National Register of Historic Places

Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable

El Portal, Mariposa County, California
Listed
April 12, 1979
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79000316

About this property

The Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable are associated with the Yosemite Valley Railroad (YVRR), which ran from Merced, California to El Portal at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. The railroad operated from 1907 to 1945. The structures now located at El Portal were built in Bagby, and were moved from that location in 1966 when the townsite was to be inundated by the filling of Lake McClure behind New Exchequer Dam. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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

Location

El Portal, Mariposa County, California
37.67414, -119.78063

Categories

TRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose No. 15
Industrial
0.1 mi
Track Bus No. 19
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hetch Hetchy Railroad Engine No.6
Industrial
0.1 mi
El Portal Old Schoolhouse
Industrial
0.4 mi
McCauley and Meyer Barns
Industrial
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable listed on the National Register?

Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 12, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable?

Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable?

The period of significance for Bagby Stationhouse, Water Tanks and Turntable is recorded as the industrial era.

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