Inside WINSLOW Tower: Then and Now

If there was a moment where I got into railroad signaling, it would be in the fall of 1998 when I quite literally got "into" railroad signaling. While being dropped off at South Jersey's Winslow Jct for the purpose of completing a 20 mile hike for a Boy Scout merit badge requirement, I noticed that one of the omnipresent plywood panels securing the lower level of WINSLOW tower had been removed. Scrambling inside I was presented with a trove of wonders that forever whet my appetite for the age of relay technology. I luckily had a 35mm film camera with me and was able to take a few photographs, but with my plan for the day already set, I only had about 10 minutes to get my fill. Although I had the motivation and opportunity to return, I as busy with school and kid stuff and by whatever time I did go back the tower had been re-secured. 

For the next two decades I would periodically check up on the tower, waiting for locals to break back in so I could follow up with more photos. It was only in 2023 that I was provided with a do over and lets just say, things were quite different. While I've covered South Jersey's WINSLOW tower and the ghostly remains of the interlocking plant on this blog before, today we will explore the interior with two groups of my own photos photos taken 25 years apart, with some additional insights provided from a 2003 urbex visit and photos from when the tower was still in service. 

If you are not familiar with WINSLOW (aka WINSLOW JCT), please check out my previous coverage to get a better idea of its history and layout. to summarize, WINSLOW was built in 1934 as part of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines merger to PRR specifications with a brick tower, bay window and a US&S Model 14 electro-pneumatic interlocking plant. The tower was in service until 1983 when the NJDoT seashore services, run under contract by Conrail, were discontinued due to lower ridership and rapidly declining track conditions. The final service level consisted of 3 peak direction round trips to Atlantic City and 1-2 round trips to Ocean City and Cape May. When the tower closed the signals were turned and remained in place until Amtrak showed up to rebuild the line about 5 years later. 

When I first got into WINSLOW it was about a decade into its second act as a radio repeater base for NJT operations on the line. A small lattice radio mast had been build against the north side of the tower and the upper story windows were still intact and letting in light. Towers serving in useful capacities as relay huts or crew bases is one of the more common factors behind their not getting demolished. 

 
On the ground floor, the relay racks and associated relays had been removed, however the cabling that fed the US&S Model 14 interlocking machine on the operator's floor was largely still in place. From the look of it, one can see why so many old tower had their own regular maintainer that under the old system of inefficient railroad employment, could be in the position for many years.

When I visited in 1998 I don't remember much of anything in the ground floor, but in the 2003 urbex photo we can see that it was being used for general storage. I recall being informed by a Southern Railway of NJ employee mentioned that they had access to the tower, but I can't confirm if the items being stored were theirs or not.

There is a single flight of stairs along the rear wall connecting the relay room to the operator's floor. I could not tell if the relays were caged off or not as this was the typical practice to prevent operators from being tempted to tamper with the interlocking equipment to "fix" certain problems. In the 2003 photos we can see shelf style relays on the stairs, but I did not recall seeing any in 1998.

Heading up the single flight of stairs to the operator's level revealed something unexpected, a false wall built lengthwise across the room with a door in it. 

The false wall had the unfortunate effect of blocking the view of the original PRR pattern model board, expect for a small bit at the top. I also managed to get a tight angle photo in from the side that came out pretty well all things considered. 

The model board matches its final appearance from the mid-1960's through to 1983 where the main lines to Atlantic and Ocean cities were both single track manual block. 

What really blew my mind back in the day was the presence of WINSLOW's 27 lever US&S Model 14 interlocking machine. Until this point I had never physically seen one or even known what one was. While some of my railroad books had contained pictures of specifically PRSL Model 14's, the fact that they didn't look like the classic armstrong type lever frame made it hard to intuit what that strange box thing in the photo was until I literally stumbled upon one and it all clicked, despite the lever cranks had all been removed.

Here is the WINSLOW machine as it appeared in service. 

