WHAT IS THIS? New Video

DJ of DJsTrains Jan 4, 2022

  1. DJ of DJsTrains

    DJ of DJsTrains TrainBoard Member

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  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Also known as Gateman's Towers.
     
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  3. mmi16

    mmi16 TrainBoard Member

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    Switchmen's shantys are always at ground level. Generally only big enough for one or two men and a potbelly coal stove to keep warm in winter.

    The Gateman structures were at a raised level to give the Gateman better sight lines for approaching rail traffic. These jobs were frequently staffed by former Switchmen who had been injured and could no longer perform the duties of a switchman. Gatemen NEVER handled Train Orders.

    While some Interlocking/Train Order towers may have handled crossing gates - they were staffed by members of the Order of Railroad Telegraphers and were considered 'Operators'. Telegraph proficiency was required until the early 1960's. When I hired out in 1965 telegraph was not required. Not all 'Towers' so named on railroads, were more than a single story. The single story 'towers' normally controlled electric switches and signals from the day they were built. The more normal two story 'towers' were built in the 'Armstrong' era of switch and signal operation and the height was needed in developing the mechanical advantage to operate the switches and signals via the long distance pipelines that were needed.
     
  4. mmi16

    mmi16 TrainBoard Member

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    From the looks of the 9061 - it looks to still have a 1950's paint job, since it was never done in the Chessie paint scheme of the 1970's and of course CSX was formed in 1980.

    A 1950's paint job is approaching 70 years old. The fact that any of it survives is amazing for something that has spent most all of the 70 years out in the weather.
     
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  5. Rip Track

    Rip Track TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks DJ. You do come up with some interesting subjects for your videos. (y) I don't think I've ever seen one of those towers in my area. Now I want to take a drive.

    Curious, I believe I see another number behind the 9061 on the switcher. I can make out a 5 and 6.
     
    Doug Gosha likes this.
  6. BnOEngrRick

    BnOEngrRick TrainBoard Member

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    Pretty sure that ALCo S2 is a "faux" B&O unit. I believe it is actually an RF&P unit.
     
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  7. Sepp K

    Sepp K TrainBoard Member

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    SEPTA kept a gateman's tower in service into the 1990's, protecting crossings in the vicinity of the Lansdale, PA station. This trackage was former Reading Bethlehem Branch.
     
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  8. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    Ah, Lansdale, PA. In the late seventies, Philco was still making radios for the Ford Motor Co., even though Ford no longer owned Philco and they had a factory at Lansdale. I worked for Telex and we made the raw 8-track tape decks installed in the stereo radios (we also made the quad decks put into the quad radios in Toronto). I would travel to Lansdale to help Philco iron out problems with deck installation which always ended up being test tape issues.

    It was a blast.

    I have a few N and HO scale gateman towers, including the Bachmann N scale version and both the Revell and Atlas HO scale versions.

    Doug
     
  9. mmi16

    mmi16 TrainBoard Member

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    B&O did a renumbering of their entire locomotive fleet in 1957. Until 1957 Steam locomotives all had 4 digits numbers and diesels all had 3 digit or less numbers. After the renumbering all the diesels were given 4 digit numbers and the remaining steam locomotives got 3 digit numbers.
     
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