There was a round house I believe in Pittsview, Alabama in the 1890-to 1940's I wanted to know if the Seaboard Air Line was an individual line and if it moved to that area from the Carolina's and was this expansion or for some other reason? They have removed all the rail road ties and tracks from the area now and the only remanents are the places by the road where the markers and/or ties are stacked. Why did the move the round house and where did they move it to? My grandfather William H. Wood was a blacksmith for the railroad and his shop was next to the track; round house and I have heard many stories about life back then and want to know anything about this area and the train lines back in this period of history.

-- victoria anne powell (fables@fablesinc.com), August 31, 2000

Answers

I lived in Pittsview as a child and my family is from there. I may be able to help. Let me know.

Curtis Pitts

-- Curtis Pitts (cpitts@troyst.edu), April 12, 2002.

Prince (Seaboard Air Line Railway, Steam Boats, Locomotives and History) does not list a SAL roundhouse at Pittsview, but does list one at Birmingham. Is it possible that the roundhouse belonged to some other line, and worked for SAL on a contract basis?

-- Jim Hecht (JimHecht@aol.com), September 01, 2000.

Pittsview, Alabama, is 73 miles southeast of Montgomery on the old Seaboard Air Line Ry., at milepost 264.3 The line through Pittsview was built by the SAVANNAH AMERICUS & MONTGOMERY RR (The "SAM" Route) and opened to Montgomery on April 15, 1892. The SAM went into receivership in 1895 and was purchased by parties affiliated with the "Seaboard Air Line" system of railroads, a group of connecting companies in the South Atlantic states. The SAM was reorganised on July 29, 1895 as the ALABAMA & GEORGIA RR, that company being merged into the SAL on July 1, 1900. The SAL joined the ACL on July 1, 1967 as the Seaboard Coast Line. The roundhouse at Pittsview may have been established by the SAM and would have been one of many along the line, usually at division points or junctions. When the railroads phased out steam locomotives in favor of more economical diesel power in the 1950's, many roundhouses became redundant and were torn down. It is doubtful if the Pittsview roundhouse, as a building, was "moved", except as loads of rubble. Railroad companies usually rased unneeded buildings to avoid paying property taxes.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), September 01, 2000.