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| Tim Shanahan shared Mark Egebrecht's photo |
Michael Dye shared ten photos. Tim Shanahan also shared.
Mark's comment:
Phil Bell Isn't this one of the small remaining EL segments? As I recall, the CF&E comes down the GR&I from Adams to get a customer on the EL.
Comments confirm Phil is correct and that the segments are back in service because a plastic company went back to rail service. The plastic company would be Dolco Packaging. According to the Google image, which tends to be 1-2 years old, they have torn up the tracks inside their fence.
But according to a Bing image, which tends to be over 7 years ago, they had track and cars on their property.
If I ever go to Decatur to take pictures of the soybean processing plant, I need to remember to swing over to the west side to check out the tracks in this plant
On the Google image, there were three covered hoppers on the Erie where the diamond used to be. They look special because they are long and have a "notch" in the middle. These are probably collecting storage fees for the CF&E.
EL Tower at Decatur, Indiana. This guarded the crossing of the EL and PRR GR&I line. 1983.Christopher Allen Howe DA Tower
Phil Bell Isn't this one of the small remaining EL segments? As I recall, the CF&E comes down the GR&I from Adams to get a customer on the EL.
Comments confirm Phil is correct and that the segments are back in service because a plastic company went back to rail service. The plastic company would be Dolco Packaging. According to the Google image, which tends to be 1-2 years old, they have torn up the tracks inside their fence.
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But according to a Bing image, which tends to be over 7 years ago, they had track and cars on their property.
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| Bing. |
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| Satellite |
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| Mark Hinsdale posted "New Delivery" Solo Erie Lackawanna SDP45 #3650 brings a westbound train past "DA" Tower in Decatur, Indiana on a sunny February, 1975 afternoon. On the head end is a string of brand new Burlington Northern coal hoppers, built at the Greenville Steel Car Company, in Greenville PA, which was also served by the railroad. EL handled many such new equipment moves out of Greenville, destined to Chicago and connections with other carriers leading toward the west. The new hoppers will join the growing BN coal fleet assigned to the rapidly developing Powder River Basin coal field in northern Wyoming. As for EL, no such dynamic new business savior would be forthcoming, and the company, bankrupt since Hurricane Agnes ravaged the railroad in 1972, would be folded into the Consolidated Rail Corporation in just over a year. Soon afterward, this western portion of EL's New York-Chicago main line would become redundant practically overnight. February, 1975 photo by Mark Hinsdale Roger Riblett shared |
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| Comments on Mark's post |
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| Matthew Ditton posted Mark Llanuza provided this shot that Don Ellison took of a westbound Erie Lackawanna train at Decatur Indiana passing DA tower and crossing what was at the time Penn Central's former Grand Rapids and Indiana line. I took the current shot on 8/8/21 with the only things remaining being a single track, telegraph pole and amazingly, the antenna. Some of the rods for the interlocking plant are also still here but covered by vegetation. |
Michael Dye posted five photos with the comment:
Once upon a time, in Decatur, Indiana, there were three railroads, which met/almost met at a single point. This location was the Erie/Erie Lackawanna's 'DA' Tower.Located in the NE corner of the intersection of the Erie's Chicago-Jersey City mainline and the PRR's GR&I line between Fort Wayne and Richmond, Indiana, 'DA' provided the interlocking control of both railroads, as well as their access to the 'Nickel Plate Road' (Toledo, St. Louis & Western - 'Clover Leaf') line which shortly paralleled the Erie, to the South.Photo 1: 'DA' Tower, atop its unusual poured concrete base (Similar to the Erie /B&O tower at Sterling, OH), wearing the standard Erie structure paint scheme. Photo credit: John Fuller.Photo 2: DA Tower's model board.Photo 3: DA Tower's manual interlocking levers.Photo 4: A photo of DA, looking West from atop the Erie's WB Home Signal, while Erie Signal Gang #33 was servicing the interlocking plant. The PRR is visible behind the tower, while the NKP is at the photo's left border.Photo 5: A better lit view of the DA model board. Note: Since the model board represented things from the Operator's point of view and because DA Tower faced South (Towards the Erie), the top of the board is 'South'.Photo credits:Photo 1: John Fuller.Photos 2-4: My Grandfather; The late CL Coates, Foreman, Erie Signal Gang #33 and EL Signal Gang #51.Photo 5: Unknown.
