The brick Bayshore Roundhouse was built in 1910 for steam-powered freight engines to be stored and maintained. Part of the Southern Pacific line, at its height the facilities on site included a freight yard, 25 outbound tracks, 39 inbound tracks, and a hospital for the 3,000 employees.
The Bayshore Roundhouse was abandoned in 1982 when steam became obsolete, and 2001 fire demolished much of what was left. While there were once over 200 roundhouses in California, Bayshore’s is the last standing brick roundhouse in the state. Today (2017) there are rumored to be plans to restore the property and on my visit there is construction going on at what used to be an abandoned warehouse next door. Although there is a barbed fence surrounding the Roundhouse, access is fairly easy via a gap in the fencing around the back.
Paige O'Neill Photography 