Editing Rail transport operations (section)

===Locomotive operations===
Inactive locomotives may be housed in a locomotive depot (UK term) or engine house, also known as an engine shed or roundhouse (US). In [[engine facility|engine facilities]], or a [[traction maintenance depot]], locomotives are cleaned, inspected for wear, repaired, updated, or otherwise improved. Decommissioned locomotives with steam generation capacities were sometimes positioned in semi-permanent locations and their boiler capacity was used to provide steam to heat facilities, power machinery, warm passenger cars, or snow and ice clearing activities such as defrosting [[railroad switch]]es in cold weather conditions.

Railroad equipment that is considered obsolete by being outdated or inefficient when compared to newer equipment, or by being worn to a point that is un-repairable, may be taken out of railroad service. These pieces of equipment may have usable parts removed by the railroad company for reuse on other machines, or may be sold as complete units for reconditioning and reuse by another user. If the equipment is considered completely un-serviceable, and it is financially unwise to attempt to make it so, the entire machine may be declared [[scrap]] and is usually sold to be taken away and dismantled for recycling of the raw materials. If the process of salvage or scrapping is financially unrecoverable, the equipment may be left in place until it becomes possible to do so. In some cases a significant or desirable piece of equipment  will be purchased for preservation. There units may be placed in [[railway museum]]s or may be purchased by [[railway preservation]] groups or private collectors.

Steam locomotives were frequently housed in a circular train depot, known as a [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] that surrounded a [[Turntable (railroad)|turntable]].