Remembering South Jersey's Insulator Ranch

For years, if one were driving near Atlantic City, New Jersey, perhaps taking a shortcut between the Atlantic City Expressway exit 12 and the Garden State Parkway exit 41 due to summertime congestion, one might pass something on the side of the road that might cause a momentary feeling of disbelief where one might question what they just saw.  Located at the edge of the famous New Jersey Pine Barrens in Galloway Township, the slightly less famous Insulator Ranch was chronicled in all the typical quirky attraction websites like Weird NJ and Roadside America as it sat there provoking thousands of double takes over the years. Insulator Ranch was exactly that, a ranch house with a circumferential fence-line  constructed entirely of railroad pole-line poles fully stocked with green glass insulators. 

I first stumbled upon the site in the summer of 1998 and likely passed it once or twice in the years that followed.  In the age of Google Maps I would check in periodically, confirming that it was both still there and that my mind had not been playing tricks on me in ages past. Then, just recently, a check of the updated Street View showed that while the home and property were still there, all the magic of the green glass insulators had gone. According to the reports, the creator of the insulator art piece, a one Stanley E. Hammell, had passed away at age 89 in 2012 and was followed by his wife in 2018. I am sure one could probably dig deep enough to find out what the family did with the over 10,000 green glass insulators, but surprisingly, their fate has eluded the reach of Google. 

Mr. Hammell said that he began his collection in 1985 and continued through to the early 1990's. He talks about train shows and walking various rail lines, all things I am sure he did, but none of the articles provide insight into where I am confident he obtained the bulk of his collection because its the same place that my family came away with bushel baskets of our own. The former Camden and Atlantic, aka PRSL Main Line from Lindenwold to Atlantic City.

Having once hosted the fastest scheduled trains in the world, by the 1970's the PRSL Main Line to Atlantic City was a shadow of its former self, seeing a paltry peak direction service of ~3 daily round trips. By the late 1960's, the a double tracked, cab signaled main line constructed to PRR standards had been reduced to a single track with manual block operation south of Winslow Jct. In 1983 NJ DoT threw in the towel when Conrail stopped providing commuter rail contract services and all remaining signal infrastructure on the line was switched off and abandoned in place. This created a bit of a collector's gold rush with my then future shop teacher making away with an entire PRR position light mast signal and a single fallen pole providing my own family with decades' worth of giftable insulator paperweights. 

In 1985 Mr. Hammell would find this semi-abandoned rail line with 40 odd miles of green glass insulated pole line just a few miles from his front door. I am not sure what his early collecting methods would have involved, but about 5 years later the route would see a complete reconstruction with modern signaling that had no need for lineside poles. As you can see in the photo above not a single pole line pole remains. This means they were cut down in mass by a scrapper looking to recover the copper telegraph wire. This is a fairly common practice and I am convinced that a certain retiree happened to find himself at the right place at the right time to capture large numbers of the otherwise "worthless"  insulators that he would go on to assemble into a monumental yet underappreciated work of roadside art. 

Insulator Ranch was one of those local institutions that seemed destined to last forever until suddenly it was gone. I never got any of my own high quality photos of the installation or spoke to Mr. Hammell or even had whichever car I was in slow down or stop. I am assuming that the collection found some sort of home as a lot of 10k+ green glass insulators would be certainly worth money, but it still goes to show that institutions are run by people and people get old and die. The next time you see some unique railfan house, don't be so sure that another member of the community will step up to purchase it when the time comes.

Approach, Three Ways

 About a year ago I stopped by a local interlocking in the depths of Camden, NJ with a rich Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines history.  CP-BROWN, formerly BROWN tower, is located at the junction of the former West Jersey and Seashore line to Vineland and other points south and the former Atlantic City Railroad Line to Ocean City and Cape May. In 2002 CP-BROWN and the adjacent CP-MILL were changed from position light to Conrail style color light.  15 years later as rail traffic to various South Jersey port facilities increased, Conrail Shared Assets re-signaled CP-BROWN again, adding a new interlocked switch to the former Bulson St yard, but in the process they also modified the northbound signals to reflect new conditions at CP-MILL, specifically the end of signaled track northbound.  

Under NORAC, the signal before a Restricting indication is an Approach type indication and CP-BROWN just happens to have the complete set of NORAC Approach type indications spread across three masts that can display only that and Restricting.  

