This list of closed railroad interlocking towers and cabins was extracted from a list of interlocking towers and cabins compiled for the "Tower Tribute" section in the April, 1995 issue of TRAINS magazine.
The assistance of numerous people is gratefully acknowledged.
As with the list of active towers, this list is organized alphabetically by state, with regional subgroupings as needed. A total of closures follows each state or group heading.
The closures listed are those recorded as having occurred within a two or three year period prior to the March 1, 1995 cutoff date. For more information about listing criteria, see this list's active tower counterpart.
Corrections and updates may be sent via email. Alternatively, you may submit additional information by post to:
NOTE: This list and the information contained therein may be freely reproduced or used in printed or electronic form for non-commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged and provided that such publication also refers readers to the original list.
| Abbreviations denoting type of building or structure: | ||
|---|---|---|
| B | movable bridge cabin, on or next to bridge | |
| C | cabin | |
| O | office (e. g., in yard office or depot building) | |
| T | tower (building with two or more stories) | |
| California [3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. F. Bay Area [3] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| College Avenue | San Jose | SP | T | closed April 17, 1993 | |
| Santa Clara | San Jose | SP | T | closed July 16, 1993 | |
| Fourth Street | San Francisco | SP | T | closed 1993 | |
| Connecticut [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Groton | Groton | Amtrak, CV, P&W | T | Thames River and Shaws Cove bridges and junctions closed December 2, 1994 | |
| Delaware [2] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Canal | ? | CR (ex-PRR) Delmarva Secondary | B | bridge over Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, not interlocked; employee is bridgetender, signals control bridge. | |
| Bridge | Wilmington | CR (ex-PRR) New Castle Secondary | B | part-time, Christine River Bridge; closed in 1994. | |
| District of Columbia [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| QN | Washington | CSX (ex-B&O) | T | closed September 28, 1992; standing | |
| Illinois [17] | |||||
| Chicago area [5] | |||||
| Burlington Northern [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Union Avenue | Chicago | BN, Amtrak, IC, CSX (B&OCT) | T | junctions at south end of Chicago Union Station trackage; closed October, 1992; razed 1995 | |
| Elgin, Joliet & Eastern [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Jay Tower | Chicago Heights | UP (ex-C&EI) | T | closed September, 1993; standing | |
| Indiana Harbor Belt [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Argo Jct. | Argo | IHB | T | junction of IHB lines, closed February 17, 1993 | |
| CSX (B&OCT) [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| GM&O Tower ("C&A") | Argo | IHB, crossing of IC (Metra Heritage, ex-GM&O) | T | closed January 28, 1993 | |
| Norfolk Southern [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Chicago Ridge | Chicago Ridge | NS/Metra Southwest (ex-Wabash), IHB crossing | T | closed January 10, 1994 (M, w/pipeline) | |
| Downstate Illinois [12] | |||||
| Northern Illinois (outside Chicago area) [2] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| East Cabin | East Dubuque | CC&P (ex-IC), BN (ex-CB&Q) junction and crossing | C | closed June 7, 1994; bridgetender remains but controls bridge only (M, w/pipeline) | |
| Pence | Momence | CR (ex-NYC), UP (ex-C&EI) | T | closed December 28, 1993 (M) | |
| Springfield [3] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Avenue | Springfield | IC, C&IM | T | closed November 12, 1992, razed May 1993 (M, w/pipeline) | |
| Iles | Springfield | NS (ex-Wabash), SP (ex-GM&O) | T | closed June 17, 1994, razed August 1994 (M) | |
| Shops | Springfield | C&IM, NS (ex-Wabash) crossing | T | standing, C&IM uses structure for other purposes, but not for interlocking | |
| Other central Illinois [7] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Champaign (CH) | Champaign | IC, CR (ex-P&E) crossing | T | closed April 30, 1993, burned July 3, 1994, razed July 15, 1994 | |
| Tolono (RH) | Tolono | IC, NS (ex-Wabash) crossing | O | depot; closed April 15, 1992, razed March, 1994 | |
| Edgewood (WO) | Edgewood | IC Edgewood cutoff junction | C | closed July 28, 1992, standing | |
| Tuscola (TY) | Tuscola | IC, CSX (ex-B&O), UP (ex-C&EI) crossing | T | closed October 23, 1992, razed June 1, 1994 (M) | |
| Gibson City (R) | Gibson City | IC, NS (ex-Wabash, ex-NKP) | T | closed February 24, 1993, razed October, 1993 (M) | |
| "BN" Target | Bloomington | SP (ex-GM&O), NS (ex-NKP) | C | cabin, crossing was non-interlocked, also controlled CTC; closed June, 1993 | |
| North Yard | Danville | CSX (ex-C&EI), NS (ex-Wabash), CR (ex-P&E) crossing; | C | closed June 17, 1992, razed 1993 | |
