Tender Frame Shop & Master Mechanic's Office
This 1855 structure served various purposes. Originally, workers built frames for steam engine tenders, and the Master Mechanic had his office in this building.
The tenders built here were wooden horizontal undercarriages that supported locomotive water tanks and fuel. An archway connected the Tender Frame Shop to the Machine Shop. This allowed workers to move the constructed frames for machine work.
Increasing locomotive size and technological improvements, such as replacing wooden lender frames with iron to reduce fire hazards, made the Tender Frame Shop obsolete.
In 1899, the Central added a second story. Later, the building housed scientific testing and air brake testing laboratories. The Master Mechanic’s Office occupied the first floor, as did an apprentice school.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.