Ashland, WI: C&NW Coaling Tower & Roundhouse and SOO+NP+C&NW Depots

C&NW Yard: (Satellite, The Ashland Public Works Department has reused the roundhouse land.)

SOO+NP Depot: (Satellite)

C&NW Depot: (Satellite?, I don't have time to look for it.)

This town had other concrete relics: ore loading docks.

Jerry Krug posted
Chicago & North Western coaling tower in Ashland, WI. This photo was taken on September 6, 2009. This tower was still standing in October 2015. The track was abandoned in 1981.

Satellite

Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted
Someone wanted to see a photo of the C&NW roundhouse in Ashland, Wisconsin. Here is one from September 1948. Another notation on the reverse of the photo says that the train on the left is led by #2903 and is Train #116. It is a Don Steffen photo.

Dennis DeBruler commented on the above post
Not only is the roundhouse gone, everything else is also gone.
1947 Ashland Quad @ 48,000

Dennis DeBruler commented on the above post
Except for the coaling tower.
 https://www.google.com/maps/@46.59719,-90.8526979,171m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

Depot

Only a street view from 2008 is available. Views from that year make one appreciate how much the technology has improved since then.

Street View, Sep 2008

They have preserved a steam locomotive across the street from the depot.

Street View, Sep 2008

 

Robert Haugland posted
Old Soo Line Depot in Ashland, Wisconsin

 

Alexander Golman commented on Robert's post
Right across the street too.

Raymond Storey posted
ASHLAND WIS

Rob Kitchen posted
Ashland, Wisconsin, 1981
Jordan Grunow: I brewed the last batch of beer in that building the night before it burned in 1999.

I felt horrible.

What if it was me?

Deep frier failed

Old school rot protection?

Coat roof rafters in creosote…

Not possible to put out

Sandra Lowndes: It burned April 1 2000

Craig A Tator: It was rebuilt, probably better and safer than when new.

Dave Martens shared

Jim Kelling shared

Ashland Wisconsin

Mike Patrick posted three photos with the comment: "Ashland Soo/NP depot 4-64, think the NP sign was taken down soon after this, I never saw it again, sorry for the quality on the shot of the south side of the depot, my scanner seems to pick and choose how it copies negs."

Allan Erickson: Had a real bad fire in the restaurant there about 15? yrs ago and I figured the place was toast but they fixed it up. This was a 3 way depot for NP, Soo and CNW. Remember riding the CNW train there from IWD with my grandma and little brother once just for yucks.

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It appears that C&NW had their own depot because this does not look the same.

Ashland Historical Society Museum posted

Chicago & Northwestern Railroad depot, Ashland, Wisconsin.  You can see Garnich's Hardware behind the depot.  The old rink would have been next to Garnich's.  Does this bring back any memories for anyone?

Enjoy.  Jim.

Andrew Roth shared

D Scott Peterson commented on the above post
The depot in 2017.

So whose depot was this?

Raymond Storey posted
ASHLAND WIS 1880
Raymond Storey posted
ASHLAND WIS 1890
[It is real shame that Raymond never sites his sources so we can't figure out which date is correct.]

Renovo, PA: PRR's Coaling Tower

Coaling Tower: (Satellite)

Lost Turntable: (Satellite)

Robert Wanner posted
Pennsylvania Railroad at Renova, Pa in the late 1950's. Lots of motive power including duel tenders is unusual to me. Never got to see that in actual practice. Thought it may one of a kind, but I can see a double tender on the locomotive ahead looking towards the coal dock. Photo by Al Keller.
Richard D. Zink: They were to extend the range of operation as the PRR wasn't repairing stand pipes when they failed by this time. so places to get water were extremely limited. I believe that some were actively being removed. It also allowed them to close pump houses which cost money to operate.... and water tanks, too.
As you might guess ... the end was very near.
Bill Funk: Richard D. Zink It wasn't just the incidental costs to maintain the water facilities, it was also taxes. States and localities base property taxes on the improvements on the land; since railroads are very bottom-line oriented, it pays to remove anything that costs money as soon as possible.
Richard D. Zink: Exactly. It was the same reason that so many small stations and buildings mysterously burned down when they were taken out of service. Like clockwork.
Robert Wanner posted
Will M Colson: This was primarily for operations over the Low Grade Line from Driftwood to RedBank as most of the water servicing facilities had been removed. A surge in traffic as well as the delayed arrival of new diesel orders forced the railroad to add auxiliary tenders on locomotives dispatched out of Renovo on territories without ample facilities in the last years of steam.
I believe it was specifically an anomaly for power operating over the Low Grade for a brief period in time. I don't know of any other locations that put this into practice.
Gerard Geisler: The second tender was to extend the water supply.
Vincent Tarantella: ...to add a little background to this discussion, Renovo Yards was additionally a storage facility for hundreds of excess steam locomotives that were awaiting the cutting torch in anticipation of the early diesels. Renovo Round House and rebuild Shop forces did not have to look very far to find the tenders to add to the remaining operating steam engines that needed the extra water. Renovo pipe fitters and mechanics had to plumb new pipework and coupling system to add the tender to the running tender and bring the water forward for locomotive use enroute. Renovo built over 80 early locomotives from scratch from 1868 to 1889 until locomotive construction was consolidated to Altoona.