Main track northbound signal 2N-1 offers up a straight Approach indication with an upper head yellow lamp and Restricting with a lower head yellow lamp.

Signal 2N-2 off the Beesley's Point secondary offers a single yellow lamp on the lower head that is used for both R/Y Restricting and R/*Y* Medium Approach.

 Finally the signal off the Bulson St track offers a single yellow lamp on the lowest head for R/R/Y Restricting and R/R/*Y* Slow Approach.  Note, aside from red, all the lamps on the upper two heads are blank. For whatever reason each head has the complete package of triangular mounted SafeTrain CL-20s and sun visor. 

So there you go.  Three masts, three Approach-type type indications in each of the three speeds (Full, Medium and Slow) with Restricting the only other option.  Pretty neat!

SHORE Tower Catches Fire

In a situation that should surprise absolutely nobody, the PRR's SHORE tower, located at the old Frankford Junction, caught fire and suffered significant damage.  The 1896 structure was built to support the then new Delair Bridge to Southern New Jersey and was the oldest surviving tower on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The wooden tower closed at some point in the late 1980's and had somehow managed to remain standing stood for the next 30 years before someone or something set it ablaze.

SHORE post-fire

Although the damage was not total (see SO tower in 2009), this event will likely hasten SHORE's demolition.  As one can seen from the above photo, the tower is surprisingly accessible and is probably something I should have taken time to visit.  The exact state of the interior pre-fire is unknown, but while in service SHORE features an old school US&S 23-lever Electro-Pneumatic machine and a panel to control the remote FORD interlocking.

SHORE pre-fire

Just another reminder to get seek out photos when you can least you have events start to dictate your schedule for you.  If I am able to gin up any more photos of the tower, its interior or the interlocking plant I'll post something a bit more comprehensive.

The Gosts of Winslow Junction

The following originally appeared in The Trackside Photographer in June of 2016 and was based on a trip I took on Black Friday 2015.  I'd like to do more on Winslow Jct, but in the state it is in now I would need additional access to the tower interior and/or historic photos. Until then, enjoy the historic exploration angle and watch The Trackside Photographer for additional contributions in the near future.

Winslow Junction is located at the edge of the New Jersey Pine Barrens almost exactly half way between Philadelphia and the resorts in Atlantic City.  The site is surprisingly rural for something set in the most density populated of the United States, however 100 years ago Winslow Junction could boast some of the highest traffic densities in the world as two railroads competed to bring millions of middle and working class passengers to the fun and leisure of the New Jersey shore.

In the few decades between the time when workers developed the ability to enjoy leisure time in the late 19th century and and when private automobiles and inexpensive air travel expanded their options in the mid 20th, Atlantic City was one of several resort cities that owed their fortunes to efficient rail transport.  Like Brighton Beach, New York and Brighton, England, Atlantic City relied on a conveyor belt-like system of trains that whisked holiday seekers from the urban core to the beach in the brief period that were released from their jobs. Winslow Junction sat at the nexus of this system located at the point where the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Southern Division crossed both the Camden and Atlantic (PRR) and Atlantic City Railroad (Reading) main lines.  It was also the point where the ACRR's Cape May branch split off from their Main Line with additional connections to the CNJ for its famed "Blue Comet" express service to New York City.

Improving road transport brought rapid change to the Atlantic City travel market and in 1933 the compering Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading System operations were merged into the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. In 1934 the state of the art WINSLOW tower and its associated interlocking was constructed to bind the system together at its nexus point, replacing older mechanical towers and antiquated signaling.  The air operated switches and cab signals were installed on over route 5 route miles of track, all controlled from a single power interlocking machine in a brand new brick tower.

Winslow Tower - PRR styling, P-RSL ivy green.

However the story of Winslow Junction from then on would be mostly one of decline.  As Atlantic City faded, tracks were cut back and the main lines were downgraded.  Finally in 1983 passenger service to the shore was suspended and the interlocking plant in the middle of the Jersey pines was shuttered for good. Fortunately, state ownership meant that the artifacts were largely left in place.  Reconstruction of the Atlantic City rail line in 1989 swept away some of the decay, but the tower's unbroken windows still let in sunlight to shine on the Model 14 interlocking machine for nearly 20 years before they were boarded up.

