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Preserved Interlocking Towers

By Bill Haines

Bill Haines, a long-time reader of the Bull Sheet, is a former Erie Lackawanna and Conrail tower operator. His interest in towers began as a kid when he would hang out at the PRR tower at Piqua Crossing, Ohio. Later, as an operator, he held second-shift at Sterling Tower near Akron, Ohio.

In compiling this list of preserved interlocking towers, he would like to express appreciation to Pete White, Dale DeVene, Ed Long, Wade Frasch, Ron Barber, Pat Seward, Eric Schmelz, Kent Hannah, Rich Ballash, David Oroszi, Alexander Mitchell, John Dahl, John Hankey, Richard Croy, Michael Welsh, Andy Dwyer, Nicholas Pitsch, Jeff Asay, Herman Page, Susie Haines, Allen Brougham and others.

This list is subject to change, and any comments or additions may be addressed to Bill Haines, 305 Lamar Court, Vandalia, Ohio 45377-3212. E-mail rustyrails@woh.rr.com

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CALIFORNIA

• Davis.. PHOTO.. (SP) Known as Davis Tower. Located at former SP (now Amtrak) depot. Owned by city of Davis.
• Oakland.. (SP) Known as 16th Street Tower. Located near 16th Street station. Tower and station are both privately owned.
• Sacramento.. PHOTO.. (SP) Known as Elvas Tower. Now owned by California RR Museum. Building was planned to be moved to RR Technology Museum at former SP Sacramento Shops, but according to a report in March 2007, it will likely be demolished instead. Plans, however, are to eventually replicate the structure at the new site, and essential hardware from the old building has been stored for this purpose.
• Santa Clara.. (SP) Located near Santa Clara depot.

CONNECTICUT

• South Norwalk.. (NH) Known as Signal Station 44. Restored by Western Connecticut Chapter NRHS and open weekends, noon to 5PM, May-October, as a museum and gift shop.

DELAWARE

• Harrington.. PHOTOS .. (PRR) Located on original site as Harrington Tower Museum. Open by appointment.

ILLINOIS

• Franklin Park.. (MILW) Known as Tower B-12.. Located downtown near Post Office. Originally located at SOO-MILW West Line crossing.
• Pana.. PHOTO.. (NYC) Known as Pana Tower.. Controlled junction of NYC St.Louis line and MP(C&EI) St.Louis line. IC's Gruber line also crossed here.
• Ramsey.. PHOTO.. (IC) Controlled crossing of NKP St.Louis line and IC Gruber line.
• Union.. (MILW) At Illinois Rwy Museum. Originally located at MILW-EJ&E crossing in Spaulding, Illinois.
• Vandalia.. (PRR) Owned by the Vandalia RR shortline.

INDIANA

• Dearborn.. (B&O) Originally located in Lawrenceburg where it controlled crossing of B&O Cincinnati-St.Louis line and NYC's Aurora Branch.. Moved to the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville where it is to be restored as closely as possible to original condition inside & out.
• Griffith.. (EJ&E) Moved to museum across tracks from original location.. Controlled EL-C&O-GTW-EJ&E-NYC crossing.
• Hammond.. (IHB) Known as Hohman Avenue Tower. Still on original site with plans for removal to a new location and restoration by Northwest Indiana Railroad Preservation Society.
• North Judson.. (IHB) Known as Grasselli Tower, originally located in East Chicago, Indiana, where it controlled the junction of IHB, EJE and B&OCT.. Closed in 2007.. Moved to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum where it is being restored.
• Terre Haute.. (C&EI) Known as Haley Tower. Located at Wabash Valley Railroader's Museum.. Originally located at nearby CSX(ex-C&EI)-CR(ex-NYC) crossing.
• Terre Haute.. (MILW) Known as Spring Hill Tower.. Located at Wabash Valley Railroader's Museum.. Originally located at MILW and CSX(ex-C&EI) crossing south of Terre Haute.

IOWA

• Iowa Falls.. (IC) Known as Mills Tower. Located at IC-RI Spine Line crossing.

KANSAS

• Hope.. Originally located at crossing of ATSF-MP (now abandoned). Relocated behind a house on Main Street on west side of town.

KENTUCKY

• Russell.. (C&O) Tower and depot are part of a museum located at the east end of the yard.

