Rocklin in Placer County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Rocklin's Roundhouse
Photographed by Kevin W., January 29, 2025
1. Rocklin's Roundhouse Marker
Inscription.
Rocklin's Roundhouse. . In January 1863 the Central Pacific Railroad started laying transcontinental railroad rails eastward from downtown Sacramento according to plans by Theodore Judah. Judah's intent was to build a roundhouse at Junction. now Roseville, to service the extra engines that would be needed to help trains surmount the Sierra. But Judah died that year and new CP managers decided to build the roundhouse at Rocklin instead. Closer to the point where the rail bed steepens as it heads to Auburn. The choice also reflected Rocklin's proximity to large stands of oak and pine. Each engine required 16 cords of firewood for the strain to the Sierra summit also. Train engines of the 1860s required wood and water at regular intervals and Rocklin was at a more appropriate distance from Sacramento for a train's first stop. The roundhouse was at the intersection of Front Street and Granite (now Rocklin Road) east of today's Crossroads Church. It opened in May 1867. It included 25 bays, a turntable and an 8,000 square foot woodshed. Fires crippled operations in 1869 and 1873, but the roundhouse operated until 1908 when the railroad moved all roundhouse operations to Roseville. By 1912 Rocklin's Roundhouse had become a dangerous eyesore and the Rocklin City Council required the railroad to demolish it.
In January 1863 the Central Pacific Railroad started laying transcontinental railroad rails
eastward from downtown Sacramento according to plans by Theodore Judah. Judah's intent was
to build a roundhouse at Junction. now Roseville, to service the extra engines that would be
needed to help trains surmount the Sierra. But Judah died that year and new CP managers
decided to build the roundhouse at Rocklin instead. Closer to the point where the rail bed
steepens as it heads to Auburn. The choice also reflected Rocklin's proximity to large stands
of oak and pine. Each engine required 16 cords of firewood for the strain to the Sierra summit
also. Train engines of the 1860s required wood and water at regular intervals and Rocklin was
at a more appropriate distance from Sacramento for a train's first stop. The roundhouse was
at the intersection of Front Street and Granite (now Rocklin Road) east of today's Crossroads
Church. It opened in May 1867. It included 25 bays, a turntable and an 8,000 square foot woodshed.
Fires crippled operations in 1869 and 1873, but the roundhouse operated until 1908 when the
railroad moved all roundhouse operations to Roseville. By 1912 Rocklin's Roundhouse had become
a dangerous eyesore and the Rocklin City Council required the railroad to demolish it.
Erected
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2014 by the Chapman family, the City of Rocklin and the Rocklin Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1863.
Location. 38° 47.463′ N, 121° 14.299′ W. Marker is in Rocklin, California, in Placer County. It is on Front Street just south of Rocklin Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5251 Front Street, Rocklin CA 95677, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sacramento Metro, in the Sierra Nevada, and in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
3. Rocklin's Roundhouse and Old Saint Marys Chapel Markers
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2026, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 88 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 2, 2026, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