Windlow Tower northbound with its replacement, NJT's SOUTH WINS interlocking.

The main line to Atlantic City that in its heyday hosted the fastest scheduled passenger train service in the world is now a single track line with short passing sidings with a top speed of 80mph.  The interlocking that remains in sight of the tower is just a single crossover at the south end of one of those sidings.  The second track is now just a glorified storage track, albeit one sporting 136lb main line rail with some joints still still paper thin.  

Rusted 6-bolt main line rail on the storage siding.

Year by year, bit by bit, more of Winslow's history succumbs to collectors, vandals and nature.  The telegraph poles have fallen to those interested in the copper wire or blue glass insulators.  The power supply was bulldozed for PCB remediation and even the half mile long ramp for the Cap May flyover was completely harvested for its supply of high quality construction sand.

Cape May Branch flyover, abandoned in the late 1950's as shore traffic declined.

If anything, Winslow Junction is a testament to the force of nature to reclaim that where the humanity tried to assert its dominance.

A PRR style signal ladder is all that remains of the 10L signal on the flyover bridge.

At the same time it is a testament to those materials of the analogue age that continue to resist the forces of nature, decades after being left to fend for themselves.  Creosoted wooden ties, lead painted pipelines and even rust covered structural steel still stand strong.

Many of the classic PRR position light signals at Winslow Junction were salvaged by local railroad enthusiasts during the Amtrak rebuilding project in the late 1980's, however the former 8L signal stationed at the south junction of the connector track was rolled down the embankment to fade away.

The track connecting the former Atlantic City Line to what became the Conrail Beesley's Point freight line saw a brief resurgence after the tower was closed as it was the only way that Atlantic City bound freight traffic could access the line after the portion between the Delair Bridge and Winslow Junction was taken out of service.  When the line was rebuilt the interchange moved to SOUTH WINS interlocking and the S-curving connector was first left to the weeds.   In addition to the rails, this NJT friction bearing M of W flatcar found itself stuck in time.

The 1934 southbound P-RSL Cape May ramp ducks under the older connection between Reading and PRR main lines. The pipe carried the compressed air supply to the south end of the interlocking plant.

Winslow Junction was built with no fewer than 6 rail-rail overpasses to allow movements to pass by eachother without conflict.  This amount of "flight" is typically reserved for busy urban junctions like Zoo, Harold or Jamaica.  Elsewhere in the country, junctions similar to Winslow would have consisted of flat switches and diamond crossings.

Winslow air line near the top of the Blue Comet ramp.

The air for the switches was supplied by nearly 2.5 miles of pipeline, originating at WINSLOW tower and  then following the CNJ Blue Comet connection up to the ACRR junction before splitting with one line continuing down the Cape May branch and the other using the connecting track to serve the switches around the flyover bridge on the former PRR main line.   Most of this impressive compressed air system was left in place where it is slowly being covered by leaves and vegetation.

Air line running along the shoulder of the county road close to the tower.

Surprisingly this isn't the only abandoned pipeline at Winslow Junction.  On the remaining connecting track between the CNJ and Reading are a collection of concrete blocks dating from before even the depression era WINSLOW tower.  These are foundations for the mechanical pipes that ran from the original ACRR Winslow Jct tower to switches and signals on the CNJ connection.

Concrete footings for a mechanical pipeline run down the CNJ connection to the location of the former wye switch where footings for old signals can also be found.

 While somewhat common overseas, the  mechanical lever operated switch machine in North America was retired in 2010.

Pipeline footings pointing towards the remains of the old ACRR Winslow Jct tower.

Nearly invisible from the track and ensconced in a thicket of brambles and weeds, the foundation for the 1890's vintage Reading owned ACRR tower can still be found.  The upper level raised in1934, the basement continued to be used as a remote relay room and possibly as a secondary air compressor station.  Today, still water tight, it is used as a clubhouse for local teens, looking to consume adult beverages away from the prying eyes of adults.

Winslow Junction is a double accident of history.  Constructed in the middle of nowhere to take the masses to the shore in the pre-auto era, it was left to fade away due to having become the ward of a state that couldn't be bothered to properly dispose of it. Hopefully its secrets will linger on to inspire future generations of trackside explorers.

