Nice photo of the Anchorage roundhouse, WWIl or shortly afterwards? The smoke above it may be from steam locomotives that are under steam. Each of the chimneys would be above the place where a locomotives smoke stack would be when parked inside. You can barely see the turntable ring just south of it. - Dick Morris

 

Congrats on the Anchorage round house photo, the only one I am aware of that shows the entire building before fire reduced it to four stalls.  Probably taken from the top of Government Hill East of the road.

Notice one of the many ARR Alco RSD1 locos setting on a stub off the turntable to the right.  These are distinguished from the 1000 and 1001 RS1 by having a rectangular stack.  These arrived starting in 1947.

Note the array of vintage (now) vehicles parked behind the Round house.  The building was heated by steam heat from the central power plant so the steam show is probably from heating equipment in the building.  They also kept the steam loco boilers warm with connections to the power plant.

Eagle Eye Dick Morris asks "What is that thing across the valley that looks like a ski jump?".  Just what it looks like.  BTV (before TV) people actually enjoyed winter sports in Anchorage.  Very active employee groups built hockey rinks, a curling rink and yes, a ski jump.  I believe this lined up with the end of Barrow Street.  The heavy timber legs to the left of that supported the City of Anchorage Water Tower.

There are a hundred stories buried in this photo.  Very thankful it surfaced. - Patrick Durand

Photo from Beth Curro Van Couwenberghe