E-Mails.

What street did they widen that made it necessary to demolish the roundhouse/turntable? If I knew that maybe I can find out exactly where it sat and maybe even some old trackage that would have lead up to the turntable.

Thanks again

Jim

 

Jim
Sorry I have not had time to do any digging. I will be gone till May 1st. The roundhouse was demolished when they widened Kingsway avenue. The cinder block building that is still standing was the engineers booking in office. The turntable pit was almost across from it. The current stub track that you see ran past the west side of the office. The 2 shop tacks now were the oldrip tracks. I am sure I can come up with some schematics and pictures as I would like to pursue some of this history myself. I will keep you posted.

BRent

 

Update

I just received an answer from CPR offices; I was requesting a track plan and anyother information about the Round house/turntable and yard layout; but I was told they do not release such information, then I was asked why I wanted it so I told them the truth - I wanted to model part of my layout with the yard/round house as a focal point of this part of the addition to my layout. Maybe they will change their minds.

Jim R.

 

Ron
Taked with a friend that used to be a machinist. He thought there was at least 20 stalls and employed 130 people. Got some leads on getting pictures. Thanks to 9-11 the railroads look to every one with suspicion. Although I am not a rail fan per say I do feel sorry for anyone trying to pursue that hobby as anyone getting close to their property becomes immediate suspect.
Brent

 

Photo of the Medicine Hat (MH) turntable and roundhouse from the Public Archives -

CP Roundhouse/turntable at Medicine Hat - Public Archives

Page 58 from "Engine Houses and Turntables on Canadian Railway 1850 - 1950" Boston Mills Press mentions that the MH roundhouse was under construction in 1904 and was similar to 7 other CP roundhouses. There is also a reference to the "American Engineer & Railrod Journal" 1909/01 pages 3, 5 & 9.