EBT Virtual Tour
Rockhill Roundhouse

Photo of Rockhill Roundhouse Photo of Rockhill Roundhouse
Mile Mark: 11.00
Elevation: 630'
Date Built: 1882
Published Photos: EBT 53, 63, 140, 187, 194, 219
Published Plans: AEBT 212-213
Also see the Rockhill Roundhouse in the EBT Virtual Shops Tour.

In the winter of 1873, after the EBT reached Rockhill, a temporary enginehouse was erected. In spring 1874 a four stall brick enginehouse was erected in its place. In 1881 a severe storm blew down the end walls of that roundhouse. In 1882, either the original structure was repaired adding two stalls or a completely new six stall brick structure was built. It is said that brick from the Rockhill Furnace was reused in its construction, but this is unlikely since the furnaces operated until 1907.

Insurance maps from 1894, 1904 and 1911 depict the roundhouse with a hip roof, but a postcard view from prior to 1908 and two other photos from between 1904 and 1911 depict it with no hip. Possibly the detail was simply not revised in the 1911 map. In any case the roundhouse had a steeper roof pitch than today, a ridge vent over all six stalls, and tall pipe-like smokejacks. Sometime between 1908 and 1913, still with its six shallow stalls, the building received a low slope roof similar to the one on it today, along with six independent ridge vents, again similar to the current ones.

Stalls 7 and 8 were added to the building by 1917, likely before the move of the back wall. Up until this time the rear wall of the roundhouse had single windows for each stall. Prior to 1933, and most likely in the late 1910's when the largest locos were arriving, the back wall of the roundhouse was pushed out from 5 courses to 7, the roofline was set back with a long front gable and a shorter back gable, and double windows were added to the backs of the stalls. This could be where bricks from the furnace were reused on the roundhouse. Most likely the expansion took place between 1911 and 1917. Over the years it received two more stalls and differing smokejacks, probably dating from the time of the stall expansion.

In 1933 a leanto bus garage addition was added for the East Broad Top Transit Company. Since its previous garage burned, nearly taking the roundhouse with it, this one was built with steel sheathing and steel roof trusses. #16, known for its tricky throttle, once ran through the back wall of the stall currently belonging to #14.

The building is of brick construction with a frame roof. Currently, the structure has smokejacks on stalls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 and vents on 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Stall 8 has swinging wood double doors on its outer wall, and is separated from the other stalls by a frame wall. The front pitch of the roof is covered with green asphault shingles and the rear with rolled roofing.

The six mikados, M-1, M-7 and sometimes M-6 reside in the stalls today. The garage houses a 1950's EBT delivery van, the company backhoe and a cinder block enclosure for the storage of the precious casting patterns.

Roundhouse Stall Roster
Stall Current Early tourist Late Common Carrier
1 M-1 M-1 #11 (pre 1942)
2 #14 #14 ?
3 #15 #15 ?
4 #17 #17 #15
5 #12 #18 #16
6 #16 #12 #18
7 #18 #16 #14
8 M-7 M-4 ? M-1

Carbarn Stall Roster
Stall Occupant
1 low-boy trailer
2 1950's delivery van
3 backhoe
4 dumptruck
5 enclosure
6 enclosure

HAER info at the Library of Congess site>

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