Louisville & Nashville Railway, Boyles Roundhouse, To west of Pinson Valley Parkway, Tarrant City, Jefferson County, AL

Significance: The switching yards remain in active use. Other extant facilities are not visible from public access points. Boyles Junction, at the intersection of the L. & N. main line and the mineral railroad, had existed as early as 1887. Here from 1904 to 1911 the L. & N. Railroad built a $34 million shop center including roundhouse and such advanced features as classification by gravity and car retarders. A residential community developed about the yards. In 1906, streetcar service was extended to Boyles through East and North Birmingham and the community grew. The Birmingham Waterworks canal, built in the 1880s from Five Mile Creek to North Birmingham, formed the spine of the town, today's Canal Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard. Boyles was named for Irish engineer Bartholomew Boyles, who was active in construction of the South and North Alabama (later L. & N.) Railroad across the state. The City of Boyles incorporated in 1920.
Survey number: HAER AL-81-A
Building/structure dates: 1904 Initial Construction