Philadelphia, PA: CSX/B&O Eastside Yard, Roundhouse and (RG) Tower

Turntable:(Satellite)

Railyard: (Satellite, a lot of the tracks still exist.)

Original Tower: (Satellite, based on the aerial photos below. Not only have the tracks changed, but so has the shore of the river.)

Richard Maguire posted

East Side yard in Philadelphia, back in the early 1950's when RG Tower was a free standing structure.  Photo from my collection, unknown photographer or date of photo.

This Tower stood between the eastbound ladder and 'the pocket' track, next to the Main tracks.

Darren Reynolds shared

 

1967/70 Philadelphia Quad @ 24,000

 

Mar 11, 1953 @ 20,000; AR1XI0000010132

 

I think the tower is near the middle of the bottom of this photo.

Digitally Zoomed

This was labeled RG Tower on Google Maps.

Street View, Jun 2011

Richard Maguire posted six photos with the comment:

Taken at the B&O East Side, PA roundhouse area, in Philadelphia.

I shot this series of color slides when I was working as Hostler in 1972.  

The roundhouse itself had burned to the ground a few weeks prior to my being hired as a Fireman. I did however get a chance to walk through the roundhouse several weeks before the fire, when I had applied for a job as Locomotive Fireman.  Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me at that time.

Does anyone have any photos of the Philadelphia Roundhouse ?

1
A pair of GP-40's on the turntable.

2
Only the concrete base of the stalls remain after the fire.

3
I shot this photo after spotting the GP-9 for sand.

4

View from the top of the sand house.

You can see the caboose storage and service tracks to the right of the picture.

We also serviced Reading and CNJ locomotives here.

5
Both F-7A's and F-7B's were still in service at this time.

6
A former B&O RPO Baggage car was placed on a stall track to serve as a tool storage car after the fire.

Richard Maguire posted six photos with the comment: "Here are several additional photos I shot when I was working as 2nd Trick Hostler at the B&O Locomotive Facility in Philadelphia, back in 1971 and 1972.  None of this area remains as shown here."

1
When I first hired, Most all yard assignments at East Side used these Alco Switchers. Here, I believe an S-2 class #9010 is sitting on a stall track of the former roundhouse.

2
B&O GP-40 #3731 is on the turntable.

3
One Sunday afternoon, when things were slow, I moved this F-7A #4552 on to the turntable. Then swung the table around so the lighting was right to get this photo. This was much to the delight of several railfans who had stopped in to shoot some photos. But Not to the roundhouse Foreman, who yelled to "put that engine back where you found it", out his window.

4
One of two shots of wreck crane #X-251.

Bill Stull: My dad was the wreck master on that crane.

5
Another view of X-251. This was a coal fired crane.

6
This was the Tender which went with the crane, suppling coal and water. Obviously this came from a former B&O steam locomotive.