CHARLES STREET ROUNDHOUSE

New Haven 344 was built by the Rhode Island Locomotive Works in 1889 as New York, Providence & Boston 44

and retired as New Haven G-2-b 973 in 1925. Photographed at the Charles Street Roundhouse not long after both the engine and building were constructed. Charles E. Fisher's negative code is on the turntable.

Construction of the Charles Street Roundhouse was begun by the Providence & Worcester and completed in 1888 after the road had been leased by the New York, Providence & Boston. Over the years it was modified, enlarged and expanded. However, expansion was constricted by Oriental, Admiral and particularly Charles Street which crossed the mainline tracks at grade when the roundhouse was built. The grade was eliminated in 1892 when the street was raised nineteen feet on a truss bridge which spanned the four track main. The fill that supported the higher level of Charles and Admiral streets came close to the roundhouse walls and cut off light as well expansion. The irregular rear wall and the different stall lengths reflect the grade crossing change and the close proximity of the streets. The original stall length was a uniform 70 feet but to the extent possible most stalls were lengthened so that seven stalls grew to a hundred or more feet, four more were over ninety feet long, and nine were eighty feet. A machine shop was built on the right end wall and next to it a three stall addition was constructed with stalls of about 108 feet which were more than adequate for the largest New Haven engines. There were drop-pits next to the machine shop and in an extension of the first stall along Oriental Street. The turntable, which probably was 70 feet originally, grew in steps to 80, 85 and finally 95 feet. After regular steam service ended early in 1952, stalls were closed, and in the mid-1950's the old section of the roundhouse was gradually razed although the tracks remained for holding diesels between runs. The new section and machine shop lasted until 1972 when the whole engine facility was closed for the Route 146 extension.

NOTE: The use of various buildings in the terminal area changed over time and identifications used in this site would not necessarily apply in every time period, i.e., there were buildings for fire cleaners, inspectors, tool checkers, etc. which had either multi-purposes or their use changed.

The Charles Street Roundhouse as seen from the coal tower in the 1940's

Charles Street Roundhouse as seen from the sand towers. Y-4 class 0-8-0 on turntable.

SOURCE: PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

The Charles Street Roundhouse c.1937

Charles Street Roundouse from the air in 1954, about three years after diesels replaced steam.

The Charles Street Roundhouse in 1941

New Haven 366 at Charles Street c.1890's.

The 4-4-0 was built by the Rhode Island Locomotive Works in 1881 as Providence & Worcester 8 and was retired in 1914 as D-13 1941.

On the turntable are the negative code numbers of Charles E. Fisher.

An early view of the Charles Street roundhouse, coaling dock and ash pit. The children are mainly here with lunch pails for their fathers. The locomotive having her fire cleaned was Providence & Worcester 12 "Jack Quint" built by the Rhode Island Locomotive Works in 1888 and scrapped in 1913. The Forney 0-4-4T is now New Haven 370 and in 1904 will become S-2 2115. She is probably working Valley Falls locals. Behind is ex-New York & New England 52, now 952 and soon D-11 1926. The 4-4-0 was built by Hinkley in 1881 and was scrapped in 1906.

CHARLES STREET CROSSING 1892 LOOKING NORTH

The boiler house and its chimney at the new Charles Street Roundhouse is at the left. The Charles Street Depot is in the center to the left of the mainline. At this time trains ran on the left, not the right. The grade crossing would be replaced in 1892 with ramps and a bridge.

CHARLES STREET CROSSING IN 1892

The roundhouse is on the right with its boiler house. The Charles Street depot is on the left. In 1892 the grade crossing would be eliminated by a bridge with the street raised to near the height of the roundhouse roof.

ALCO S-1 0995 stands in front of the three stall section added to the Charles Street roundhouse. It had long stalls of about 110 feet and was next to the machine shop seen behind 0995. PHOTO BY EDWARD J. OZOG

Penn Central RS-1 9944 in the three-stall addition to the Charles Street roundhouse in August 1971.

PHOTO BY EDWARD J. OZOG

Fairbanks-Morse road switcher No.595 is at the three-stall roundhouse addition.

The machine shop which performed light repairs is behind the 595 - major repairs were mainly performed at the large Readville shops near Boston.

The roundhouse c.1956-1957 after it began to be razed. View from Oriental Street.

The ALCO switcher stands on a track that had recently been inside the building. The Charles Street bridge is in the background.

REAR OF THE NEW THREE STALL SECTION OF THE ROUNDHOUSE

The door is in the center stall. A supply house is on the left. The siding and platform served a second supply house.

The remains of the Charles Street facility after it was closed for a highway project to connect Rt.146 and I-95. The engine facility would soon be obliterated by the new highway and the site is not recognizable. Photographed from just north of where the coal tower stood. The inspection pit was once connected to the pit on the other inbound track by an underground passageway. The building on the left had been for the inspectors and the building on the right had been for the fire cleaners who worked the ash pits that were once in front of the inspection pits. The three-stall roundhouse addition and the machine shop in the photo are all that remain of the large roundhouse.

POWER PLANT BUILT IN 1948

The power plant was built on the passenger car yard that once stood between the Charles Street and Oregon Street facilities. It fed steam to Union Station through an above ground pipe, part of which can be seen on the left. The photo was taken near the end of the Charles Street roundhouse. The sand bin and dryer building are in the foreground

The entrance to the office area on the west side wall of the roundhouse was distinguished for

decades by white paint. The ALCO switchers rest on one of the radial tracks off the turntable.

PHOTO BY LEO KING