Quincy, OH: Morgan (QC) Tower: CSX/Big Four vs. IORY/DT&I

(Satellite)

Rich Weller posted
July, 1980. Morgan Tower, Quincy, Ohio. This tower protected the crossing of the DT&I and NYC/PC/CR lines. DT&I is the single track line. Both lines are still in use, Tower long gone! Photo by: Rich Weller
Tim Shanahan shared
Howie Castellucio Tower came down in 1984.

Update: the location of the model railroad club mentioned in a comment.

 

Rod Clark posted
Conrail SD-50 6792 W/B crossing the diamond of the DT&I  at Quincey Ohio. Conrail Morgan tower. March 29 1986. My photo.

Howie Castellucio: 1986.....not long before it closed.

Dennis DeBruler: The grain elevator in the background makes it easy to determine that the tower was in the northwest quadrant of the crossing, https://maps.app.goo.gl/mVCJ8Dz32wrCQfg9A.

 

Express Horizons posted

Awesome #train content by: Classic Trains

lnstagram: 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜.𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬

On a hot and sultry May afternoon, DT&I train DJ-1 with GP40-2s 406 and 415 has slowed down to a crawl and will stop briefly to work the Penn Central interchange at Quincy, Ohio. Morgan tower guarded the crossing of the DT&I and the former NYC "Bee Line," which ran between Cleveland and St. Louis. The tower was staffed with PC operators, however, the DT&I dispatcher always kept the operators busy copying and hanging train orders for the dozen-plus DT&I trains that passed by here everyday. Since the DT&I was a "dark" railroad and operated solely on train orders, most DT&I trains could always count on picking up orders "on the fly" from the "iron man" at Morgan. May 21st, 1975.

Photo Credit to Jim Sinclair.

Tim Shanahan shared

Darren Reynolds posted seven photos with the comment: "C.C.C.& St.L.RY    DT&I RY   'Morgan' tower (QC)    Quincy, Ohio."

Hotrail Productions: Closed in December, 1986.

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"Morgan" tower 1976

Photo by: Kirk Reynolds

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The model board at "Morgan" tower

Photo by: Jack Wherley (No Date)

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Interlocking machine and model board at "Morgan"

Photo by: Jay Williams (No Date)

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Inside of "Morgan" tower

Photo by: Jay Williams ( No Date)

Paul James Pritchard: 1985 on the calendar.

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A DT&I train is passing "Morgan" tower 1978

Photo by: Kirk Reynolds

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A Penn Central freight train passes "Morgan" tower on

May27,1974

Photo by: David P. Oroszi

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The home interlocking signal at "Morgan " tower

Photo by: Jay Williams (No Date)

All images from North American Interlockings States A to Z and Canada..

The grain elevator in Rod's photo is extant. I wonder if the wood building between the bins and silos used to be a grain elevator.

Street View, Aug 2014

A rare example of stave silos being used by a commercial grain elevator. I was wondering if the elevator is now abandoned, but the augur elevator on the left makes me think that at least part of it is still used.

Street View, Aug 2014

16 photos

Bill Haines: Morgan tower was torn down in '87.

Scott Trostel: It was named for Superintend Morgan of the Big 4. They couldn't name it Quincy, the name was in use by the stations of both railroads.

2:11 video about the closing

Conway, PA: NS/Conrail/Penn Railyard and Yard Towers

Yard: (Satellite)

Turntable: (Satellite)

Mystery Tower: (Satellite)

Hump Yard Tower: (Satellite)

G-1 Tower: (Satellite)

Central Tower: (Satellite)

East Tower: (Satellite)

"CR's Conway yard was located northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio river.  This former PRR yard remained the largest railroad yard in the world from the time of it's expansion in the 1950's until 1980." [ConrailPhotos, many of the photos are just locomotives, but there are some overview shots]

NS Photo from Railway Age

Rick Shilling posted
Undated Conrail Railroad Roundhouse, Turntable, Shops and Yard, Conway, Pennsylvania. Kent Campbell Photo.

 

Little Beaver Historical Society posted

Conway railroad yards aerial photo-1977

From BCHRLF Archives

Carrie M Smith: At one time it was the World's largest push button operated rail yard

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rick's post
1952 aerial photo [AR1NZ0000020196]

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rick's post
1953 Beaver and Baden Quads @ 24,000

 

Roger Durfee posted
The Conway, Pa turntable, May, 1976.

Donald Wayne Klink posted two images with the comment: "Found this Thank you note That Was Sent To Me This is the new engine shop, and a picture of the old Roundhouse, and the same table."

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Craig Hensley Photography posted

I made a stop at Conway on my way home from Pittsburgh a couple years ago and snagged a few different shots of the shops. Here’s a different angle of the turntable with the shop switched on it, and a variety of different locomotives. You also get a good visualization of the hump with a switcher and slug set as well. 

Conway, PA - October 2023

By John Vachon - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID fsa.8c18818. Public Domain, Link
Conway Yard in 1941

Eric M Ziegler
NS Conway yard,Pa 12/27/2015

Kenneth J. Kobus, July 1987 from HistoricPittsburgh

Paul Neal added two photos to the album "March 17, 2014" with the comment: "Conway Yard........"

