Opened in 1938, COLA tower, in Columbia, PA was closed around 1986 and then served as a glorified relay hut until 2012 when the interlocking it controlled was re-signaled. In the decade that followed, the tower, sealed up against the elements and scrap enthusiasts, has been left largely untouched. Possibly still used as an employee clubhouse or storage facility, the stout construction and generally benign location have managed to defend the structure from demolition. I recently came into possession of some interior photos, taken a some years ago, that shine a light onto the tower's life and post-life.

Built at the same time, with the same design and for the same electrification project as the previously covered THORN tower, COLA used CTC remote control technology (although not much actual CTC territory) to streamline operations at what would be the hub of the low grade freight network between the Main Line junctions at Parkesburg and Perryville, and the massive Enola Yard near Harrisburg. COLA interlocking and its extended CTC territory were all extensively covered in my Port Road Trips series and so I will try to avoid covering the same ground again, however the key point worth remembering is that COLA's status as an all-relay based interlocking plant meant that when Conrail's NEC operations were severely curtailed in the mid to late 1980's and the east-west portion of the low grade network was abandoned, Conrail was able to close the tower as a Block and Interlocking Station, brick up the windows, install an interface and control the whole plant from a computer terminal in Mt. Holly, NJ just as easily as it had from the operator's console on the second floor.

25 years later Norfolk Southern finally got around to replacing the
still 1938 vintage signaling at COLA as part of an area re-signaling
scheme that covered much of COLA's former CTC territory and it turns out
that they pretty much locked the door and walked away. On the
operator's level, the CTC console has vanished (most likely into an
employee's basement), but it's outline is still present along with the
operator's chairs and a pretty snazzy Kelvinator.
Lockers for the operators are still standing against the wall and one
can see the crudeness of the 1980's brick job compared with the large
tile on the proper walls. At least Conrail decided to opt for brick as
opposed to cinder blocks or plywood. Also note the institutional grade
water fountain, which were the style in the days before bottled water.
On the wall behind the operator's position are a variety of railroad
preservation related news clippings, pasted up an "enthusiast" operator
along with various notes of a more work related nature. Banana stickers
abound along with clues that smoking as still permitted inside.
The washroom appears to be of PRR vintage and along with the radiant
heat system speak to how the ostensibly value focused PRR wasn't afraid
to pay for quality. COLA, with its CTC system and indoor heat and
plumbing was state of the art in 1937, on par with today's amenity
filled Silicon Valley HQ's.