Ryan,
The coaling tower was east of the roundhouse on the inbound house track
that comes off 13 in the west yard.
There was also an ash pit just east of it. The two tracks parallel to the
inbound were added when the coal tower came down and became the "new" west Rip.
The old west rip was off "A" yard west of the wagon bridge. I recall 4 rip
tracks there. They came out after the new rip was in place. Switching the new
rip was a royal pain as you used the two roundhouse tracks and sometimes even
the turntable to make the moves.
There is an upcoming BRHS Zephyr article on the "A" yard so I dont want to
say anymore about it here other than today it is the east end of the high
numbered west yard tracks. It used to be seperate.
East yard:
The old east rip is still where it always been. See BRHS Zephyr 62 for an
in depth piece on the Reclamation Plant that used to stand where the
rail/truck transfer stuff goes on today. The east yard used to look quite a
bit different. Early on track 10 was the highest number.Then 11,12 and 13 were
added to hamdle the long gone "J" steel transfer business. What you call 1 today
didnt exist until a few years ago. 1 and 2 used to only go the just west of the
middle of the yard. There were two tracks off Mc Clure road that were called the
slag hole tracks,they ran toward the west and were lower than the rest of the
yard.Its all been filled in for the extnded 1,2 and 3 tracks.
We used to pass signals in the east yard with the help of a shanty with a
signal that was between 10 and 11 near the east end of those tracks.
I believe Zephyr 64 is going to have an in depth article on Eola
Roundhouse.
Leo Phillipp