Geeps at Howells Interlocking in Atlanta [April 1984] and Geep/U-Boat miscellany in Montgomery, AL [March 1990]
Under smoky skies, a couple of trains are eastbound waiting at Glendive, eastbound. With a lost UP in consist, On a bit less smoky morning, a freshly painted CP is on an empty,
And yesterday morning early, I heard the scanner tell me that this stack train was going to head east with ONE unit. ONE! So, I figured this would be an interesting pull of either a short train or a stall somewhere going up Beaver Hill. Well, it was interesting!! No stall, and 108 cars! Most were very light, so either empty or lightweight loads, with a very interesting mix of well cars and spline cars and TOFC flats, even an FEC well.
Three more tower shots I found. WYE Tower slathered in PC green (PRR, Hollidaysburg, PA, 05/1981 - Gone), MIFFLIN Tower in authentic brown and buff (PRR, Mifflin, PA, 05/1981 - Gone) and Bridge 60 Tower (DL&W, Scranton, PA, 05/1983 - Extant, located on Steamtown NPS site).
I missed towers in operation, in any location, so seeing yours makes me smile. Please keep them coming!
Love seeing these structures. The photos really add something to paperwork in my collection. I can hold it in my hands, and look at the screen. Suddenly there is almost life there again.
I can relate to that. When I posted a photo of Montreal West Tower a while ago, you managed to dig up a train order made up there. Almost like magic, I could imagine someone sitting up there, at the time, listening to the rattle of the telegraph, copying the orders and signing them, and then handing them off to the train crews that rolled through. That's the human element that puts the whole thing in context.
Did someone say lifeless miles? Here's one east of MP 12, BNSF Glasgow Sub, from the longest day of the year.... And another at MP 499, CP Portal Sub:
I don't remember how old I was but I remember going into an abandonded Reading tower near Trevose Pa. It was somewhere along the W. Trenton line between Oakford and Trevose stations. I believe there was a connection between the W. Trenton connection. what I think is known as the Philadelphia Shortline. I was in that area again in the '80s and could see the ties in the abandoned conection.
Yes. No depots, with their agents and clerks. No train order offices. No freight houses. No interlocking towers. No section crews as I knew them, each daily working a residency within a subdivision. Just an occasional hi-railer. An infrequent maintainer. Fewer buildings every day. No people, no signs of real life along the tracks, urban, suburban or rural. Just miles and miles, with an occasional train.
That's an unfortunately accurate summary Boxcab. Many of the lines in my area too have nothing lineside, with one mile looking just like the other. Add in impenetrable curtains of trees and billboards, plus phone wires, asphalt and paranoid people with cell phones phoning the police upon seeing railfans, it's darn hard to find a suitable photo spot these days. I so envy HemiAdda2d and the others here with open vistas to work with.
Two views of the NYC's TU Tower at Weehawken, NJ. [11/1981] At one time this was a very busy waterfront terminal location on the NYC's West Shore line. I'm almost sure that TU is gone.
