Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Roundhouse, Railway roundhouse in Victoria, Canada

The Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Roundhouse is a roundhouse completed in 1913 in Victoria, British Columbia, and designated a National Historic Site in 1992. It stands virtually unchanged since construction, surrounded by railway shops and outbuildings from the steam railway era.

The building was completed in 1913 and served for decades as the main maintenance hub for locomotives operating the Esquimalt-Nanaimo railway line. After World War II, the shift to diesel engines gradually reduced the facility's importance and eventually led to its closure as a working repair center.

The roundhouse is a National Historic Site of Canada, designated in 1992, and its buildings have stayed virtually unchanged since 1913. Visitors can see the surviving railway shops and outbuildings around it, which show how a steam-era railway yard was laid out.

The site is best reached by car or city bus, as it sits in a less central area of Victoria. The original buildings are visible from outside, though tours or special arrangements may be needed to access interior spaces.

The central turntable was an innovative mechanical system that allowed heavy steam locomotives to be moved quickly between repair bays without requiring complex track layouts. This rotating mechanism still stands and demonstrates the engineering solutions that made railway maintenance efficient.