Columbus, OH: Olentangy Tower: Big Four vs. C&O/HV + PRR

Carl Venzke posted
Columbus, Ohio - Olentangy Interlocking Tower located on the east side of the Olentangy River not far from Spruce St. The camera is pointed southwest. The NYC (Big Four) is crossing, first the PRR's Bradford line and after passing the tower, the C&O. The bridge in the background is over the Olentangy river. It carries the C&O/PRR interchange know as the "Adams" track. Just west of this photo the C&O crosses the PRR then the Olentangy river. Photo by Bob McCord from the John Fuller Collection.
Edward Peters Cool picture. Very typical Big 4 (CCC & St L) stilted tower.

The 2005 SPV Map doesn't show the Big Four here. But historical aerial photos show a double-track route where the west side of I-670 is today. So the tower was about where that clump of trees between the two existing routes is now. The east/west route is NS/PRR while the diagonal route is CSX/C&O/Hocking Valley.

Satellite

This tower was on the west end of the Pennsy Spruce Street Yard. See those notes for a historical aerial and topo of this area.

This crossing would be near the left side of the satellite image just east of the Olentangy River. We are looking at a westbound Pennsy train.

Carl Venzke posted
Columbus, Ohio - "It's 1950 and a west bound manifest with J1 #6467 has just passed Olentangy tower (on the right) and is approaching the C&O crossing. The photographer has his back to the Olentangy River looking east. In the background can be seen the top of the water tower and coal dock at the Pennsy's Spruce St. facilities. The crossing had been beefed up to handle the pounding of those big steam locomotives including the C&O's 600 ton 2-6-6-6 Alleghany Photo from the Jay Williams Collection."

A photo of Pennsy's "20th Street Yard" showing a coal tower, steam locomotives, and Baldwin sharknose locomtoives. I could not find where the "20th Street Yard" was.