Tuesday, May 6, 2025

1890 B&OCT Polk Street Tower

1890: (Satellite, Taylor Street used to have a bridge and go further East.)
New (1902 and/or 1949): (Satellite)
 
This would have been the tower built in 1890.
MWRD posted
A view to the east showing a bucket dredge in operation on the South Branch of the Chicago River near Taylor Street [Bridge] on March 22, 1917.
Dennis DeBruler shared with the comment: "That is obviously a railroad interlocking tower behind the cables of the shovel. According to the topo map that I added as a comment, it is a B&OCT tower. What would be the name of that tower?"
Jon Roma: At various times in the past, if I am deciphering the timeline properly, the CTT/B&OCT had a Polk St. tower, then a Harrison St. tower, and again a Polk St. tower.
Jacob Metzger: I believe this would be ‘Polk Street Tower.’

From that webpage:
"POLK STREET
Electric pneumatic interlocking installed 1890
New electric pneumatic interlocking installed 1902
New tower constructed/electric interlocking installed 1949
Tower controlled movements at Grand Central Station, closed 1969. Also controlled Chicago River bridge immediately southwest from 1902 until 1930, when river was straightened and new drawbridge built at 16th Street. New tower constructed in 1949 was closer to Roosevelt Road."

Clifton Linton: I don't think that's a B&OCT tower. Based on the date of the photograph (March 22, 1917), the B&OCT by this time had built an elevated tower that controlled the trackage for Grand Central Station and the twin-leaf Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge.
Dennis DeBruler: Clifton Linton From Jacob's reference, we have:
POLK STREET
Electric pneumatic interlocking installed 1890
New electric pneumatic interlocking installed 1902
New tower constructed/electric interlocking installed 1949
So the 1902 "new electric pneumatic interlocking installed" must have also been a new tower, and the MWRD photo is of the 1890 tower. That would explain why the 1890 tower is labeled a "repair shop" in the 1906 map that Jon provided.

Dennis DeBruler commented on his post
1929/29 Englewood Quad @ 24,000

Jon Roma commented on Dennis' post
Here's a snippet from a 1906 Sanborn fire insurance atlas showing the area between Polk on the north, Fifth Ave. (Wells St.) on the east, Taylor St. on the south, and the river on the west.
Dennis DeBruler: Jon Roma In 1906, this must have been a regular interlocking as well as a "repair shop" because Jacob's reference indicates that the new tower about a block south of here wasn't built until 1949.

The upper yellow pin is labelled "B&O Polk Street (old)," and the white pin is labelled "B&O Polk Street (new)."
Map


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