Park Street: 1936-1942 Question
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nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Sun Jul 22 23:42:33 EDT 2012
I have a question about the location of the Park St (Roanoke) Yard Office between 1936 and 1942.
The original office at Park Street was the circa-1882 Shenandoah Valley two-story frame building just east of Huff Mill, situated between the Westbound Main Line and Shenandoah Avenue. The yardmaster was downstairs and the Shenandoah Division Train Dispatcher(s) was/were upstairs. That building burned in 1936 (I think ) and the Shenandoah Division Train Dispatchers were moved to the Freight Station on Commerce St.
A new, one story brick Park Street Yard Office was built at the time of the general expansion of the yard in 1942. It was located just west of Park Street O.H. bridge, and in the middle of the yard, and was almost identical in appearance to the 15th Street Yard Office (also in the middle of the yard .) Around 1961, a cut of cars got away at 15th St, ran down the hill, derailed and demolished the Park Street brick Yard Office building.
After that mishap, the Park Street Yardmaster and crew register room were moved to the last "Park Street Yard Office" location, a two story brick building immediately west of the spot where Amtrak's tin-hut depot was later constructed, and just a few feet east of the north end of Park St Bridge. This whole area along Shenandoah Ave had been called Huff Mill at one time . Apparently there was indeed a mill there at one time, but the railroad had acquired the property and located its signal shop there in the 1920s. I think the signal shop functioned up until the mid-1950s, and I remember going there once with my father. And I think the two story building which served as the last Park Street Yard Office (and is still standing) was part of the Huff Mill signal department complex.
So here's the question... Between the 1936 burning of the wooden building which housed the Train Diispatchers and the old Park Street Yardmaster, and the construction of the new brick Park Street Yard Office west of Park Street Bridge in 1942, exactly where was the Park Street Yardmaster's Office located ?
I don't think I ever asked this question of any of the "Old Heads" who would ha ve known.
-- abram burnett
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