Shenandoah, VA: NS/N&W Depot, Railyard, Roundhouse and Machine Shop

Depot: (Satellite)

Railyard: (Satellite)

Roundhouse: (Satellite)

My first surprise was that NS is still using the depot. My second surprise is that they are doing maintenance on the building. It looks like there are at least six locomotives on a train.

Street View, could not find the date

This shows that all of the above locomotives may not be on a train. Some may be parked in the railyard.

Barry Trogu posted three photos with the comment:

Shenandoah, VA station on the Shenandoah Valley mainline in September 1998.

GE U23B #3946, a former Southern Rwy unit & high nose SD40-2 #3269 sit at the Shenandoah station in September 1998.

Another view of the Shenandoah station on rainy day in August 1984.

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In fact, three locomotives are parked in the railyard.

Street View

Another surprise is that tracks have been added to the railyard.

1937/47 Elkton Quad @ 62,500

That was such a surprise, that I got a newer map.

1965 Elkton West and East Quads @ 24,000

The 1937 topo map taught me to look for remnants of the roundhouse. We can even see some of the turntable retainer wall. I wonder why the center stalls are overgrown so much, but not the end stalls.

Satellite

Jim Allen posted
N&W railway mid-fifties Shenandoah VA Machine Shop interior photo.  You can zoom way in on this one.  I did have to pay for this image.
Jim Allen shared
I purchased this image by making a donation to the Norfolk and Western Historical Society. This machine shop building appeared to be attached to the left side of the roundhouse.  Notice the floor appears to be dirt. The walls are painted brick for better lighting I assume. This is the same thing that I did in my ho roundhouse.

Eric Stauch: a dirt floor would make sense: machine oil spillings easier to clean up.

Dennis DeBruler: Eric Stauch I heard that a dirt floor was used so that if a heavy part was dropped, neither the part nor the floor would be damaged. The CB&Q roundhouse in Aurora, IL, had concrete floors except for the back room that had forging equipment.

Richard Shulby commented on Jim's share
The 2nd roundhouse in that location was built for the N&W in 1916, replacing a c1881 roundhouse for the Shenandoah Valley RR in that location. The N&W roundhouse originally had 18 stalls, reduced to 11 by 1957, and razed within a year after that. Attached is a 1919 photo showing the new 115' turntable, photographer unknown, Roanoke Public Libraries collection..

Jim Allen posted
Apparently, the shops were dismantled and rebuilt in Ashville West Va. There is no mistaking the huge air handlers on the roof tops in either state.

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