| Indiana [3] | |||||
| Chicago area [3] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Ivanhoe | Gary | EJ&E, CR, IHB | T | closed December 16, 1993; razed winter of 1994-95 | |
| Hartsdale | Schererville | CR (ex-PRR, ex-MC), EJ&E | T | closed June 14, 1994 (M) | |
| Judd (JD) | La Porte | CR (ex-NYC) | T | closed May 18, 1992; razed | |
| Kentucky [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| DeCoursey Yard | Louisville | CSX (L&N) | T | closed May 27, 1994 | |
| Louisiana [1] | |||||
| New Orleans [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| NE Tower | New Orleans | CSX (ex-L&N), NS (ex-Southern) | T | closed September 12, 1990 | |
| Maryland [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| JD | Hyattsville | CSX (ex-B&O) | T | Alexandria Branch junction; razed 1993 | |
| Massachusetts [3] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Tower A | Boston | Amtrak (MBTA, ex-B&M) | T | junctions and Charles River bridge near North Station; closed November 20, 1993; bridgetender remains on duty at bridge but controls bridge only | |
| Salem | Salem | Amtrak (MBTA, ex-B&M) | T | closed March 2, 1992 | |
| Walpole | Walpole | Amtrak (MBTA, ex-NYNH&H) | T | closed July 2, 1994 | |
| Nebraska [2] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Hall Tower | Lincoln | BN (ex-CB&Q), UP crossing | T | closed circa 1992 | |
| Tower B | Omaha | UP | T | enlarged in 1966, closed February 20, 1990 | |
| New Jersey [1] | |||||
| N J Transit [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| HX | Harmon Cove | NJT (ex-EL) | T | Hackensack River bridge and various junctions; closed January 23, 1993 | |
| New York [11] | |||||
| New York City area [11] | |||||
| LIRR (14 -- 12 full time, 1 part time, 1 as needed) [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Bliss | Long Island City | LIRR | T | closed July 18, 1992. | |
| Metro-North (ex-NYC) [6] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| A | New York | MNCR (ex-NYC) | T | underground tower on Grand Central Terminal upper level; closed October 3, 1993 | |
| B | New York | MNCR (ex-NYC) | T | underground tower on Grand Central Terminal lower level; closed July 24, 1993 | |
| C | New York | MNCR (ex-NYC) | T | underground tower on Grand Central Terminal upper level; closed October 3, 1993 | |
| U | New York | MNCR (ex-NYC) | T | junction between Grand Central Terminal's upper and lower level tracks near 57th Street, Manhattan; closed August, 1993 | |
| Nick (NK) | New York | MNCR (ex-NYC) | T | crossovers in upper Manhattan; closed July 9, 1993 | |
| MO (Mott Haven) | Bronx | MNCR (ex-NYC) | T | junction between Harlem and Hudson lines; closed July 9, 1993 | |
| Amtrak Northeast Corridor (ex-PRR) [4] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| A Tower | New York | Amtrak (ex-PRR) | T | Penn Station towers replaced by new Penn Station Control Center opened October 1, 1994 | |
| C Tower | New York | Amtrak (ex-PRR) | T | Penn Station towers replaced by new Penn Station Control Center opened October 1, 1994 | |
| JO Tower | New York | Amtrak (ex-PRR) | T | Penn Station towers replaced by new Penn Station Control Center opened October 1, 1994 | |
| KN Tower | New York | Amtrak (ex-PRR) | T | Penn Station towers replaced by new Penn Station Control Center opened October 1, 1994 | |
| Ohio [4] | |||||
| Other points [4] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Route 4 | Bellevue | NS (NKP) | T | ||
| AC | Marion | CR (ex-EL, NYC), NS (ex-PRR), | T | CSX (ex-C&O); closed January 18, 1995 | |
| NV | Nova | CSX (ex-B&O) | T | closed October 18, 1993 (M, w/pipeline) | |
| Tiffin | Tiffin | IHRC (ex-PRR), CSX (ex-B&O) | T | closed late 1993; razed March 13, 1995 | |
| Pennsylvania [4] | |||||
| Philadelphia area [2] | |||||
| Amtrak Northeast Corridor [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Penn | Philadelphia | Amtrak (ex-PRR) | O | office inside 30th Street Station; closed April 4, 1994 | |
| Amtrak Harrisburg Line [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| Bryn Mawr | Bryn Mawr | Amtrak (ex-PRR) | T | closed early 1994 following fire, interlocking now permanently controlled from Paoli | |
| Other [2] | |||||
| Conrail, ex-PRR main line [2] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| MG | Gallitzin | CR (ex-PRR) | T | on mountain grade between Altoona and Gallitzin; closed June 24, 1994 | |
| MO | Cresson | CR (ex-PRR) | T | closed December 1994 | |
| South Carolina [1] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| FC | Florence | CSX (ex-ACL?) | O | inside CSX yard office; to be remoted late 1994 -- not verified | |
| Texas [2] | |||||
| name | location | roads | mach. | bldg. | notes |
| #42 | Texarkana | UP (ex-T&P), SP (ex-SSW), KCS | T | closed January, 1994 | |
| Belt Jct. | Dallas | SP, HB&T | T | closed 1994 | |
| Closed towers listed: 58 | |||||
Updated on Monday, June 7, 2004 at 15:28.