Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Transportation

Location

72 Roundhouse Rd, Oneonta, NY 13820, USA

Lat/Long

42.44986, -75.08395

Grant Recipient

Greater Oneonta Historical Society

When constructed in 1906, the Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) Roundhouse was heralded as one of the finest ever created. Some have argued that, for a time, it was the largest—or at least one of the largest—built as well. Whether or not it held that title, the D&H Roundhouse was undoubtedly an impressive structure that helped the D&H service one of its busiest lines. This marker commemorates the once bustling roundhouse that serviced countless trains, and remnants of the old structure can still be viewed. The D&H Roundhouse remains a point of pride to locals who recognize it as a symbol of the commerce and industry it helped bring the railway city of Oneonta.

The D&H railway was one of the most prominent in the Northeast, connecting cities and communities across the region. Beginning as a canal corporation named the D&H Canal Company, it provided cities throughout the area with access to the rich anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania. The company soon pivoted to railroads as leadership realized the trends of the time, and in 1899 Canal was dropped from the company’s name. The late 19^th century and early 20^th century was a marked period of growth, which included the 1906 Oneonta Roundhouse. Prior to the 1906 roundhouse another roundhouse operated in the area; however, with the growth of the railway, a larger, more up-to-date roundhouse was necessary to meet demands. As reported in the Star newspaper on Friday, May 5^th:

The new roundhouse of the D. & H. Company here now nearly complete will be the largest and the finest equipped on the D. & H. system and one of the best and most convenient in the country. Its erection was made necessary owing to the large volume of business now being done by the company, the larger types of engines used, which the old roundhouse would not shelter and permit the doors to be closed.

The article goes on to describe the immensity of the structure, demonstrating why many believe that, for a time, the D&H Roundhouse in Oneonta was the largest in operation.

The diameter of the building is 428 feet and the circumference 1,344, or over a quarter of a mile, and almost one and three-fourths miles of tracks are enclosed within it. One and one half million brick[s] were used in its construction. The turntable in the center, which is not covered, is 75 feet long, and it will be operated by an electric motor which is not being place in position. There are in the building 52 stalls, each capable of housing 80 foot engines, and each has an abundance of floor space about it for working on the engines.

The roundhouse continued to be used until 1954, when it was shut down and partially razed. In the decades to follow more stalls were town down, though as of 2022, remnants of the structure could still be viewed from the marker site.