Ridge Farm, IL: Junction Tower: NKP (Clover Leaf) vs. Big Four

DianeandSteve Grigg posted

Steven's comment:

This is a copy of the original photo of the Big Four/NKP Tower at Ridge Farm, IL. The version of this in the town's centennial book was extremely washed out and cropped down. The Tower sat in the northeast quadrant of the crossing as did the Clover Leaf depot. When I was cleaning up this image, I added some contrast and out popped the Clover Leaf depot! The Big Four's depot sat in the southwest quadrant of the crossing. Ridge Farm also had an interurban line that went north to Danville, IL.

Jim Sinclair The Big Four just loved to put their towers on what I call, "stilts." This amazed me the first time I saw one like this (Lafayette Jct., Indiana) and it still amazes me to this day. It always looked like the breeze of a long, fast train could just blow it over!

Grayson Warbritton The interurban was the Illinois Traction System/Illinois Terminal

Ron Buser A standard CCC&STL design.

James Coleman Jacob I worked Ridge Farm many time in the late 1950's and early 1960's and this tower had been redone and bottom closed in (like Ramsey) also the stairway was inside there was and entrance door at the south west corner of the tower which was to the stairs and the stove was in the bottom and if I remember right it had hot water heat. This tower had about 25 strong arm lever it which we handled the NKP sig and the west siding switch and the NYC had double track therefore we had sig 2 x/overs for both of their mains in both directions. NYC back then still had a Psgr train on this line. This a few days back.

James Coleman Jacob. Back then Indiana had a third man law and any train operating with 69 or more cars had to have a third brakeman. Ridge farm had a bed fixed up in the tower and these guys would be let off at Ridge Farm and wait on the first eastbound back to Frankfort. Just a little history of the old NKP.

Update: see Clover Leaf depot for a 1940 aerial photo.