Towers

Tower72-CorsicanaTx-Oct76-1.jpg 222.48 Kb 1024 x 693 (1) Tower 72 at Corsicana,Tx (xing of B-RI & SP) - Oct 1976. Looking north on the Burlington - Rock Island joint line - crossing the SP (Cotton Belt) Tyler-Waco-McGregor line. The station can barely be seen on the left (looks like a castle). Today it's the BNSF and the tower is long gone along with the older type signals and the jointed rail has been replaced with welded. Corsicana is about 50 miles south of Dallas.

Tower72-CorsicanaTx-Oct76-2.jpg 146.61 Kb 1024 x 693 (2) Tower 72 at Corsicana,Tx (xing of B-RI & SP) - Oct 1976

Tower72-CorsicanaTx-Oct76-3.jpg 237.51 Kb 1024 x 693 (3) Tower 72 at Corsicana,Tx (xing of B-RI & SP) - Oct 1976. Looking east on SP-Cotton Belt line (now UP) to Tyler.

Tower72-CorsicanaTx-Oct76-4.jpg 172.72 Kb 1024 x 693 (4) Tower 72 at Corsicana,Tx (xing of B-RI & SP) - Oct 1976. Looking east on SP-Cotton Belt line (now UP) to Tyler. The track on the right connects south to the SP Dallas-Houston line which is immediately behind me. The Cotton Belt line went on west to Waco and McGregor , but is now abandoned. The southbound connection to the SP (UP) remains today.

NorthToweratDallasUnionSt-MP9-Oct76.jpg 176.44 Kb 1024 x 687 North Tower at Dallas Union Station with MP #9 - Oct 1976. There was still some activity around the tower on the north side of the station.Trackage to warehouses etc. were still being used - today most of this is restaurants and shops. The Missouri Pacific business car is #9 - exT&P #1 built by ACF in 1928. A few minutes before, a MP switcher pulled out two other business cars. The Kennedy assassination site is just a few hundred yards to the right. While riding the Texas Eagle past here a couple of years ago I could have sworn I saw the tower still standing.

SouthToweratDallasUnionSt-Oct76.jpg 235.91 Kb 1024 x 688 South Tower at Dallas Union Station - Oct 1976. A couple of tracks (to the left of the main) remain headed to the station.These were still used to store the Dallas section of the Lone Star till it was time to head to Ft.Worth. I don't know about today but the tower was still there a few years ago. The tracks headed towards the station have been replaced by the Dallas commuter line trackage.

NSTower_LimaOh_June93.jpg 184.89 Kb 1024 x 679 Conrail (ex-PRR) NS Tower at Lima,Oh - June 1993. Looking west on the former PRR New York-Chicago main (obviously after Conrail downgraded it - that's also the ex-PRR station on the left). I believe the line crossing it is the ex-B&O Cincy-Toledo main. I read where the tower was finally closed only about a year or two ago.

DearbornTower_exBO_Lawrenceburg,Ind_Dec29_01a.jpg 206.76 Kb 1024 x 624 (1) ex-B&O DearbornTower at Lawrenceburg,Ind -- 12-29-01 This tower (inactive) is on the ex-B&O Cincinnati-St.Louis line at Lawrenceburg,Indiana (about 25 miles west of Cincy). From the train orders I found inside it was open till at least 1986. At one time a line connected from here north to the Penn Central Cincinnati-Indianapolis line (only a few miles away). I didn't see any evidence of that route - it may have been further east or where the new hotel/convention complex is. As to the B&O line, it was downgraded about a year ago to mostly local traffic. The line is in good shape with plenty of B&O position light signals. I followed it off and on for a hundred miles or so to Mitchell,Ind and - as expected - didn't see any activity. Looking west.

DearbornTower_exBO_Lawrenceburg,Ind_Dec29_01b.jpg 199.00 Kb 1024 x 661 (2) ex-B&O DearbornTower at Lawrenceburg,Ind -- 12-29-01 Looking east

DearbornTower_exBO_Lawrenceburg,Ind_Dec29_01c.jpg 205.31 Kb 1024 x 661 (3) ex-B&O DearbornTower at Lawrenceburg,Ind -- 12-29-01 This connecting line went along the levee on the Ohio River.

Conrail_exNYC_HilesJctTower_NewLondonOh_Dec80.jpg 181.68 Kb 1024 x 715 Conrail (ex-NYC) Hiles Jct Tower at New London,Oh -- December 1980 Looking south on the former NYC Big Four Route (between Cleveland and Columbus) crossing the former Akron Canton & Youngstown RR. About 50 miles from Cleveland on the Conrail route and +-55 miles west of Akron on the AC&Y (the NW then - now the W&LE).

TowerCK_WinonaMn_Dec80.jpg 169.54 Kb Tower CK at Winona,Mn -- December 1980. From the back of the Empire Builder on the Milwaukee Road at (I think) Winona,Minnesota.

CO_tower_WestVirg_June84.jpg 200.38 Kb 1024x712x24(RGB) C&O unidentified tower in West Virginia -- June 1984. Looks like it was boarded up - taken from the Cardinal.

Tower17_RosenbergTx_Nov77.jpg 229.34 Kb 1024x674x24(RGB) Trackage around Tower 17 at Rosenberg,Tx -- November 1977. This is on the west side of the tower. The Santa Fe train is northbound on the Houston/Galveston-Ft.Worth Southern Division. The two tracks on the left are the SP New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Route. The track coming off the SP is the Victoria branch while the line to the right is the connecting track from the Santa Fe. It's hard to believe out of all the towers that operated in Texas , Tower 17 is still operating and the last one. Rumor has it that it is slated to be closed this fall. Rosenberg is about 35 miles west of Houston.

Tower87_SPEnglewoodYd_HoustonTx_Nov77.jpg 201.86 Kb 1024x695x24(RGB) Tower 87 at SP Englewood Yard in Houston -- November 1977. Looking east on the SP line to New Orleans. Orders are out and the signals are lined up for the approaching Sunset Limited. This is at the crossing of the Houston Belt & Terminal. The tower is long gone and the track work in this area has been radically changed along with a highway overpass added.

SP4449_NewIberiaLa_April77.jpg 185.28 Kb 1024x708x24(RGB) SP #4449 is westbound as Doyle McCormack leans out to grab orders on the Amtrak Transcontinental Steam Excursion at West Tower in New Iberia,Louisiana -- April 1977

SouthernTower in Alabama_Jan79a.jpg 347.63 KB 1024x687x24(RGB) On the southbound Southern Crescent passing this abandoned but nice brick tower at milepost 199 probably at Tuscaloosa. This was the crossing of the old Gulf, Mobile and Ohio line to Montgomery. January 1979

Tower at Birmingham_Sept79a.jpg 245.04 KB 1024x696x24(RGB) (1) Tower at Birmingham Arriving at the ex-L&N Station in Birmingham on Amtraks Crescent -- passing the brick tower at the crossing of the Southern and L&N. September 1979

Tower at Birmingham2_Sept79a.jpg 292.35 KB 1024x695x24(RGB) (2) Tower at Birmingham The L&N heading south on the left with the Southern on the right. September 1979

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