From: timesunion.com Tower a link to railroad history Mechanicville-- City hopes it can become a tourist draw as visitors center and museum By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer First published: Friday, March 14, 2003 To some, particularly the city's younger generation, the XO Tower in the city's old railroad yard might look like just another old, empty building. But to many older city residents and railroad history buffs, the 1914 switching station is a symbol of this city's successful blue-collar past. So to recognize that 20th-century history, when the yard thrived as the third-largest in the country, officials want to build a visitors center in the abandoned tower. City officials say a restored XO Tower would serve as a tourist destination, small museum and information center, similar to the Blockhouse in neighboring Stillwater. It would also remind people of a time when more than 1,100 people worked in the rail yard and late snacks were popular at nearby Tancredi's restaurant, which was open 24 hours a day. "The tower is the last vestige of Mechanicville's railroad glory days," said Paul Loatman, city historian. "I don't think there's another structure left standing in that huge yard that indicates what a tremendous railroad operation used to take place there." Bill Rabbitt, 50, of Third Avenue, remembers. He worked as the yard's last full-time master from 1979 to 1992. The yard ceased regular operations in the mid-1990s. It's now virtually desolate, except for a few freight trains that still come through. The XO Tower was named for its location at the intersection of the former Delaware & Hudson Railway (north to south) and the now defunct Boston-Maine Railroad lines (east to west). The tower originally belonged to D&H, Rabbitt said. "We controlled all the freight that came into Mechanicville. We brought it into the yard and switched cars to various locations," Rabbitt said. He recalled an operator working the control switches from within the tower. "Now they do everything from a central location hundreds of miles away," Rabbitt said. The XO Tower closed in 1971 and has remained vacant. D&H built two other such towers, at Schoharie Junction in Esperance and in Otsego County. The tower at the corners of Elizabeth, Railroad and Viall avenues is believed to be the only one left standing in the state. The idea to transform it into a visitors center came a few years ago and has been a slow process, largely because of a shortage of funds. Yet even the funds the city have secured have been slow to be used. So far, it has received $81,000 in state grant money. It replaced the tower's second floor and removed lead-based paint and asbestos with a $41,000 state grant it received in 2000. Phase two of the project -- replacing the structure's exterior steps -- was made possible by a $40,000 state grant announced last May, but so far no work on that has been completed. "I know there has been criticisms that the project has been stagnant, but I think Stillwater took 15 years to get the Blockhouse in place," Bill Connors, administrator of the Community Development Agency. The city has spent $20,000 toward the renovation project, Connors said, bringing total investments into the tower to $101,000. Connors reported that he expects to soon accept a $7,900 proposal from local architect Richard Butler to create sketches for new tower steps, which will be made of ornate decorative steel. The new steps could be in place by June. Connors repeated a promise from last year to bring in water, sewer and natural gas lines to the site. The project will require $25,000 to $30,000 worth of new windows and doors. After that, Connors said he expects volunteers to complete work on the tower. Still, there's some doubt about its usefulness. While the structure is undeniably a historic attraction, it may be too small for a visitors center, Loatman warned. "It's limited in terms of handicap accessibility," he said. He said the rail yard was more than a bunch of train tracks. There also were spin-off businesses like rail repair shops and ice stores, Loatman said. He said the railroads went bankrupt after the development of the national highway system. "It was a hustling and bustling type of yard," remembered Rabbitt. "It was someplace to work, I'll tell you."
Remembered that I had a few of these: Boxcab E50 (Fanatical train order collector!!!!!! ) [ 14. March 2003, 22:04: Message edited by: BoxcabE50 ]
Will post more soon... The below is a photograph I took of the Mechanicville Passenger Station when I was last in NY and you kind somewhat see the XO Tower on the left. D&H was founded in 1823 so this is a 1998 photograph before the restoration began. The Mechanicville Passenger Station in the photograph was built in 1884.
From the Yahoo! eGroups dandh Image copied to Railimgaes for viewing within TrainBoard - March 16, 2003 XO tower in the steam era. The Passenger Station would be to the left. CREDIT/Photographer: Gorden (Gordy) Smith [ 16. March 2003, 22:05: Message edited by: Stourbridge Lion ]
I believe there is an error in the date of closing of XO tower as I was an FRA Inspector and made inspections there in the late 70s. It could have been 1981 as I was transferred to California in 1980. As you looked out of the tower the B&M yard was to the left and the D&H yard to the right of that with the D&H main between the yards. To the right the D&H went to Albany and the B&M crossed the D&H main and went to Boston. The B&M had trackage rights over the D&H to Crescent tower where they went on their own tracks to Rotterdam Jct. The D&H split just west of Crescent tower with one line to Saratoga and north and the other to Schenectady and west. They control machine at XO was made by GRS.
Getting more Uploaded to RailImages so they can be viewed within TrainBoard. Feburary 10th, 2001 (Three Images) February 22, 2001 February 24, 2001 March 1, 2001 CREDIT/Photographer: R. Denis [ 16. March 2003, 22:04: Message edited by: Stourbridge Lion ]