Conrail's Dynamic Distants

Ah the humble distant signal.  A fixed light or blade that warns the inattentive that they are approaching the civilizing influence of an interlocking.  In most places the fixed distant is an unimportant footnote that occasionally serves as the last refuge of the semaphore.  Now one of these days I'll probably do a whole post about the many types and rules relating to fixed distants, but today I am going to feature the fixed distant's much less common cousin...the dynamic distant.

This one picture pretty much captures the full gamut of fixed distants

 Sometimes a railroad is in the mood to inform trains approaching a absolute signal on otherwise unsignaled tracks about the condition of said signal  Now I know some people might assume that if you want a train to approach an interlocking under signal control, just bang in an automatic block signal and Bob's your uncle.  Well, they'd be right and this method remains a popular way for protecting interlocked junctions. Just stat your signaled a couple miles sooner with no need for any additional rules.

 Of course the PRR had to be different and because they were one of the largest users of the Manual Block System, they incorporated that into their design of dynamic distant signals.  Here we see a surviving example on the LIRR that supports a Clear, Approach Medium, Approach and "Caution" (upper head \ ).  PRR's Caution signal is basically Manual Block Approach with the distinction being that trains also have to approach any switch protected by the signal prepared to stop.  Because the Manual Block protection would negate the risk of another train on the line, there is no need for a Stop and Proceed aspect.  However if a switch has been opened to break the track circuit then Caution provides the necessary warning.

Kinda looks like a flower on a stick

Of course in the NORAC era position lights were out and color lights were in.  However vestiges of the old manual block system live on in the form of two aspect dynamic distants displaying Approach Clear and Approach Restricting (different than the one we discussed last week if you recall).  Southern New Jersey, home of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, is one place where Manual Block hung around into the 1980's and as a result it retained a few dynamic distants.  

Distant to CP-WOODBURY on the Vineland Secondary

They are of course the color light variety, having replaced former PRR position lights similar to the LIRR ones sometime in the 2000's.  Unlike the PL's, they do not convey block information and signal state is transmitted via a microwave link instead of through track circuits.  The older PRR era signals, seen in this signal diagram, did convey block information in the same manner as the LIRR signal.

The one on the Penns Grove Secondary, seen above, is actually being replaced by a CTC project of all things so I guess what's old (the track circuit block) is new again. 

Anyway,this sequence of photos have been designed to lead you on a visual journey from the fixed and ABS distants of "other" railroads, to the PRR style of fully featured Manual Block distants and finally to their Conrail color light replacement.  The point of the journey is to show how the PRR's Manual Block heritage has lived on into the modern era and if these photos don't convince you, compare the Conrail distants to this little example.

As you can see, they are quite clearly a vestige of Manual Block in a CTC world.

The Trackside Photographer

Just wanted to plug a new website/blog that's posting weekly railroad photo essays on the stuff that one typically finds on and around the tracks.  This includes stuff like stations, signs, tunnels, towers and signals.  I was invited to contribute and my first essay, "The Ghosts of Winslow Junction" will be appearing in a few days.  The content is shorter form than what I typically post here so look for me to circle back at some point to give the Winslow Jct essay the full Position Light treatment.  There was a lot of neat stuff abandoned in place when the State closed down the old P-RSL passenger trains to the shore.   Anyway check out The Trackside Photographer and stick it in your feeds or favorites.  It looks to be a real treat.

Weird Signal Alert!

This one was spotted on the Winchester and Western in Bridgeton, NJ just north of the Penn St crossing.

This crazy chimera is located on the former PRSL Bridgeton Branch well south of the old diamond crossing with the CNJ Southern Division.  It is constructed from an old PRR Semaphore mast which used to be hanging out around the diamond and has three "heads" each with a clear (!) plastic target and one or two PL-3 position lights units for lights.

What this could be used for.  The W&W has no interlockings or signaled lines.  It looks too complex to be a distant and the switches are hand throw.  It might be something to indicate switch position (most likely) or track occupancy, but I can't tell from the photo.  Oh well, at least its not a Darth Vader mast.