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Samuel Pelaia from HistoricPittsburgh
The Conway Yard, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at a cost of nearly $35 million, was the world’s largest and most advanced automatic freight classification yard. Cars were directed to the proper track by an automatic system, which could set up a route of up to eight switches. The eastbound line of the railroad ran adjacent to the Ohio River (right) and State Highway 88 bordered the yard on the left. The central tower for the entire yard, the general yard office, the dormitory, and other related facilities for trains and personnel are located in the large structure in the left center of the photograph.

The Conrail Historical Society posted
A rare shot of the inside of a yard tower in Conway, circa 1983. Dick Bregler photo
Tim Shanahan shared

Trainyard Tech from Railway Age
Operator screen from the CLASSMASTER Process Control System

Selected pages from "an advertising brochure the Pennsylvania Railroad and Union Switch and Signal put out to showcase the PRR's Conway Yard." The captions are the page numbers.

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NS Training, Page 1

NS Training, Page 2

The tower on the right would be the hump yard tower. Is the tower on the left is a mystery. Is it "West Conway Tower?"

Street View, Sep 2019

G-1 Tower

Street View, Sep 2022

Central Tower and Offices

Street View, Sep 2022

Darren Reynolds posted two photos with the comment:

Conrails ( Ex-PRR) 

"East Conway" tower 

Conway, Pennsylvania

Tim Shanahan shared

Jim Kelling: Conway opened in stages from 1953-1958.

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"East Conway" tower

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The interlocking machine at "West Conway" tower

Photo by: Chip Syme June 24,1995

East Conway Tower:

(new window) a drone flyover   


Another drone flyover

NS map (pdf)

There is a lot of interesting current operations information in this Trains thread.

A railfan's blog about Conway Yard

Streator, IL: Junction Tower: OOS/CB&Q vs. NS/NYC and Aban/Alton

(Satellite, west of the tracks and a little north of Kent Street.)

William Shapotkin posted
You say you would like to see more Streator, IL material? OK then, here is a pix of the tower that protected the ATSF/Alton-NYC Xing.
Dennis DeBruler I noticed the photo is labeled CB&Q. So this is probably not the junction with Santa Fe. CB&Q had two different railroads into Streator. They both terminated near the NYC+Alton where the Alton curved towards the west
Dennis DeBruler The SantaFe crossing is a little further southeast: https://www.google.com/.../@41.1199713,-88.../data=!3m1!1e3
William Shapotkin also posted
William Shapotkin also posted
Craig Cloud Ahem it's NYC/PC then CR! Kankakee branch that ran South Bend west passing thru Toto, North Judson etc. CR would take up the track east of Wheatfield. Like to know if photos floating around Schneider tower, particularly interior.
Steve Drassler Actually it's the Three-I (Iowa Illinois and Indiana RR), then NYC, PC, CR NS. I worked on that line from NYC on. Despaired about taking up the track east of Wheatfield to South Bend. Dumb thing to do.
Craig Cloud Perfect bypass frt going to ATSF in Streator vice versa instead of Porter branch to Osborn turn south then west again at Schneider.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
[The yard in the lower-right corner was the terminal yard for the Wabash route.]

Jeff Mathre posted with the comment: "Laverne Hudson collection, he worked during the 50-60's."
Kerry Bruck: Streator Illinois near where the CBQ, New York Central and the GMO all cross over each other.
Dick Vant: Is the tower NOT. An interlocking plant ??? I see a hand thrown switch there and no train order signal at the tower. ???? That could have been a crossing gate tower. Where the gates had to be lowered by a person . There was such a tower in west Chicago like that. For awhile. For CNW crossing. The J
Thomas Whitt shared

Dennis DeBruler commented on Kerry's comment
So we are looking Northish from Kent Street along the NS/NYC tracks. 1939 Aerial Photo,
 https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/ilhap/county/data/lasalle/flight18/0bwy04031.jpg

The junction of the blue (NYC), yellow+orange (CB&Q) and green (GM&O) routes.

Satellite plus Paint via Dennis DeBruler

 

Andy Zukowski posted

On March 30, 1975 PC U30B

2846 leads the Hennepin steel train through Streator on the Kankakee Belt. After crossing the Santa Fe a few blocks east, the westbound train crossed the Burlington Northern and Illinois Central Gulf at Streator tower. The former GM&O Dwight to

Washington branch is at the right, protected by the red gate lowered across the tracks. The photographer is standing on the Burlington Streator to Zearing branch, as the PC train prepares to cross the Burlington Streator to Ottawa line behind the tower.

Photo by Jim Lewnard

Steve Drassler: Nice shot, triggered some memories for me. I worked as brakeman on that NYC-PC Kankakee line in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. Streator was indeed a busy place and getting across the Santa Fe sometimes involved waiting. Somewhere somebody must have a photo of the old Thee-I/NYC/PC depot building which was located just east of the ATSF diamonds. Love to see it again.

Daniel C Carroll Jr. shared

Richard Fiedler shared

Brian Mahaney: That is one odd duck smash board

Jeff Mathre posted with the comment: "Laverne Hudson collection, he worked during the 50-60's."

Dennis DeBruler commented on Jeff's post
So those two signalling pipelines would have curved around the track all the way from the tower that was a little north of Kent Street.
 https://www.google.com/maps/@41.1246453,-88.8319755,516m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu