West Trenton, NJ: Commuter/Reading "Trent" Tower and Office/Reading Depot

Tower: (Satellite)

Depot: (Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2026

Street View, Aug 2017

Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment:

Readings "Trent" tower (Trenton Jct) West Trenton, New Jersey

This tower is still Standing

Tim Shanahan shared

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"Trent" tower was an interesting looking tower..looks like 1/2 Was built in the late 20s and the 2nd half was built at a different time..

Photo by: Robert Staples 1974

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"Trent" tower with a SEPTA train passing by on February 3,1991

Photo by: Unknown

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In this view you can see the station on the right..The 1st

"Trent" tower and the 1st floor of the 2nd tower on May 1930

Photo by: Henry Wilhelm

Doug Hunt commented on the above photo
This image originally posted is reversed. This is how it should look. The view is looking south toward the Delaware River. The Baltimore and Ohio train is northbound/eastbound toward Jersey City. Trent tower is on the west side of the tracks, and the station is on the east side of the tracks. Railroad Ave is on the right side of the flipped image behind Trent tower. The branch trackage that heads toward Trenton is on the left, opposite Trent tower.

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A Conrail track and interlocking diagram for "Trent" tower

Corbin T, Sep 2022

John Marquette, Jul 2017

I noticed that this station is at the end of the line. That explains the wye and small railyard just north of the depot.

Satellite

Confirmation that it is at the end of line.

Fred Dohkraf, May 2024

Manville, PA: Reading Weston (WX) Tower

(Satellite, based on aerial photo below and confirmed by the railfan photos.)

Darren Reynolds posted six images with the comment:

Readings "Weston" (WX) tower
At: Manville, New Jersey
This tower is no longer standing

Tim Shanahan shared

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"Weston" tower (WX) Wes in Manville, New Jersey on

December 5, 1981 in the Conrail era...

Phot by: Robert Staples

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The CTC machine inside of "Weston" tower July 1969

Photo by: Rob Mandeville

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A Reading track and interlocking diagram for Weston- Manville, New Jersey and interlocking machine information..

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An RDC passes "Weston" tower with a Commuter train

1981

Photo by: Geoff Hubbs

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A B&O train with Eng # 3700 passes "Weston " tower on July 1969

Photo by: Rob Mandeville

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All Boarded up and not needed anymore "Weston" tower

1984... I'm not sure when this tower was torn down...

Photo by: Robert Staples

The track diagram above indicates that the tower was on the south side of the tracks. 

1955/63 Bound Brook Quad @ 24,000

Apr 24, 1953 @ 20,000; AR1XI0000060198

The spacing and the size of the shadows of the two buildings southwest of Kyle Street is consistent with the photos.

Digitally Zoomed

In fact, this house is in the background of Photo 5.

Street View, Jul 2026 (Satellite)

Alvin, IL: C&EI + IC Union Station, Junction Tower and Two Old Grain Elevators

(see below for satellite image)

Mike Sypult posted
Alvin, Illinois Union Station after 1910 when the name was changed from Alvan to Alvin. Must have been after 1917, when the Alvin Power Plant was started. Notice the power poles. The double tracks are the C&EI running north & south. The Illinois Central "Punkin Vine" is running east & west. The Alvin Elevator is behind the depot. The Farmers elevator is up the tracks. To the left is the interlocking tower. The picture was taken from West Railroad Avenue.
Chris Wintering: I wonder what that spot looks like now?

Dennis DeBruler commented on Chris' comment
All traces of the IC are gone except for the connector track, but both grain elevators have grown.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.3083841,-87.6068431,294a,35y,2.9t/data=!3m1!1e3

Dennis DeBruler commented on Mike's post
1938 Hoopeston Quad @ 62,500

Madison, WI: (MX) Tower: Milwaukee vs. C&NW

(Satellite)

Photo via NorthAmericanInterlockings
[Looking Northeast along the C&NW.]