MARYLAND

• Bowie.. PHOTOS .. (PRR) Moved to Huntington Railroad Museum near original location. Open on weekends.
• Sykesville.. PHOTOS .. (PRR) Known as B&P Tower. Relocated from Baltimore's Penn Station. Serves as a welcome, information, town center and post office. There is a model train layout on the second-floor, open to the public the first Sunday of every month.

MAINE

• Kennebunkport.. Known as Tower C. Located at Seashore Trolley Museum. Originally located in Boston where it controlled the following: Atlantic Avenue EL and Main Line junction, switches for the North Station - South Station shuttle platform, and Charlestown Bridge. It was closed in 1954.

MASSACHUSETTS

• Bourne.. (NH) Known as U 416. Still in use today by Bay Colony RR at Canal Junction, and is included in this report as it was 'preserved' in recent years by inmates of the Barnstable County House of Correction at no labor cost to the owner.

MICHIGAN

• Coopersville.. (GTW) Restored by the Coopersville & Marne Railway. Originally located at Greenville where it controlled the GTW and C&O(Pere Marquette) crossing.
• Lansing.. (NYC) Known as MA Tower. Relocated to north side of Lansing from original location at NYC-PM depot.
• Richland.. (NYC) Known as Tower 1. Moved to the Gilmore Car Museum from Kalamazoo where it had controlled the NYC (ex-MC) and PRR (ex-GR&I) crossing.
• Saginaw.. (C&O) Known as Meshon Tower. Located at Saginaw Railroad Museum. Originally located at C&O, NYC, GTW crossing.

MINNESOTA

• Newport.. (MILW) Served the CB&Q, Rock Island and Milwaukee. Second-shift job was a CB&Q dispatcher who controlled the joint trackage between St.Crois Tower and Hoffman Avenue Tower. Moved to a location about a half block east of the police station.

MISSOURI

• Clinton.. (MKT) Known as South Tower, concrete, formerly located at crossing between MKT and Kansas City, Clinton & Springfield tracks, south of Rogers Street. Closed 1927, abandoned 1935 and moved about 600 feet west to a site south of Ortner Hatchery Building where it remains.

NEW JERSEY

• Cold Spring Village.. (PRSL) Known as Woodbine Junction Tower. Originally located at Woodbine. Used as a gift shop by the Cape May Seashore Lines.
• Phillipsburg.. (CNJ) Known as PU Tower. Owned by Railroad Historians of New Jersey and being restored by Phillipsburg Railroad Historians.
• Tuckahoe.. (PRSL).. Being restored by Cape May Seashore Lines.
• Waldwick.. (ERIE) Controlled the interlocking where two tracks became four tracks.

NEW YORK

• Ashford.. (B&O) Known as Ashford Junction Tower. Privately owned. A distinctive BR&P poured concrete tower. This part of the B&O was once the Buffalo, Rochester & Pacific.
• Locust Valley.. (LIRR) Built 1912 replacing replacing 1879 structure. Renovated 2006 and in use as a police office.
• Mechanicville.. (D&H) Known as XO Tower. Controlled B&M-D&H crossing.
• North Tonawanda.. (EL) Controlled crossing of Erie Niagara Falls line and NYC Lockport Branch. Owned by Niagara Frontier Chapter NRHS.

OHIO

• Bradford.. (PRR) The tracks are gone but the tower remains. Being restored by the Bradford Railroad Museum.
• Brady Lake.. (PRR) Used as a Kent city park maintenance building.
• Cincinnati.. (CUT) Known as Tower A. Controlled Cincinnati Union Terminal trackage.
• Grafton.. PHOTO.. (NYC) Controlled NYC-B&O Lorain Branch crossing. Moved 200 feet from original location and put back on stilts near the northeast quadrant of NYC(Big Four) Cleveland- Greenwich line (now CSX) and B&O Lorain Branch (now CSX) crossing. Plans include restoring at least two armstrong levers to operate a turnout.
• Leetonia.. PHOTOS.. (PRR) Controlled PRR-EL Lisbon Branch crossing.
• Marion.. (ERIE) Known as AC Tower. Moved across tracks to a museum onto Marion Union Station property, put back on stilts, shortened by one story. Interlocking machine has been restored and is operational to simulate moves in pre-Conrail days. Built in 1902. AC stands for Atlantic Crossing (this part of the Erie was once the Atlantic & Western). Open to visitors on weekends throughout the year.
• Orrville.. (PRR) Moved to museum near original location.
• Toledo.. (NYC) Known as Nasby Tower. Controlled NYC-Toledo Terminal crossing. May become office for bike trail on old Toledo Terminal right-of-way.

