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 using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

section houses were usually located right across from the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

. In the UK, a section house may be a building near a police station, providing collective accommodation for officers.

Examples

United States

;Alaska * Potter Section House,

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 Jerse ...

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

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

. * Whitney Section House, built in 1917 in

Wasilla, Alaska Wasilla (Denaʼina language, Dena'ina: ''Benteh'') is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States, and the List of cities in Alaska, fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanus ...

. ;Arizona * Benson Section House, built by

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

in 1880s–'90s in

Benson, Arizona Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,355. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and is located approxim ...

. * 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 ...

, 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 United States Census, 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 t ...

in 1964. * Skull Valley Section House, built in the 1920s in Skull Valley, Arizona. * 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 largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

in 1925 in

Wickenburg, Arizona Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa and Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 7,920 in 2022. H ...

. ;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 transcontin ...

structures. Wallace, Kansas. ;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. His ...

. 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

United Kingdom

A section house is a house near a police station, providing collective accommodation for officers.

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.

References

External links