Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Bourg, LA: Diversified Marine Services, Weeks Marine and Main Iron Works

Diversified: (Satellite)
Weeks Marine: (Satellite)
Main Iron Works: (Satellite)

Diversified Marine Services


It looks like the towboat was pushed along on the inflatable rubber rollers by a telehandler.
Facebook Reel

They are hoisting the pilot house on top of the boat.
Facebook Reel

DiversifiedMarineService

DiversifiedMarineService

Weeks Marine


Street View, Apr 2023

A Weeks Marine crane helped with the salvage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
WeeksMarine

Chris Miller, Mar 2018

Main Iron Works


This shipyard specializes in:
» Tug Boats
» Push Boats
» Barges
» Scallop Boats

Amelia, LA: Bollinger Morgan City and Repair Shipyards

Morgan City: (Satellite)
Repair: (Satellite)

Bollinger also has a shipyard in Pascagoula, MS, a little east of Ingalls Shipyard. And it has about 10 other shipyards in the Gulf area.

Bolinger Morgan City: "Bollinger Morgan City is located at the intersection of the Intracoastal Waterway and Bayou Bouef at Amelia, Louisiana. The facility operates four floating dry docks with the capacity to lift vessels weighing up to 10,000 tons and a 116-foot clearance between the 32-feet wing walls. Bollinger Morgan City also offers an on-site machine shop, stockroom, and warehouse storage area of 36,000 square feet, fully stocked to satisfy many customer needs." [BollingerShipyards_morgan_city]

Bollinger Amelia Repair: "With 50 acres and 1 mile of waterfront property, Bollinger Amelia Repair offers full-service aluminum and steel vessel repair and a wide range of conversion services that can increase the length of a boat or barge, significantly increasing cargo capacity, speed, and efficiency. The acres available offers storage area for rigs, risers, suction piles and other industry equipment. The facility also houses two 10-ton overhead cranes, two warehouses, full sandblasting and painting facilities, as well as a full-service machine shop with shaft straightener, carpentry, and electrical shops." [BllingerShipyards_amelia]

2:00 video

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Akron, OH: (JO) Tower: Erie vs Pennsy+B&O

(Satellite, I got an aerial photo to verify that the tower was in the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Market and College Streets.)

Vince Nicklin posted 10 photos with the comment:
There was a link posted in a comment thread earlier that I'd like everyone to get a chance to look at. Most people are leary of clicking on links, so I'm posting the JO Tower photos here. This place sat on the SE portion of E. Market & S. College Streets @ the RR tracks. 
JO Tower most commonly refers to a railroad interlocking tower, that managed traffic for the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, and Erie Railroads. Located near East Market Street, it was active through the mid-1970s and served as a key spot for observing train movements. 
Photos: Gary Morris
Bob Weston shared with the comment: "JO tower was located in Akron Ohio and controlled traffic on joint PRR and B&O trackage and a crossing with Erie Lackawanna."
Bob Weston: Razed in 2001
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David Harbaugh: December 1975

3
[Comments indicate that the CTC machine on the right controlled Arlington and Lambert.]

4
B Tupper Upham: Another US&S Model 14...what did Warwick have in it?

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John Parker: This is the control box that I have in my collection.

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Tom Fritsch commented on Vince's post
I remember that. Unfortunately, I didn't photograph it until just before demolition in 2001. It was in use 1908-1980).

Barry James commented on Vince's post
Looking southeast on market st. The tower would had been just to the left of engine 4411. What use to be JO interlocking, and had 5+ tracks thru here, now has two.

Vionce Nicklin commented on Vince's post
When was the tower built? This is a photo of the Warren G. Harding funeral train event @ The Union Depot in 1923. Is that it under my arrow?
I included a link to the original where you can zoom in better.

1958/59 Akron West Quad @ 24,000

The tower is near the upper-right corner.
Apr 16, 1952 @ 17,000; AR1PH0000060006

New Castle, PA: 1893 American Tin Plate (Greer Tin Mills) and Tinplate Capital in 1917

(Satellite, on the east bank of the Shenango River "at the end of Furnace Street." [lcmemoirs])

(This was the location of the Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Co. [lcmemoirs])

The "tinplate capital in 1917" fact comes from a headline in mcall. Unfortunately, it is a paywall, so I can't get more information.

Jackson-Township historical preservation posted
Greer Tin Mills in the city of New Castle, Lawrence County around 1910.
Jack Davis shared
[lcmemoirs has a colorized version of this photo and says this was the Shenango Works. And it has additional images of the plants.]

