Hanna Roundhouse Revisited

Our little group of history nuts has visited the Hanna Alberta Roundhouse many times over the years. In the past it stood there abandoned with an uncertain future and we fully expected when next we returned it’d be gone. Fast forward to today and the building (since late 2013), is now safely in the hands of the Hanna Roundhouse Society, who’s working hard to preserve this most unique structure. That’s one more heritage building saved from the chopping block and a collective sigh of relief heard by all. And we’re here for a tour. Come, join us!

A roundhouse is a large structure, semi-circular in shape like one of those foldable fans, typically quite old and located at railway division points, junctions or major terminals. Its purpose was in the service of steam locomotives, a place for them to be worked on, lubed up or bedded down between runs. In addition, via the turntable out front, they could be spun around so as to point in the right direction for their next trip (for modern diesels this matters little). There would be many support structures nearby including those for the fuelling and watering of locomotives, along with bunk houses and such for the crews. Not really necessary today, few roundhouses remain.

Old photos seen remind us the building was a busy place back in the day. That’s quite a contrast to our latest visit where only the occasional rumble from a gathering storm overhead, or the click of the camera, was heard to break the silence.

The roundhouse dates from 1913 with the arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway in town. This stretch of track, a secondary mainline running from Saskatoon west to Calgary, was fed by a number of (mostly) grain gathering branch lines over the years. Hanna was about mid-way between the two ends and became a divisional point. In about 1920, the CNoR was folded into Canadian Nationals Railways, who continued to use the line up until about 2010. Rails remained in place for many years after closing but by 2014 had been pulled up. Some in the Hanna yard, and near the roundhouse were left behind, however. Some remains of the “Goose Lake” line still see trains as each end. It was the middle section abandoned.

Some of the rails left behind date from the 1910s-1920s period. Clinker, the leftovers from burning coal and coming from deep in the belly of a steam locomotive, litter the ground.

Welcome to the Historic Hanna Roundhouse!

There are rumours the line might be resurrected by the CNR, but talk is all it is right now. We called the railway only to get a “no comment” response. Like that came as a surprise. Still, they’re holding on to the roadbed which suggests they’re up to something. Maybe one day the trains will run again? Near the end the line saw four or so freights per day we’re told. In the distance past is was far busier. Hard to imagine looking around now.

The roundhouse initially had ten stalls with an additional five longer ones being added about 1920. The latter were demolished a half dozen years ago with only a cement pad and piles of bricks remaining. An addition off the back of the building was a machine shop. Old pulleys for the belt driven tools remain up high there. There used to be an inspection pit at each stall, but these have been filled in. Interior rails are gone too. Large barn-doors at each stall allowed locomotives to come and go. These move with little effort, surprisingly.

There used to be a steam plant at the site which drove machinery, charged cold locomotives and powered the turntable. Old style push-button light switches are found throughout the building.

In the 1940s the roundhouse roof, but only in the ten stall section, was raised to accommodate the larger steam locomotives in use at the time.

Out front is a turntable, a bridge type structure mounted atop a pivot, allowing it to spin around or line up with each of the stalls. Several “shop” tracks would lead to the roundhouse from the nearby yard a bit to the east. Each end of the turntable is supported by wheels on rails. With a bit of work, I suspect it could be made to operate again.

Moving into the diesel era, the building fell into disuse. Newer locomotives were low maintenance in comparison and didn’t care which way they were pointed. The roundhouse was closed in 1961 but instead of being torn down, a farm machinery manufacturing firm moved in and remained here for most of that decade. Empty for a few years in the early 1970s, a cattle auction company operated out of the building circa 1974-1992. Some bleachers were put in – the old steel framing marking where they were can still be seen. In one corner scratchings on a cement pad show the date 1985. By this point, traffic on the Calgary-Saskatoon line was in decline.

After the Auction firm left the building sat empty for a couple decades. As disused places often are, it was a party place of sorts for troubled types and a target for vandals. Still the building stood strong. It is after all made of concrete and brick with only the roof and intermediate support beams of wood.

