Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable

Bagby Stationhouse is a rectangular wood frame structure measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) by 40 feet (12 m). The two-story building was designed for a narrow site between the railroad tracks and the Merced River at Bagby. The hipped roof overhangs by 3 feet (0.91 m). The downstairs portion of the station comprises three rooms, a waiting room at one and a freight room at the other, separated by an office. The second floor was built as living accommodations for the stationmaster, with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bath and enclosed porch.[2] The station is now used by the Yosemite Conservancy.

There are two water tanks at El Portal, salvaged from Bagby. The wood tanks stand on a timber structure and are 30 feet (9.1 m) high overall. A gabled standing seam metal roof runs over both tanks, whose wood sides are held with iron bands. The support framing is 12" x 12" timber.[2]

The turntable was built at Bagby. It is reputed to be the last manually operated gallows-frame standard-gauge turntable left in the United States. The turntable was built of heavy timber, tied together with iron rods. The central gallows is a 16-foot (4.9 m) timber frame, with a king post truss composed of one-inch iron rods from the frame to the ends of the turntable.The turntable pivoted on wheels running on a single circular rail, 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter.[2]

The structures are located on National Park Service-owned property in El Portal, just outside Yosemite National Park proper, and are administered by the park. The ensemble was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1979.[1]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Yosemite National Park
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mariposa County, California

Media related to Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable at Wikimedia Commons

• Yosemite Valley Railroad website