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| Randy James posted Iles tower, Springfield Illinois, GM&O Mike Breski posted From the collection of Gary Thompson of Normal, Illinois, comes this photo of a southbound freight train crossing the diamond at Iles Tower, south of Springfield. F3 unit 800B leads a four-unit consist that includes two GP units, dating this photo to some time in the 1970s, but the photographer's identity is unknown. Richard Leonard's Rail Archive. Larry Grzywinski I see two F3’s and one GP9. Bill Edrington Yes, there’s only one “Paducah rebuild” trailing the F3s. This is definitely a post-ICG-merger shot (after 8/10/72). Edward Miller Now Between the UP and NS No Diamond anymore just 2 lines converge and then separate again Edward Miller The Eagle and all the St Louis Regional Trains all pass through this point. Cathy Sallenger shared My G Grandfather worked at Iles Tower in Springfield. He had served in WW1 in the Signal Corps & upon coming home worked for Wabash RR. He worked his entire life as a Telegraph Operator for Wabash. As a kid I was always told that tower was where he worked. Probably a dumb question, I just always wondered what exactly his job was? Dennis DeBruler I'm not a railroader, and I don't know the history of this particular tower, but I can provide some general information about what a tower operator did. One job was to receive train orders with the telegraph and type them using carbon paper to get multiple copies. He would then use hoops to give a copy to the engineer and to the conductor. Note on the right side of the photo there is an "ironman" that was used to hold the hoops. https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../hooping-up... He would also set up routes through the junction by changing the position of turnouts, locks and signals. If he started early enough in this century or if this tower was obsolete enough, he would push and pull long levers that were mechanically connected to the appliances. An interlocking machine would ensure that he moved the levers in the correct order so that he would not create a dangerous situation. For example, giving green lights to more than one route through the junction at the same time. "Armstrong" levers were later replaced with controls that activated electrical and/or pneumatic control of the appliances. There is an example of armstrong levers near the bottom of the following notes. https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../75th-st-or... This is an example of a tower using more modern equipment. The big towers would have assistants to help manipulate the controls. http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../c-lake-tower... They would also note on a sheet every train that passed the tower. They, along with station agents, were the eyes and ears of the dispatchers before Centralized Traffic Control was developed. |
The Wabash used to cross the GM&O here and follow what has become the Wabash Trail to a remnant of their mainline that now ends at Robbins Road. Now the Wabash joins the UP/GM&O and goes south with KCS, UP and Amtrak to Hazel Del where NS turns west and later curves north to join its original mainline. That new route now also carries KCS traffic into town. The KCS route was originally a C&A branch. to Kansas City. The Wabash route through Springfield is a branch to Kansas City that left the St. Louis route in Decatur, IL. Some railroads that had connections to St. Louis also built direct routes to Kansas City to avoid the monopoly rates charged in St. Louis to cross the Mississippi River. The St. Louis area terminal railroad charged high rates because it owned both railroad bridges across the Mississippi.
The junction tower was in the southwest quadrant so the above train was southbound.
Update:
The junction tower was in the southwest quadrant so the above train was southbound.
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| 1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
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| Stephen N. Brannon posted Another shot of Iles Tower on the south side of Springfield, Illinois where the Detroit-Kansas City main of the Wabash crossed the Chicago-St. Louis GM&O main. Both had the traditional double bladed semaphore train order signals in this photo. GM&O "Air Line" to Roodhouse and on to Kansas City also joined the Chicago-St. Louis main just south of Iles Tower, and the train in this photo is coming off the "Air Line," which was a more direct line to Roodhouse than the "Jack Line" via Jacksonville. Nathan Griffin: Note the head and hand leaning out the fireman's side to snag orders! Jason Jordan shared |
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| Stephen N. Brannon posted Iles Tower on the south side of Springfield, Illinois. No one grabbing orders in this shot, but the order board is out for southbound GM&O trains. GM&O Chicago-St. Louis main crossed the Wabash (later N&W) main to Kansas City here, and the GM&O line to Kansas City split off here also. Bill Neill: In 1991 (I think) I spent five days in June or July at Wann Tower doing a traffic study to determine if control of Wann Tower would be conveyed to the SPCSL dispr in Denver or Wann would remain open. I recommended Wann remain open and it did so for another several months before finally being relocated to Denver. I managed to spend several hours each at Ridgely, Iles, and WR Tower in Granite City just to see what else was going on on the property. Richard Fiedler shared |
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| Allen Miller commented on Stephen's post I have a train order copied there. |
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| David Harris posted A northbound bumps across the NS/NW/Wabash at Iles Tower in April 1986, before the big changes. Ronald Rice Nice! I've seen several pictures of the old tower, but this is the first one that was taken from the north side. |
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| Brian Spoke posted GM&O GP35's #618 leads sister 621 and GP30 #518 at Iles Tower in Springfield, IL - Date & Photographer unknown. Brian Sopke Collection. [The GM&O is northbound. And a train on the Wabash route needs to stop for train orders.] |
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| Stan L. Maddox posted Iles Tower, Springfield, IL. Facing East alongside the old Wabash/N&W main. Date unknown, but during the Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (CM&W) era for sure, based on other photos I took that day. |
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| Ryan Crawford posted I have thus far, failed to give Amtrak any love, but today, I’m changing all that….On April 18, 1993, just like clockwork, northbound Amtrak train #304, with F40PH 248 rolls by Iles Tower in Springfield. I remember being sick to death of F40PHs, but when you’re young and naive you don’t realize the historical significance of the average, everyday stuff !! Photo by: Ryan Crawford |
Richard Schroeder posted two photos with the comment: "In the spring and summer of 1994 I was a Consultant Project Engineer for the relocation of the former Wabash Railroad line on the west side of Springfield, IL. For almost a year the contractors had built the new roadbed around the south part of the city and then laid the new track from the west side of town, near I-72, to Iles tower located on the south edge of town. For 7 days we made cutovers with the last day, August 23rd, being the cutover at Iles. Here is the tower July 12, 1994 with the outside covering still in place. The other photo is the day the tower was fallen across the former Wabash line, which was already out of service. My photos of a sad time for a tower lover."
Steve McMullen: They just pushed it over ‽ Wow
Richard Schroeder: Actually you can see a cable across the track, there was a dozer on the north side out of the picture and they pulled it over. I did not post the pile when it was down.
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