The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-08-28
NEW ROUND HOUSE
NOW IN SERVICE
Louisville & Nashville Improve
ments at BoyIes
LARGE AREA Is COVERED
Round House, Coal Chute, sand House
and Other suldIngs Completed.
Progress of the
Work.
LARGE AREA is COVERED


and at least quarter of a mile in
width. the Louisville and Nashville Rail-
road company has ample space for its
new round house, switching yards, shops
and houses for employees at Boyles.
The round house. coal chute and sand
house have been completed already
Thousands and thousands of tons Of
steel have been laid as sidetracks. and
carpenters are now busily engaged in
erecting Offices for Yard Master Bayliss,
oil houses. lantern houses. and, in fact,
all other kind of smaller buildings neces-
sary for the successful operation of big
yards of railroad.
SO far no steps have been taken toward
locating the site for the new shops. 1t
is understood, however that work on the
buildings will begin shortly. When the
plants are completed the shops of the
company, now located In Birmingham,
will be removed to Boyles.
The Site.
The site for the new shops lies In a
strip of land between the main line of
the Louisville & Nashville railroad and
the Birmingham Mineral railroad. The
location is an ideal one. The new yards
commence just north of the furnace
way and extend to a point beyond the
old Tennessee macadamized road. This
road crosses the Louisville & Nashville
main line at point near the bridge
across five Mile creek, just south of
Boyles Gap. The entire property of the
Louisville & Nashville Is being fenced in
with an elght-foot board fence. Millions
of feet, perhaps. of pine lumber will be
required to build this fence, and this is
no small item In itself
The round house was completed sew
eral months ago, and 1t Is being used
for housing engines temporarily dis
abled. Four monster engines were In the
round house Friday
The building is provided with a total
OF twenty-five tracks, all of these. of
course, leading from the immense turn
table. The building is constructed Of
brick and concrete, and liz indeed a
substantial affair. 1t Is well lighted and
ventilated. and has all modern conven-
fences of a modern round house.
The floor Ii of vitrified brick. while
the ash pits are all lined with concrete
and are well drained. There are large
water plugs at each of the pits. In adj
dition to this, In one section of the
building there Is a small pump, when
Ill.
which Will furnish the water supply for
washlngtout the boilers of the big iron
and steel moguls, as well as furnishing
a supply for the engine tanks.
Well Appointed.
The round house Is divided into two
sections, thirteen tracks being located on
the west side and twelve on the east
sid. In the center of the building there
is a well appointed office for the use of
the master mechanic. Just to the rear
of this office there are large rooms to be
used as a machine shop for the small
repairs to engines. The lathes and other
machinery in this shop will be operated
by electricity, generated by large and
powerful dynamo located in the build
ing All of this machinery Is of the very
latest pattern. being quite expensive to
install. There are lockers and other
in the round house.
Just south of this building Is located
the sand house. This Is frame struc-
ture of about twenty feet In height. BY
a new process the sand to be used by
the engines Is dried out In the top of the
and is blown into the engine.
near the sand house Is located the toilet
rooms for the employees. This is a
brick structure, and the refuse Is dis
posed of by the hot air system.
Great Coal Chute.
Next comes the enormous coal chute
and storage trestle. The trestle is 200
yards or more In length, and 1t has a
of storing thousands of tons Of
coal. On the trestle there are forty coal
bins of modern pattern for loading the
coal direct on the engines There are
also two movable coal bins.
For many months the Louisville &
Nashville has been storing coal at
Boyles, and several days ago this caught
ire from some unknown cause Water
was thrown upon the burning coal for
several days, but without success 1t |
was then decided to reload that part of
he coal which was on fire. A steam
shovel is now being used, and the coal
IS being placed on cars on a nearby sid
ng.
Another feature of the new round
house is the ash pit which is near the
turn table. This Is so arranged that the
ashes from an engine can be loaded
from the pit direct to a car, which is
standing on a side track several feet
below. In this way the cinders are
handled but once. and 1t will prove a
great saving Of time and expense.
Trolley Line.
BY the time the new shops and the |
employees houses are completed 1t liz
Inc OF the Birmingham Railway. Light |
IN Power company to Boyles will have
,een completed. At present the settle
nent around the site for the new shops
s totally without street car facilities, |
md with the hundreds Of employees who
will be put to work by the company |
when everything Is completed. this will
prove a great feeder for street car
inc. 1t is purposed to build an extension
rom the Gate City car line at a point
rear East Birmingham to BoyIes.
little settlement has sprung up al |
'eady near the round house on the Ten |
lessee road. Several small stores have |
,een built. and 1t is expected that when |