The Oneonta Roundhouse provides the definitive account of the birth, life, and death of the world's largest railroad roundhouse, built in the early 1900s in Oneonta, New York. Jim Loudon, a founding member of the Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society, describes in detail the earlier roundhouses built on the site by the Delaware & Hudson Railroad, and how the company's rapid growth led to the turntable's expansion. He provides specific information about the background politics and the construction of the primary roundhouse, and the improvements made to the monumental building over the years. The book is heavily illustrated, with 122 photos and 53 maps and diagrams, including full schematics for the roundhouse, turntable, and adjacent buildings. Other chapters focus on the D&H's Challenger locomotives, and the coal pocket fire of 1946 that ultimately ended in tragedy. The book's epilogue chapter includes Loudon's photographs of the building's twilight, taken only months before the remaining structure was dismantled. About the Second Edition First published in 1993, The Oneonta Roundhouse has sold over 3000 copies worldwide, a tribute to its story and the continuing interest in railroading history. This second edition includes some revisions, a table of contents, and a new preface by the author. About the Author Jim Loudon is a native of Otsego County and currently resides in the West End of Oneonta, New York. He graduated from the State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1972 with a BS in Liberal Arts, majoring in art and history. In 1982 Jim organized the Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society, which currently operates the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad tourist train ride, and for which he has served as Conductor, Engineer, and Brakeman. For over two decades Jim has devoted his time to researching the local area's railroad history, authoring several articles on the subject, as well as a second book, Leatherstocking Rails: A History of Railroading Along the Upper Susquehanna (2005). A practitioner of the visual arts, the subjects of Jim's paintings, drawings and photographs include wildlife, landscapes, locomotives and antique tractors.

Oneonta is the only city in the large Central New York counties of Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie. The earliest settlers in 1780 knew the place as a “dammed hemlock swamp.” By 1930, it had become an established regional metropolis towering over all area localities. Oneonta is an exciting story, and this comprehensive book is a unique treasure. The big stories are all there, such as the turnpikes, Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, D&H, cigar rolling, normal school, Hartwick College, and more. Yet so are accounts of sidewalks, cemeteries, boardinghouses, Barn Hill, charity, piano manufacturer, and many others. Maybe more important still was the predominant thought about business affairs. There is much on that too. With rich detail and over 350 heavily annotated pictures, those 150 years to the Great Depression are described as never before and, most likely, never again.

Out with the old, in with the new. That was common thinking around the northeastern United States after World War II when it came to modernizing cities. Oneonta, New York, was no exception.

The Delaware and Hudson Railway has a grand and glorious history that began in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. The Delaware and Hudson Canal; Gravity Railroad; the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive in America in 1829; and the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad provided the necessary stepping stones for successfully transporting anthracite by rail to New York State. In 1906, the massive roundhouse was built in Oneonta during the glory days of steam power, and in 1931 the company became known as the Delaware and Hudson Railway. Today the railroad serves as a bridge line, providing an important link in moving heavy freight. Delaware and Hudson Railway enlightens rail fans with historic photographs and rekindles the nostalgia for the great railroad era.

This is an upgraded second edition of this book. it is a 60 year history of the the Delaware & Hudson Railroad at Oneonta, NY. The author was introduced to railroads through visiting the Oneonta yards and shops with his Grandfather in the 1950's. This fascination continued for 6 decades. This book records the author's personal experiences watching trains at Oneonta over the next 60 years. This story also chronicles the parallel history of the Delaware & Hudson railroad activities in Oneonta from its heyday in the steam era to its final demise as an important railroad center.