Michael Hayes: Which lines are left?
Michael Dye: There's very little trace of the NKP line. The Last I heard, there's a small portion of the Erie's EB main remaining (Used to serve a packaging company, to the West of Decatur) which is operated by the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad, which operates the PRR line to Fort Wayne, primarily to to access 'Bunge', a soy elevator and plant, located to the North of where DA was, on the GR&I.
[Some comments discuss the location of some depots.]
Michael Dye shared
Matt Lasayko: Interesting train order signal on the side of the tower.
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| 1 Looking WNW at DA Tower, from atop the Erie's EB Mainline track. The tower is painted in the Erie's 'standard' structure paint scheme. Photo by John Fuller. |
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| 2 Interior view of DA Tower, facing SSW. The model board hangs above the levers of the manual interlocking plant. On the other side of the model board are the tracks of the Erie-Lackawanna. Outside the wall, to the (photographer's) right of the gent in the corner, run the N-S tracks of the PRR's GR&I line. From my collection of slides taken by my Grandfather, the late CL Coates, Foreman, Erie Signal Gang #33, EL Signal Gang #51 and an unidentified Conrail Signal Gang in Northern Indiana. |
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| 3 Model board - DA Tower, Decatur IN, FEB61. From the collection of slides taken by my Grandfather, the late CL Coates, Foreman, Erie Signal Gang #33, EL Signal Gang #51 and an unidentified Conrail Signal Gang in Northern Indiana. |
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| 4 At DA Tower, looking west from WB Home Signal, Decatur IN, FEB61. From the collection of slides taken by my Grandfather, the late CL Coates, Foreman, Erie Signal Gang #33, EL Signal Gang #51 and an unidentified Conrail Signal Gang in Northern Indiana. |
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| 5 Model board - DA Tower, Decatur IN. Photo credit: Unknown. |
Michael Dye posted ten photos with the comment:
In Decatur, IN, the Erie (Chicago & Atlantic/Chicago & Erie/NYPANO) Railroad crossed the PRR's GR&I line (Ft Wayne to Richmond). Traffic and interchange between the two roads was controlled by the Operators at 'DA' Tower. 'DA' was unusual for an Erie tower, as the first floor was poured concrete, with wooden construction above, for the Operator's area, rather than the typical all-wood build.The NKP paralleled the Erie (To the South) through town, not interchanging directly with the Erie, but through a (Presumably manual) interchanged with the PRR, in the SW quadrant.Photo 1: (No photo credit found) The Model Board for 'DA'. In this photo, the top of the board is South. The NKP can be seen at the top, but there is no representation for the interchange, other than the occupancy lamps.Below, there is the Erie's double track main, with crossovers and sidings. Plus the PRR interchange in the NE quadrant.Photo 2: An uncredited 1965 photo of DA's Eastern elevation. Unpainted concrete below, with a wooden second floor, painted in the Erie's standard building scheme of 'Depot Buff', Dark Green trim and Red window frames/sashes.Photo 3: A John Fuller photo, showing DA's Western side. As was typical of Erie structure's in the 60s, the paint is in sad shape, but check out the Signal Dept equipment, with everything is perfect order (My Grandfather, the late CL Coates, was the Signal Gang Foreman for the crews which were responsible for all of the Huntington Subdivision trackage from 51st Street Yard, to the OH line (With occasional jobs as far East as Kenton), and West End Erie Signal Men DID NOT cut corners!). In this photo, off in the distance, maybe seen; to the left of the ROW, the Erie's Decatur depot, and across the tracks from the depot, may be seen the Erie's Freight House.Photo 4: An uncredited Internet photo of DA's EB Home Signal.Photo 5: A CL Coates photo, labelled 'At DA