A section house is a building or house-like structure located near or next to a section of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

used for housing railroad workers, or for the storing and maintenance of equipment for a section of railroad. Section houses were used mainly from the 1890s to the 1960s. By the 1970s, section houses were being slowly phased out. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

section houses were usually located right across from the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Examples

United States

;Alaska *

Potter Section House The Potter Section House is a historic section house in Anchorage Borough, Alaska. It is located at Mile 115.3 of the Seward Highway and Mile 100.6 of the Alaska Railroad. It is a -story wood-frame structure with a gable roof. The main facad ...

Potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

, Alaska, now housing a small museum with a rotary snow plow and crew cars, located south of

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

. * Whitney Section House, built in 1917 in

Wasilla, Alaska Wasilla ( Dena'ina: ''Benteh'') is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the st ...

. ;Arizona * Benson Section House, built by

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

in 1880s–'90s in

Benson, Arizona Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, Arizona, United States, east-southeast of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and still serves as such. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 c ...

. * Elgin Section House,

Elgin, Arizona Elgin is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 161 at the 2010 census. Geography Elgin is located along the Babocomari River at (31.629095, -110.571951). The Babocomari is known to h ...

, built for the now-abandoned Benson-to-Nogales mainline of the New Mexico & Arizona Railroad (later Southern Pacific). * Patagonia Railroad Section Foreman Residence, built next to the Patagonia Depot in 1904 by New Mexico & Arizona Railroad and moved to its present location in

Patagonia, Arizona Patagonia is a town in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 913. It developed in the mid-19th century as a trading and supply center for nearby mines and ranches. In the 21st century, it is a t ...

in 1964. * Skull Valley Section House, built in the 1920s in

Skull Valley, Arizona Skull Valley ( yuf-x-yav, Pa:qwawa Kyo) is a small, unincorporated town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. It is located seventeen miles west of Prescott. The community has a post office. As of the 2020 census, the population in the ...

. * Wickenburg Section House, built by

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

in 1925 in

Wickenburg, Arizona Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 7,474, up from 6,363 in 2010. History The Wickenburg area, along with much of the Southwest, became part of ...

. ;Kansas * Kansas Pacific Railway Section House, an 1879 stone railroad superintendent's residence, one of only two remaining

Kansas Pacific Railroad The Kansas Pacific Railway (KP) was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. At a time when the first transcontine ...

structures.

Wallace, Kansas Wallace is a city in Wallace County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 41. History The city began with the establishment of Fort Wallace, ordered built by General William Tecumseh Sherman. The firs ...

. ;Oregon * Maupin Section Foreman's House, built in 1910 in

Maupin, Oregon Maupin is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. Located on the Deschutes River, much of the city's economy is related to the river through outdoor activities, such as fishing and rafting. The population was 418 at the 2010 census. Histo ...

. Now used as museum commemorating the Deschutes Railroad War ;South Carolina * Little Mountain Section House in Little Mountain, built in 1890 by the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad

Gallery

File:POTTER SECTION HOUSE.jpg, Potter Section House in Alaska. Image:Railroad section house, Elgin, Arizona.jpg, Section house for the New Mexico & Arizona Railroad, Elgin, Arizona. The railroad line ran just to the right of the large porch, approximately where the large cottonwood tree now stands. File:Wickenberg -Santa Fe Section House-1925.jpg, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway section house in Wickenburg, Arizona. File:Railroad_Section_Foreman_Residence_In_Benson_Arizona_2015.jpeg, Southern Pacific section foreman's house in Benson, Arizona. File:Maupin Section Foremans House - Maupin Oregon.jpg, Maupin Section Foreman's House in Maupin, Oregon.

External links

True Tales from a CPR Section House
{{Railway_track_layouts Railway buildings and structures Canadian architectural styles American architectural styles

Examples

United States

Gallery

See also

External links