The roundhouse holds three 15-ton overhead cranes which were used in both steam and diesel locomotive repair. A rare device known as a drop table also resides in the roundhouse - this was used not to lift, but to lower the wheels and frame of a steam locomtive out from underneath the boiler!
You can see the "H"-shaped pit here; the two long sections between the rails where locomotives were worked on from beneath, and the wide connecting section. The wide section is the key - for example, a locomotive would pull in on the left, the boiler would be held up by the two heavy beams beside the rails, and the wheels would be dropped out from underneath. Once down, the wheels could be moved sideways and brought up onto the rails on the right.
This equipment made the work under the locomotive easier, and made some tricky replacements simpler.
There are also other pieces of heavy machinery in the shops. Here we see a single-press drill in the foreground and a steam press in the background. Equipment such as this was needed to build and repair the massive parts needed for the locomotives.
All images Copyright 1998, Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum.
