Re: Joint Shops Question

From what I recall talking to others about the shopping of NG engines and from Wagner's book, etc, the 7th St shop handled repairs on these engines until the Joint Shops were built in 1922 out by what is now North Yard.

These shops for many years were and may still be the Associated Grocers Warehouse.

The "Q" closed the shops in 1955. NG engines were shipped to & from 7th St via flat cars as noted in one of the posts. And thus the 346 flat car shot loaded to be moved to the new shop after the accident.

Shortly after the shop was opened, a picture of one of the tandem compound 500 series engine was being lifted by the overhead cranes, and in the background was a NG 2-8-0 under repair. I do not know of any other photos on NG power having been taken at the Joint shops.

I vaguely remember seeing the stored in red lead 5625 (poppet valve engine) outside, south of the main shop building. It had been kept there for a spare boiler/parts should any of the other assigned lines west 5600's require major work. As most of know, the 5629 was one of two last shopped 5600's having major classified repairs done. This probably included a few C&S engines in 1954???

The former shop at 7th St apparently continued doing some repairs, probably lighter running repairs or perhaps Class 4 or 5 work until the Burlington Truck lines took over the main part of the building for truck work. I don't know when that took place (1940's?).

The Blacksmith shop, included in, but separated by wall from the back shop was at the east end of the building. It remained in place to support locomotive repair work to about the end of steam. I went in there a few times but no or little steam hammer work was done. As it was explained to me that the hammer was was kept for emergency work. But it did serve two functions, where the boilermakers kept there tools and a car bottom furnace for annealing drawbar & safety bar at quarterly inspections. The furnace was very noisy when in operation.

While I never ventured into that main part of the shop building, wish I had just for the memory of it.

The former shop offices that fronted on 7th St opposite the roundhouse at that time still housed the C&S mechanical department offices including one room where the drawings were stored and the (acting) mechanical engineer George Lundberg spent his time. A very competent and even tempered individual, Mr.Lundberg had designed the Walscheart valve gear conversion on the ex-DB&W, C&S, RGS 74 now at CRRM. After steam was gone, the offices and buildings not required were closed & torn down. And eventually everything disappeared - only to remain a memory.

Chris