Dave Martens posted two images with the comment: "This is the location of the former MX tower in Madison Wisconsin - thought to be the only crossing of two railroads (Milwaukee Road and Chicago & Northwestern) in the middle of a lake. Both lines are still active. Additionally, a roadway (John Nolan Drive) has been added as seen in my photo. The RR line paralleling the road is the former CNW line (former CNW depot is nearby) and the RR line crossing it is the former MILW line.  A Don Ross photo of the tower during the steam era is linked here (https://donsdepot.irm.org/dr0001/cnw344.jpg) and Google Maps view is also included."

[Actually, it is the northern part of the John Nolan Drive that parallels C&NW. The sounthern part parallels the Milwaukee.]

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DonsDepot

wihap

1959 Madison West and 1969 Madison East Quads @ 24,000

I include this map to demonstrate that the National Rail Network Map can have a lot of errors. Pink is supposed to mean CPKC, while all of the grey lines that I checked are labeled WSOR. I'm not listing all of the errors, just the ones that caused me the most confusion. The route to the West is labelled WSOR, but it is CPKC. The route to the southeast has the self-contained error of being colored CPKC but having a label of WSOR.

National Rail Network Map

Given the errors in the above map, I went to some primary sources. Note that WSOR has some of the C&NW routes as well as Milwaukee routes.

WATCO via WSOR via Dennis DeBruler

cpkcr

Fassett, PA: Lost/Pennsy Tower for a Siding

(Satellite)

Darren Reynolds posted

A Pennsy Freight passes by Abandoned "Fassett" tower

Photo by: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Drew Guild: On the Elmira Branch.

Dennis DeBruler: The date of the photo is 1957: https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/index.php/tpm/blogs/latest-articles-blog/488-on-location-8269-fassett

Larry Candilas commented on Darren's post
Unknown date but its in operation here - from the internet

Larry Candilas commented on Darren's post

track chart 1964

OldDepotGallery
"By the fall of 1957, all steam engines were retired on the Pennsy's Elmira Branch as 126-years of steam powered railroading ended on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
"NOW AVAILABLE - a limited number of  13" x 19" Giclée prints signed and numbered by the artist (limited to 250 copies)  The prints are reproduced on 51-lb. heavy weight, Epson paper and printed with archival inks.  Price........$50.00 plus $7.00 Shipping & Handling (US only contact us for S&H cost to locations outside of the United States)"

The photos show that it controlled the siding that was north of town. Today's Sheddens Way Road reuses part of the Pennsy RoW. The aerial photo below shows that it was at the south end of the siding just north of where PA-14 crossed the tracks. 

1954/56 Gillett Quad @ 24,000

PA-14 was moved between this 1952 aerial and the above 1954 topo map. The map is consistent with today's alignment of the road. There are two rectangles parallel to the tracks. The topo map indicates that the tower was the northern rectangle, which was behind this building.

Apr 17, 1952 @ 31,000; AR1UN0000020188

Seymour, IN: Junction (JO) Tower: B&O vs. Pennsy and Chessie/C&O Caboose

Tower: (Satellite, based on Photos 3 and 4 below.)

Caboose: (Satellite)

Darren Reynolds posted four photos with the comment:

B&O/PRR "JO" tower (Seymour)

St Louis Division

Seymour,Indiana

This tower is no longer standing

Tim Shanahan shared

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[Note the Pennsy positional light signals in this and the following photo. Also because of the buildings in the background the Contrail train is heading geographically South. That put the tower in the southeast quadrant.]

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Street View, Jun 2023

1958 Seymour Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 via Dennis DeBruler

Columbus, OH: B&O (GN) (CP Camp) Junction Tower: B&O vs. Pennsy vs. NYC vs. Big Four

(Satellite)

The 2005 SPV Map labels this junction CP Camp.   

Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment:

B&Os "GN" tower (Columbus)

West Broad St.,Columbus, Ohio

This tower is no longer standing

Tim Shanahan shared

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A lot of tracks have been removed to make rooom for three highways through this area.

1955/56 West Columbus Quad @ 24,000

The tower was west of the B&O track and just south of McKinley Ave.

Mar 1, 1953 @ 18,000; AR1XM0000010170

The B&O route to the south is now owned by IORY. This map shows the IORY terminating at Sullivant Ave. But a satellite map shows the tracks continue north and now join the NS/Pennsy tracks.

National Rail Network Map