NorthAmericanInterlockings: 1988 1963 1974
Chicago and Northern Indiana Railroad Interlocking Towers
This tower also controlled the complex of double-slip switches that is between Polk and Roosevelt.
This tower also controlled the complex of double-slip switches that is between Polk and Roosevelt.
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| Sean Brady posted Interlocking Tower A man operating switches controlling all inbound and outbound railroad traffic. Chicago, Illinois, ca. January-February 1943. Gilbert Sebenste shared This is interesting. Anyone have any idea where this is? One person thought it was Union Station... Brandon Otterstrom: Gilbert Sebenste the pic you posted is of Chicago Union Station’s Harrison Street tower. That is an Union Switch & Signal interlocking machine and I can recognize that track layout anywhere. Jeff Wagner: Brandon Otterstrom hi Brandon, that wasn't like east cabin that the handles threw the switches cause they were connected with pipes that were connected. Union Station we're electric ? Harold J. Krewer: Jeff Wagner, All the interlockings at CUS were originally air-powered switches. Only in the last 15 years have the interlockings been rebuilt with conventional electric dual-control motors. Harold J. Krewer: CUS towers were all built to PRR standards as PRR was 51% owner. US&S Model 14 interlocking machine with the model board displaying "light-out" occupancy, i.e., all circuits were illuminated when clear, the light went out when occupied. To watch a train move through the plant you watched the "hole" go across the board. Weird as hell, but the Pennsy did it this way as if a bulb burned out it "failed safe," showing occupied rather than failing to show occupancy. HS House Camping posted February 1943. "Chicago, Illinois. In the interlocking tower at Union Station. It is here that all inbound and outbound traffic is controlled. The men work entirely by the board, hardly ever looking out of a window to see an actual train." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. Candice Marie Lynn shared Kelly Sedgwick shared Nick Gawriluk: So believe it or not it’s still there. This tower was at the end of the Chicago Union Station train shed near the baggage handling platforms, directly in front of what was originally the Pennsy commissary yard and passenger facilities. When the shed was lengthened to accommodate the construction of the new Chicago post office, the tower remained but was encapsulated by the shed. It hasn’t been used in many years, but it’s still there, within the train shed. In fact, I believe the board is still inside, but everything was falling apart the last I saw. Robert Weber shared Marty Bernard: I posted at Union Ave. Tower on the CB&Q which was a couple of miles from there. "Posted" means I worked the tower to learn it but never was left alone in it. |
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| Timothy Leppert commented on Sean's post Harrison Street Tower, south end of Chicago Union Station. The Tower still stands today, and is completely enclosed INSIDE the new Post Office Building. Top left in the distance. Those two E's are in the puzzles. |
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| One of four photos posted by Don Wetmore Pulling the Broadway Ltd back to the coach yards after arrival at Chicago Union Station, May 9, 1980 Photos by Don Wetmore Don Wetmore Dennis DeBruler: A nice view of Harrison Street Tower and Pennsy positional signals. The new post office was built over the tower. |
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| Steve Lewsandowski posted July 72' Union Station Bob Lalich This is a view looking south from the end of the platforms. In the early 80s it was possible to hang out there, at least at certain times of the day. I did on several occasions after seeing my wife off on one of the ex-GM&O route trains. |
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| Mark Llanuza Flickr photo This ATSF passenger extra with classic FP-45's is heading to Joliet is passing the old Harrison st tower which has been closed for over 10 years. The Chicago post office sits on top of it. |
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| John David posted The summer of 1983, during that timeframe I would alternated between color slide film and black and white film that I developed and printed in a darkroom. I am not sure that train this is but I remember the drama of that smoke when the throttle was notched up. Mark Jones: That’s probably # 48 bound for NYC— all the time idling guaranteed a giant white EMD smoke cloud when they throttled up! |
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| Lance Wales posted |
Here's the same BN 9925 shoving a 3 car Dinky toward Chicago Union Station on 8-20-1981. The Milwaukee Road #600 with business car "Mount Rainier" enroute to the Amtrak yard just south of my vantage point of Polk Street.Lance sees engines and cars, I see the Harrison Street Tower in front of the old post office. This tower used to control all of the track south of Union Station to Roosevelt Avenue. The new post office was built around and over the tower so that its operations were not disturbed. Since then, control has been transferred to the Amtrak Lake Street Tower. Look at the second photo in position-light to see how it was built on a pedestal to fit in the dense trackwork. The second and third pictures show some of the double-slip switches in the complex throat rail for CUS controlled by this tower. Tumblr has some more pictures.
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| Brian Watt posted -- Brian Watt, photographer May 1977 |
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| David Daruszka posted The Broadway Limited departs Chicago's Union Station in 1961. Richard H. Solomon, photographer. Dennis DeBrulerGroup Admin Pennsy (right) and CB&Q (left) Freight Warehouses, the old post office in the left background, and Harrison Tower at the lower-right corner of the post office. But I don't know what the skinny skyscraper is in the middle of the background. That is probably the Chicago & Alton Freight House to the east of the old post office. It still stands. But I read a developer of the old post office wants to tear it down. I lost track of whether or not it is the current developer. [The skyscraper in the background is part of the Civic Opera House. Credit goes to David Daruszka for identifying this building.] |
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| John David Larson posted In the year 1991, I moved to suburban Chicago and this is from the first roll of film I shot after rolling into the city. Of course, the E units were at the top of my list to seek out. What a thrill to watch them emerge from Union Station as seen here. |
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| Don Wetmore posted BN 9912 leads a commuter train out of Chicago Union Station on April 15, 1985 Photo by Don Wetmore |
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| safe_image from a now broken link (source) Dennis DeBruler The caption on the link identifies Harrison Street Tower. The building on the left was the CB&Q freight house and the building in the upper-right corner was a GM&O freight house. http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../altons-freight... Richard Mead: https://youtu.be/ZQrENjPJ59s?t=122 |
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| John David posted From 1991 to 2001 my home was suburban Chicago and it was good luck as far as my timing for moving there as it was about a year before the classic old Burlington E Units were phased out. This scene is from the first roll of film I shot after moving in August of 1991. This was the only time I took photos at this location. After the E Units were gone, I had little motivation to visit here. Instead, when I had time to chase trains, I favored the freight lines. Especially at La Grange, Joliet, Blue Island and Hayford Crossing. Matt McClure: The Taylor Street Bridge is long gone with the new post office building expansion over 20 years ago. It was quieter and less exposed than being on Roosevelt Road. |
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