Now in retirement…

We visited it during this abandoned phase: (Hanna Roundhouse and Turntable (mid-2013) & Hanna Alberta roundhouse (late-1990s). It’s little changed in many ways, even from way back then.

The “Society” (linkie-poo: Hanna Roundhouse Society), lead by Sandra Beaudoin acquired the building in late 2013, not long after our last visit although they’d be working on it for many years prior. They’ve since cleaned the place up (no small task, believe me), secured it, worked on getting funding with the hopes that one day it could be opened up for the general public to tour. In the meantime, groups can still get inside, with an appointment and donation. Please, be generous. You can volunteer too. An earlier group tried saving the building in the 1980s, incidentally.

The building has had Alberta Provincial Historic Resource Designation since 2015.

They’ve been collecting railways artifacts to put on dispaly, which includes old signs, crossing lights, baggage carts and even a speeder (we rode one across Saskatchewan – here: Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part One and Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part Two. These little railcars were once used by maintenance crews.

Work ahead includes fixing windows and taking care of some roof problems.

This here building is rare example of an intact roundhouse complete with turntable. Not many of these are left overall – we can only think of a few, some as built, some not, some in ruins. A bit to the east is the foundation of the octagonal water tower. It’s here where steamers quenched their insatiable thirst. That pond in behind is actually a railway-made reservoir that supplied the tower. Pelicans had deposited a couple fish carcasses here. Ewww, stinky!

East of the roundhouse, where the Hanna yard used to be, is the remains of a crew shed. Not sure why it was left behind when everything else was bulldozed. All the yard tracks, save for some by the roundhouse, are otherwise gone. Nearby, we spot an empty house – we find way too many of these in small prairie towns.

They’re building a collection of artifacts.

Hanna dates back to the early 1910s and sprang to life with the coming of the railway (the towns didn’t bring the railways, the railways brought the towns). Today it has a population of about twenty five hundred and mostly its agriculture that drives the local economy, as it always has. The oil and gas industries are big too. The community sits along a busy highway connecting Calgary with Saskatoon and here parallels the former rail line.

Thanks for reading. If you have something to say or too add to the story, please scroll down to comment. We’d love to hear from you.

You can help preserve the Hanna Roundhouse…
Hanna Roundhouse Society (Facebook).
Hanna Roundhouse Society (Website).

We visited it before…
Hanna Roundhouse and Turntable.
Hanna Alberta roundhouse.

Remains of another…
Big Valley Alberta CNoR roundhouse.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: April, 2018.
Location: Hanna, AB.
Article references (and thanks): Sandra Beaudoin, Hanna Roundhouse Society, Canadian Northern Society, Book – Pioneer Days of Hanna and District,

With a donation, you can arrange to tour the roundhouse.

The little details – an ancient light switch.

This old door.

The little details – parts from a telegraph line.

Feel the textures.

Load your baggage on this cart.

Where a steamer once bedded down.

The little details – weathered wood and big bolts.

For the belt driven machine tools.

Looking up…

This old building was constructed about a century ago.

When we last visited, the roundhouse was abandoned.

The little details – corrosion.

For the turning of locomotives.

It’s ten stalls wide.

Ribbit! A switch “frog”.

The little details – steel wheels.

Line is long gone but some track was left behind.

Water tower remains – reservoir that fed it in back.

When a steamer was thirsty, it came here.

The roundhouse was built by the Canadian Northern Railway.

This rail was rolled in 1920.

Picture yourself here a hundred years ago.

The little details – rivets.

This came from the belly of a steam locomotive.

A spinning bridge.

The interior is quite spacious.

This once stood at some road/rail crossing.

Rumbles heard overhead…

It’s how we roll…

Plenty of headroom.

The little details – pull.

In the subdued light…

Switch stands.

We rode across Saskatchewan in one.

Old Theatre Seats?

The view from an old truck.

From when it was Cattle Auction Mart.

Nearby, CNR’s old crew shack in front of the empty rail yard.

In town, this vacant house.