OREGON

• Portland.. Known as VC Tower. Located at south end of Union Station and operated by the Portland Terminal Railroad. Plans for its restoration or reuse are pending.

PENNSYLVANIA

• East Stroudsburg.. (DL&W) Located along Analomink Street.
• Harrisburg.. (PRR) Known as Harris Tower. Located at State Street bridge. Owned by Harrisburg Chapter NRHS. Goal is to allow visitors to operate the interlocking machine making use of computer-simulated operations circa-1940's.
• Huntingdon.. (PRR) Known as Hunt Tower .. PHOTO .. Located on original site, open to visitors.
• Mahoningtown.. (B&O) Known as UN Tower. Relocated from New Castle.
• Scranton.. (DL&W) Located at Steamtown. Used as a Park Service ranger station.
• Scranton.. (DL&W) Known as Mattes Street. Restored by Steamtown.
• Strasburg.. (PRR) Known as Lemo Tower. Located at Strasburg RR. Relocated from Lemoyne, Pennsylvania.
• Tobyhanna.. (DL&W) Restored by National Park Service and leased to the Delaware & Lackawanna RR and the Pocono Mountain Chapter NRHS.

RHODE ISLAND

• Kingston.. (NH) Relocated near original location.

TENNESSEE

• Chattanooga.. (CSC) Located at Chattanooga Choo Choo. Controlled Chattanooga Terminal Station trackage. Once owned by Chattanooga Station Company.
• Cowan.. (L&N) Tower and depot combination now owned by the Cowan Railroad Museum.
• Hendersonville.. (L&N) Tower and depot combination originally located at Amqui. Purchased by singer Johnny Cash in 1979 and moved to Hendersonville along Route 31.

TEXAS

• Dallas.. (ATSF) Known as Tower No. 19. Located at Age of Steam Museum, original location about three miles east of Dallas Union Station at Santa Fe-UP(T&P) crossing at south end of Santa Fe's Dallas yard, built by Gulf Colorado & Santa Fe.
• Dallas.. (DUT) Known as North Tower. Controlled crossing of Dallas Union Terminal, Texas & Pacific, and Missouri Kansas & Texas(KATY). Will become part of the 6th Floor Museum because it sets close to where President Kennedy was assassinated.
• Flatonia.. (SP) Known as Tower No. 3. Built 1902 by Gulf Colorado & San Antonio for the crossing of the San Antonio & Aransas Pass. Moved a few blocks from original location. Now a museum.
• Grapevine.. (SLSF) Known as Tower No. 16. Controlled crossing of Frisco and Texas & Pacific at Sherman. Moved to Grapevine for display at the Cotton Belt Depot Museum.
• Luling.. (SP) Known as Tower No. 40. Built by Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio for the crossing with the San Antonio & Aransas Pass. Moved a short distance from original location. Used as a gas station, then beauty parlor. Currently vacant.
• Rosenberg.. (SP) Known as Tower 17 which, when it closed in February 2004, was the last staffed interlocking tower in the state. It had controlled the UP(x-SP) crossing with BNSF(x-SF). Moved to the Rosenberg Railroad Museum.

VIRGINIA

• Staunton.. (C&O) Known as HD Cabin .. PHOTOS .. Bottom floor is used as Amtrak's waiting room. Top floor is a residence.

WEST VIRGINIA

• Martinsburg.. (B&O) Known as Miller Tower. Originally located at Cherry Run. Relocated to Martinsburg's Roundhouse Center Museum for eventual restoration. Closed in 2000.

WISCONSIN

• Eau Claire.. (CNW) Closed November 1991. Moved May 1992 to Carson Park in Eau Claire where it is being renovated by the Chippewa Valley Railroad Association. Originally located at CNW-MILW crossing.
• LaCrosse.. (MILW) Known as Grand Crossing. Controlled MILW-CB&Q crossing. Relocated to Copeland Park in LaCrosse.