Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
29 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
29 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
29 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
29 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Michigan Dearborn The Roundhouse at Greenfield Village

The Roundhouse at Greenfield Village

One of the few working locomotive roundhouses in the United States.

Dearborn, Michigan

Added By
DJ Holzhueter
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The roundhouse at Greenfield Village.   Joe Ross/cc by-sa 2.0
The roundhouse at Greenfield Village.   Joe Ross/cc by-sa 2.0
The roundhouse at Greenfield Village.   priceman 141/cc by 2.0
The engineer blowing ash from the engine before it enters the turntable.   Joe Ross/cc by-sa 2.0
Thomas the Tank Engine enters the roundhouse.   Joe Ross/cc by-sa 2.0
Big wrenches in the roundhouse.   priceman 141/cc by 2.0
A steam train enters the roundhouse.   Joe Ross/cc by-sa 2.0
A steam train enters the roundhouse.   Joe Ross/cc by-sa 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Steam hisses and massive boilers rumble in the muted light. The smells of coal and grease fill the air. A locomotive sits on a track, bellowing a column of steam and smoke into a smokestack while workers in dirty overalls shovel dusty coal into its belly, getting it ready to take it out onto the track for another day. This scene isn't playing out in the 1800s, but in fact is happening today, in one of the few working roundhouses in the United States.

The Detroit, Toledo, & Milwaukee Roundhouse sits in the Railroad Junction district of Greenfield Village, Henry Ford's outdoor museum opened in 1929. The roundhouse presides grandly over this section of the park, notable for its six massive black doors leading out to a huge metal turntable. Every day during the museum's open season, steam engines are shuffled on and off the 42-ton Pere Marquette turntable, heading out to the track or into the roundhouse for maintenance.

The original roundhouse was opened in Marshall, Michigan, in 1884 for the DT&M railroad line. It was notable for being paid for through a form of late-1800s crowdfunding, as the people of Marshall were eager to draw business to their town through the railroad. The roundhouse remained in Marshall until 1989, when it was completely dismantled.

The Henry Ford Museum purchased the remains of the roundhouse and reassembled it in Dearborn, restoring it to its appearance around the 1920s. In June of 2000, the roundhouse opened to the public, allowing visitors to learn about railroad history while also seeing the sort of maintenance done on the park's working locomotives and the Weiser Railroad, the locomotive track circling the village.

Visitors can still visit the roundhouse throughout the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter, after the village is closed, daily work still progresses for some of the roundhouse's more intensive projects. The village's steam locomotives are brought in daily for maintenance, and other projects are performed. Among the locomotives are the 1873 Torch Lake, the oldest-running steam engine in the United States, and the 1897 Baldwin #7, one of Ford's personal engines. Visitors can also stand under the 1902 Atlantic, a 101-ton engine bought by Ford.

Related Tags

Trains History Railroads Museums Henry Ford Transportation

Know Before You Go

Greenfield Village is open daily from April until October, with limited hours in November. Check schedules online. The turntable demonstration is performed throughout the summer at posted times, weather permitting.

Community Contributors

Added By

ACReynard

Edited By

Meg

  • Meg

Published

July 30, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/211203
The Roundhouse at Greenfield Village
20900 Oakwood Blvd
Dearborn, Michigan
United States
42.303612, -83.234219
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Owl Night Lunch Wagon

Dearborn, Michigan

miles away

The Hallmark Collection at the Henry Ford Museum

Dearborn, Michigan

miles away

Dymaxion House

Dearborn, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Dearborn

Dearborn

Michigan

Places 4
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Owl Night Lunch Wagon

Dearborn, Michigan

miles away

The Hallmark Collection at the Henry Ford Museum

Dearborn, Michigan

miles away

Dymaxion House

Dearborn, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Dearborn

Dearborn

Michigan

Places 4
Stories 2

Related Places

  •  Visitors to the Oklahoma Railway Museum can explore—and ride—century-old vessels restored by local train buffs.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Oklahoma Railway Museum

    A crew of die-hard train buffs spent decades turning a defunct stretch of railway in Oklahoma City into a museum now home to over 50 antique and restored trains.

  • Cyprus Railways Museum.

    Cyprus

    Cyprus Railways Museum

    This museum in a shuttered train station remembers the island's forgotten rail system.

  • Interior of the historic roundhouse.

    Baltimore, Maryland

    The B&O Railroad Museum

    At the birthplace of American railroading, a world-class collection of historic trains.

    Sponsored by Visit Maryland
  • The museum is housed in a former rail depot last used in 1913.

    Winter Garden, Florida

    Central Florida Railroad Museum

    An unsuspecting brick building outside Orlando houses decades of train ephemera.

  • The front of two trains on dispaly

    Scranton, Pennsylvania

    Steamtown National Historic Site

    The train collection of an eccentric New England seafood mogul is now a National Historical Site.

  • Travel Town

    Los Angeles, California

    Travel Town Museum

    A miniature train theme park, free to the public, laying at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains.

  • A ride by steam locomotive through the Robinson Canyon.

    Ely, Nevada

    Nevada Northern Railway Museum

    This former mining railroad is one of the best-preserved short lines in North America.

  • East Broad Top Railroad

    Rockhill, Pennsylvania

    East Broad Top Railroad

    Catch a ride through the Pennsylvania countryside on this historic narrow-gauge railroad.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.