Tower, looking West, Decatur IN, FEB61'. To the photo's left, the tracks of the NKP may be seen. To the left of the NKP tracks, is a string of cars, being interchanged between the NKP and the PRR.Photo 6: Another CL Coates photo, 'At DA Tower, looking west from WB Home Signal, Decatur IN, FEB61'.Photo 7: Another CL Coates photo, 'At DA Tower, closer looking west from WB Home Signal, Decatur IN, FEB61'. The Gang's truck is sitting on Line Street.Photo 8: If you ever wondered what went into maintaining a 'Strongarm' Interlocking, here is part of it. Another CL Coates photo, labelled 'Cleaning locking bars, at DA Tower, Decatur IN, FEB61'.Photo 9: 'Interlocking machine – DA Tower, Decatur IN, FEB61', CL Coates photo.Photo 10: An uncredited Internet photo of DA's Interlocking machine. Here, it appears that most of the formerly blue painted levers, have gone to white.DA Tower outlasted the Erie/EL, and served the two shortlived shortlines which attempted to run the line in Indiana. It even outlived most of the Erie's Eastern Indiana trackage, which was pulled up in the early 80's. Sadly, it fell victim to an arsonist in 1986.
Michael Dye shared
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Photo 1: (No photo credit found) The Model Board for 'DA'. In this photo, the top of the board is South. The NKP can be seen at the top, but there is no representation for the interchange, other than the occupancy lamps. Below, there is the Erie's double track main, with crossovers and sidings. Plus the PRR interchange in the NE quadrant. |
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| Photo 2: An uncredited 1965 photo of DA's Eastern elevation. Unpainted concrete below, with a wooden second floor, painted in the Erie's standard building scheme of 'Depot Buff', Dark Green trim and Red window frames/sashes. |
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| Photo 3: A John Fuller photo, showing DA's Western side. As was typical of Erie structure's in the 60s, the paint is in sad shape, but check out the Signal Dept equipment, with everything is perfect order (My Grandfather, the late CL Coates, was the Signal Gang Foreman for the crews which were responsible for all of the Huntington Subdivision trackage from 51st Street Yard, to the OH line (With occasional jobs as far East as Kenton), and West End Erie Signal Men DID NOT cut corners!). In this photo, off in the distance, maybe seen; to the left of the ROW, the Erie's Decatur depot, and across the tracks from the depot, may be seen the Erie's Freight House. |
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| Photo 4: An uncredited Internet photo of DA's EB Home Signal. |
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| Photo 5: A CL Coates photo, labelled 'At DA Tower, looking West, Decatur IN, FEB61'. To the photo's left, the tracks of the NKP may be seen. To the left of the NKP tracks, is a string of cars, being interchanged between the NKP and the PRR. |
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| Photo 6: Another CL Coates photo, 'At DA Tower, looking west from WB Home Signal, Decatur IN, FEB61'. |
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| Photo 7: Another CL Coates photo, 'At DA Tower, closer looking west from WB Home Signal, Decatur IN, FEB61'. The Gang's truck is sitting on Line Street. |
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| Photo 8: If you ever wondered what went into maintaining a 'Strongarm' Interlocking, here is part of it. Another CL Coates photo, labelled 'Cleaning locking bars, at DA Tower, Decatur IN, FEB61'. |
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| Photo 9: 'Interlocking machine – DA Tower, Decatur IN, FEB61', CL Coates photo. |
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| Photo 10: An uncredited Internet photo of DA's Interlocking machine. Here, it appears that most of the formerly blue painted levers, have gone to white. [It looks like John Fuller photo to me.] |
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