Back wall from Cedar St.

NG503049

Back wall from Cedar St.

Facilities

The most blatantly outdated facility of the Shelby Street engine terminal is of course its roundhouse. Even if the diesel revolution had not occurred, this ancient structure should surely have been up for retirement, since it falls far short of being the type of place required to house and care for modern steam power. On top of that, the poor old building has been grossly abused and neglected. As a result, it has decayed to the point where it is a major eyesore, and the origin of some bad publicity for the NYC (any surviving steam terminal, regardless of its condition, is suspect these days, now that dieselization has made so many communities super-sensitive about smoke). The view of the roundhouse most commonly seen by the public is unfortunately the least flattering, if the spectacle of this ruin could be flattered by observation from any angle. From this spot, where Cedar Street runs into Shelby Street, it must seem to the average person as though some truck driver had failed to heed the sign and had plowed right through the roundhouse wall. Actually, a Shelby Street hostler was the culprit; the wall was knocked out by a frisky engine which he failed to curb.

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor

2-1/4x3-1/4 neg

May-56

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Roundhouse

436

Shelby St., Indianapolis, IN

See NG503049a