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Roundhouse and Turntable at Durango, CO The original roundhouse was constructed in 1882. It was built of red brick with timber roof framing. There were 10 stalls for the locomotives. In 1905 stalls 9 and 10 were modified for standard gauge locomotives. Then in 1951 stall 1 was converted to storage. Stalls 1 through 4 were demolished in 1971 and stalls 7 through 10 were remodeled to accommodate doghouse tenders.
In 1989, a fire destroyed most of the roundhouse. The next year it was rebuilt by the D&SNG. The new model has 18 stalls and a large shop extension on the north side. The rebuilt version has sections that are done in the original brick style in the areas where the original roundhouse stood. The additional 8 stalls on the south end have a more modern brick facia.
Inside the current roundhouse the wooden timbers in the roof framing help give that old time look. There are complete service stalls with deep floor pits.
TURNTABLE
Perhaps the most famous piece of equipment on the D&SNG railroad is the operating turntable and its accompanying roundhouse. This marvelous machine is used to spin the locomotives around so they can go the other direction on the tracks. In the 1924 the original 50 feet turntable bridge was changed to a 65 feet model. The new unit had riveted plate girder beams built by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company and a concrete pit. It was brought over from Alamosa and could carry larger K-series locomotives.
The turntable was powered by attaching a hose to the air supply of a locomotive. The air runs a motor on the turntable bridge.
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