Full Roundhouse on the Union Pacific Cheyenne Division

The Cheyenne Engine Facility is the centerpiece of John Gray’s Union Pacific Cheyenne Division layout. Allen Keller has never seen a full roundhouse modeled before. It is the most impressive engine facility that he has ever seen. It takes up a lot of room, being about six feet across or so. While it is impressive and a centerpiece, it is a challenge to operate. To John, it makes an engine terminal look like an engine terminal did in the past. There were so many full circle roundhouses that existed in this country, like in New Haven, which had double full-circle roundhouses at Cedar Hill. So, he thinks it is something that catches everybody’s eye whether they are a railfan modeler or not. The turntable is indexed and the drive system was made by a manufactured control system. The design of the turntable including all of the bracing of aluminum was designed by another modeler, who is a friend and collaborator.

Phil Gazzano put the roundhouse all together and demonstrates how he did so. First, he explains the turntable drive mechanism that they came up with in conjunction with Bob Darwin’s design. It uses New York Railroad Supply components. For the geared stepper motor, Darwin came up with the idea of a solid plywood ¾-inch configuration with aluminum channel bracing. He goes on to describe the various components of the device. For more information on model railroad structures, visit the Model Railroad Academy video archives.