"Before construction of the massive Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Company was even completed all the tin plate outfits in the area were purchased and merged into the new American Tin Plate Company in December 1898. The company, established by Daniel G. Reid (the “Tin Plate King”), owned numerous sheet plate and tin plants around the country and practically controlled the industry now. Greer and other tin plate executives became very rich when they sold off their assets. George Greer remained onboard as district manager overseeing all the local plants. These included his old plant now known as the New Castle Works, the soon-to-be-completed Shenango Works, and the Sharon (or Farrell) Works to the north. The smaller Johnson Works in New Castle was soon closed down....With the New Castle Works and Shenango Works in full operation New Castle was the largest single producing site of tin plate in the entire world."  The mills became part of US Steel. "U.S. Steel reorganized its tin plate assets under the moniker of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company in January 1904. Greer remained in charge of all local plants, including the mill in Sharon, as district manager." The Greer plant closed as a tinplate plant in 1937. During WWII, the city owned the plant and used it for war production. Between 1942 and 1982, the plant made heavy duty steel springs. The Shenango Works produced tinplate until 1940. It was used by ALCOA during WWII. Between 1953 and 1993, it was owned by Rockwell and produced axels for heavy duty trucks. [lcmemoirs]

Monday, February 16, 2026

Crystal City, MO: Frisco Depots and Pittsburg Plate Glass Co.

Depot: (Satellite)
Glass Plant: (Satellite, brownland with a few brave trees.)

Richard Crabtree posted five images with the comment:
The Frisco Depots of Crystal City, Missouri
Crystal City, Mo., residents are happily proud of the new Frisco station recently completed in their city. The new building is a one-story combination of passenger and freight facilities and cost $25,000. Its construction is of glazed tile with cement floors. The station contains spacious general waiting room, ticket office, freight and baggage rooms with a four hundred foot long passenger platform of brick, and a wooden freight platform. The roof is of tile. Crystal City has one of the largest plate glass plants in the world within its boundaries-the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company. Glass from this plant is shipped to all parts of the United States and to Canada, Mexico, South America, Cuba and the Philippine Islands.
November 1926 The Frisco Employes' Magazine
Photo 1) Frisco Depot Crystal City, MO 1968
Photo 2) Sanborn Map Crystal City, Missouri 1908 1st depot LOC
Photo 3) Sanborn Map Crystal City, Missouri 1926 2nd Depot LOC
Photo 4) Frisco Depot Crystal City, Mo 1971 Photo Ken McElreath
Photo 5) Frisco Depot Crystal City, Mo 1980
Jim Kelling shared with the comment: "Crystal City, Missouri (Frisco Lines)."
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5

Note that the water tower in Photo 1 is extant. This is a view of the current BNSF building.
Street View, Aug  2022

Today's building is larger than the 1980 building in Photo 5. One normally does not see a yard office, let alone one that has grown. I wonder what kind of business BNSF does in the area to justify a local office.
 Street View, Aug 2022

1964 Festus Quad @ 24,000 and 1949 Crystal City Quad @ 62,500

PPG appears in a 1985 image. These old images make one appreciate how good today's satellite images are.
Google Earth, Dec 1985

The next available image is 1993, and it is gone. So, we lost more than steel mills and tractor manufacturing in the 1980s.
Google Earth, Oct 1993

So how contaminated is this former Pittsburg Plate Glass land?
Statellite

Indianapolis, IN: Massachusetts Avenue Tower: Big Four vs. Monon and NKP

(Satellite, the ramp up to the Monon Trail has wiped out the tower's foundation.)

Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment:
Conrails (EX- CCC&STLRY/NYC)"Massachusetts Ave" tower
Indianapolis, Indiana
This tower is no longer standing
Tim Shanahan shared
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Little "Massachusetts Ave" tower in Indianapolis, Indiana 1970
Photo by

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The interlocking machine at "Massachusetts Ave" tower
Photo by: Bob McCord

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The back of "Massachusetts Ave" tower in Indianapolis, Indiana

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A track and interlocking diagram for "Massachusetts Ave" tower and interlocking machine information...
Matthew Lappin: question, was the diamond a slip switch or moveable point frog setup.
and my guess is Pratt is Polk?
believe the NKP Hole track was for a PSI substation
Daniel Kopack: That would be a slip switch..
Daniel Kopack: Indy had one of the best track plans of any major city...

Corydon, IA: Lost?/CB&Q Depot

(Satellite?)

Michael Emerson Avitt posted
April 19, 2005 - CB&Q depot at Corydon, Iowa.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Michael's post
2005 is fairly recent. Is it still standing? I looked along the former right-of-way, but I could not find it. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Kz9gwHQ37oTLZ8Sw6

It was on the east/west route between Humeston and Sedan.
1902