Rick Denton posted
Photo by BRAD ERICKSON    RENOVO PA.
Alfred Colomier posted a similar photo

John Staib posted eight images with the comment: "Renovo Pa. was once a thriving RR town. The memories my dad had  while visiting his grandparents and watching the trains I wish I could've seen and experienced, sadly I only saw the very end of an era and the death of a RR town."

Stephen Walker: Poor Renovo, a town built by the P&E because it was geographically in the middle. Pennsylvania railroad used it for major rebuilding work on locomotives and cars. Very prosperous till the end of steam and a busy main line at one time. Now just an occasional train and I’m not sure there’s much traffic on the once Harrisburg/Buffalo line with lots of passenger and freight to line. In the 80s and 90s Conrail had a couple trains a day through there. Poor Renovo.

Robert Sr Hagenbuch: Stephen Walker What's P&E, please?

Alden Henrie: Robert Sr Hagenbuch Philadelphia and Erie

Bill Harbison: Interesting. It used to have a large yard. The pin is where the turntable used to be. When did the trains leave?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9rAuE68ewUVpF3FF7

Joseph Taeffner: Bill Harbison Renovo car shops closed in '66 I think. Yard torn up in sections ever since, but there's still a Norfolk Southern line which has goes through town.

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Debbie Newsom Hampton posted
I came across this pic and as is the case all too often, no photographer was credited. The photo was taken at Renova, PA and the consensus seems to be that it is a a fake PRR caboose. I wonder if it's still there.
Richard Hafer: It is a nice looking paint job. The caboose is a New Haven style caboose. The New Haven was merged into Penn Central after 1968, so this style of caboose would have been painted in PC green, not PRR red.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Debbie's post

Evidently, it is a rather recent addition because it was not there in this Aug 2008 street view.

https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

I fired up Global Earth, and it is not in the Aug 2012 image, but it is in the Oct 2015 image. It is also in a Jan 2022 image.

Michael Guida posted

Google Photos: 1, 2. and 3. It looks like it used a skip-bucket loader. It and the cars are evidently preserved as part of their Greater Renovo Area Heritage Park. Renovo was on a Pennsy route that went north from Harrisburg to Williamsport and then turned West and meandered its way as it followed river valleys to Eria, PA. It appears Norfolk Southern got this route when Conrail was split between NS and CSX because I found it on their interactive map. And then I found a comment that said it was on the NS Buffalo line.

Norfolk Southern Map

Greg Obst posted
Pennsylvania Railroad coaling tower and maintenance shops at the Renovo Yards know known at the Renovo Heritage spark in Renovo PA. Photo from this afternoon [June 26, 2021].
Terry Capozza: Took train axle's to a car shop there in the late 70's.
Mark Mldr: Sadly, city leadership 25 years ago thought it was progress to remove many of the historic buildings to make way for new industry, which never came. I wandered the maintenance shops before the demolitions when scores (one hundred-ish?) of cabooses were stored in the yard after retirement.

Satellite

Pete's comment: "Old PRR Coaling tower and shops in Renovo Pa. Jan 30, 2016."

Another comment indicated the caboose is not genuine PRR. It is a rather rough looking heritage park. If it is a park, it seems he could have gotten closer for the shots. I wonder if NS or CSX got this part of the PRR when Conrail was split up. But I don't wonder enough to research something in the state of Pennsylvania.

Pete Bloom posted

Pete Bloom posted

Pete Bloom posted

Tim Heckman posted
the old coaling tower at Renovo PA

Update: AltoonaWorks has posted a photo of the tower. This time I noticed the scars of the roundhouse. It looks like they built one of the new shop buildings over part of the former roundhouse.  It looks like there used to be five old shop buildings, only one of which still stands. And the shadow in the middle shows that they still have a tall smokestack.

Satellite

Patrick Wilson posted two photos with the comment: "Renovo, PA 6-20-19...looks like it's in decent shape."
Ken Hough The ironwork is still on the coal tower. That’s unusual.
Mike Salvatore so sad the town could not find a outfit to move in the full shops..
Peter Kurt This was very active as a rebuilder a few years ago.
Troy Baney Supposedly, the power plant that will be located where the shops are now is still in the works, albeit moving slowly.

[I wonder what kind of power plant. I'm used to see power plants being shut down, not built.]

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Thomas Tarantella posted

Steven Monteiro commented on Thomas' post

Raymond Storey posted eight images with the comment: "The PRR...Renovo PA. The tipple was converted to sand when diesels replaced steam engines."

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1 of 38 photos posted by Jack Witthaus
Chuck Yost inspired me to visit and explore Renovo, PA and what remains of a Pennsylvania RR shop town. Halfway between Philadelphia and Erie but in the middle of nowhere, a once thriving town built to serve the railroad is now a relic. Scant remains of a 25 track yard and huge shop buildings dating to the 19th century lie in tall grass. The footprint of a roundhouse can be seen from the air. A single mainline track faces the quiet town where lines once encircled the complex. The coaling tower stands alone. 3/25/23
Leland Dean Fultz shared

Leland commented on his share
What's left of the turntable.
John Blotnick: And at least one transfer table. May have been three total.

John's comment about transfer tables motivated me to find an historic aerial photo.

EarthExplorer: Mar 2, 1944 @ 27,200; AR1AY0000010090

The comments on Gerry Dombroski's post has more photos and 1938, 1959 and 1968 aerials.

Andrew Andrade Gold Too bad it’s getting torn down for a power plant.