Sidney, NY Had A Roundhouse Too!

For many years I have discussed the Oneonta D&H Roundhouse, which was "the largest railroad roundhouse in the world." There is nothing left of this historic place, but the memories of the old "railroaders" lives on.

What I did NOT know, is that roundhouses were fairly common in the old days.  Many smaller communities had roundhouses too, like Unadilla and Norwich.  But I had no idea until recently that my hometown of Sidney also had a roundhouse !

Friends have tipped me off to the N.Y.O.& W. Roundhouse just past the cemetery on East Main Street in Sidney, in an area known as "Brooklyn." Phelps Hose Fire Department is also in the area.  There once was a large freight house near the Sidney bowling area.  The roundhouse was back in behind that. The Sidney Roundhouse, built in 1904,  had four stalls and a turntable.  It burned down in 1917.  It was then rebuilt as a one stall roundhouse in 1919, with the original turntable being retained.  It was demolished in the 1950s.

Like the gigantic Oneonta Roundhouse, the tiny Sidney roundhouse is long gone..but not forgotten

Here is a photograph of an N.Y.O.&W. steam locomotive on the turntable at Sidney's original railroad roundhouse in 1909.