Rock Island's Blue Island Tower

(3D Satellite)

William Shapotkin posted four photos with the comment:

W/B ROCK Psgr train #7 passing the (old) Blue Island (IL) tower. Photo taken by the late Don Davis on May 6, 1962 just before the tower was closed. View looks north (timetable E/B).
Also included are views of the model board (viewed left-to-right). Again taken by the late Don Davis on May 6, 1962.

Jon Roma Believe it or not, I had never seen pictures of the old Blue Island Tower. The model board looks like a home-made affair, which was pretty common on the Rock Island.

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Greg Burnet posted
Rock Island's Blue Island interlocking tower, along with at least one RI E or F unit. Source is North American Interlocking site...
J Pete Hedgpeth That's the OLD TOWER across the tracks from the depot and the NEW tower with all the latest (1961) technology in place is located right at the north end of the depot..Very close to where the photographer is standing.
Harold J. Krewer That sure looks like an E8 leading that train, specifically 643 if I'm reading the number boards correctly.

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William Shapotkin posted the above four photos along with these two new ones.

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Mark Llanuza posted three photos with the comment:

Ken Connolly one of the last Rock Island tower man employees still works at Blue Island tower .He started in 1972 was laid off when the Rock shut down but was hired back by the RTA in 1980 still works at Blue Island for Metra.

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Mark Llanuza posted two photos with the comment: "Its 1978 were at Blue Island IL with light power heading to Rockdale to pick up a train with four E-units .The tower to the left kind of still looks the same inside today."

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I'm still researching where the tower stood in 1938.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

One of 39 images posted by Michael Siola, at Facebook resolution    (source)
The current tower replaced a 1929 tower that was the first all relay interlocking system in the world.