PHOTOS: Port Road Trips - COLA Interlocking and Tower

Seeing as how COLA Tower and its interlocking, located in Columbia, PA, was the focal point of a wide area CTC project running from the previously covered SHOCKS and JEB interlockings down to the yet to be covered CRESS interlocking a lot about the history of COLA and its creation has already been touched upon in the Port Road series.  The tower was built in 1938 and was a virtual clone of the 1937 (and still going strong) THORN interlocking tower. Both were built as part of the late 30's electrification that would stretch from Paoli to Harrisburg on the Main Line and also cover all the related freight routes in the area including the Port Road.

Both towers' design also reflected an evolving trend in PRR interlocking tower design away from the trademark bay window types to the new "corridor" type tower that would appear in the 1940's.  Still, the PRR spared little expense with brick construction, a slate roof and all the luxury amenities such as indoor plumbing and central heat.

Like THORN, COLA was an all relay interlocking plant wit a US&S CTC console interface (although as I explained before there was very little Rule 261 "CTC" involved in the project).   One advantage of the PRR's foresight was that in the 1980's when the tower was ultimately closed the windows could simply be bricked up and a remote unit installed to replace the human operator flipping toggles on the unit lever machine.  This means that COLA essentially was un-resignaled from 1938 through ~2011.  Anyone who says that modern solid state ICs and printed circuit boards are more reliable let's see how many modern electronic devices are still functioning after 70 years in service and if replacement parts are still available. 

From 1938 until its re-signaling in 2011 COLA used pneumatic switch machines with the compressor plant being located in the basement of the tower.  The air reservoirs and dryer was located to the rear of the tower's exterior.   Note the cables running into the tower from the CTC code line that ran from SHOCKS to CRESS.

It's status as a functioning relay room also meant that COLA tower had the privilege of wearing the Conrail blue reflective nameplates in addition to the high security brick job over almost every single exterior opening.  I would not be surprised if the CTC console was active for local control right up until the end. Also note the tower's door and slate shingled canopy. Classy.

Thanks to the internet I managed to track down an a photo of the COLA operator sitting at the CTC console around 1980.  If you visited the THORN page you can see that everything is essentially the same, only this console is a little larger.  Note the HBD-DED readouts in the background.  For those of you who like their facts and figures COLA had a 150 unit lever CTC console broken out into the following categories.

• 23 levers for 53 signals
• 27 levers for 40 switches
• 4 levers for 6 electric locks
• 1 traffic lever
• 2 levers for overhead wire sectionalizin

COLA was split between the Maryland and Philadelphia divisions which always made for a good time for the operator having to report to two dispatchers and handle multiple sets of paperwork. 

I am not 100% sure what the exact function of this supplementary relay room was, but it matches a similar one at LAKE as well as a number of structures on the Buffalo Line.  My guess is that it is the location of the CTC code line equipment that was possibly turned into a maintainers workshop.

CSX Ripping it up All Over

I haven't had a news post in a while and when I went to check that I had saved up I noticed that almost all of it was CSX related because after all CSX really hates classic signaling.  So let's get started.

First bit comes from CP-33 on the River Line.  CSX had been upgrading the restricted speed sidings on the line to signaled sidings.  Despite their quest to save money the replacement for the Conrail small target searchlight two-head mast will be a three head Darth Vader that could have been played by a 4-malp single head signal.

More Seaboard signals falling on the W&A near Atlanta.  CSX does know the hoods are to keep SNOW from piling up right??

CSX finally wrapped up its re-signaling project on the Peninsular Sub near Williamsburg, VA.  I was there last summer documenting the old C&O units before they were cut down.  LEE HALL interlocking was going to be upgraded to a complete crossover to eliminate the partial crossover at WEST LEE HALL.

The Philly sub re-signaling has reached the outskirts of Wilmington with new Darths up at Landenburg Jct...an interlocking I have previously covered on this blog.  Remember, this interlocking was itself re-signaled only 10 years ago.

Alright, I do have one non-CSX related story.  NS is re-configuring one of the better examples of former NY Central signaling at CP-289 on the Chicago Line in Toledo. It looks like the interlocking layout is being reconfigured for higher speed or parallel movements as the new westbound signals have been moved east a few hundred feet. 

Fire! Fire! Help Me! SS28, New Haven Line

Usually when fire comes up in the context of railroad signaling it;s usually some old wooden interlocking tower or relay plant making use of lots of cotton wrapped wires, but more often than one would think modern metal relay huts catch fire and cause all sorts of headaches for the railroad that owns it.  Well a few days ago a fire broke out in one of the instrument houses serving a complete 4-track crossover on the Metro-North New Haven Line (it's really not their year is it).  The interlocking in question is technically known as CP-219, but the proper designation is SS28 GREEN and for those of your who don't know your New Haven Line interlocking here is a photo of what control the interlocking up into the 1980's.

Fortunately the tower was spared as all the relay logic was moved across the RoW to a series of huts connected by cableways.  Now in some of its interlockings MNRR has installed Halon fire suppression, but Connecticut has not opted to pay for such features, however the extreme cheapness did have some benefits as the use of multiple, small relay huts kept the fire contained to a section of non-vital relays used for CTC code line communications.  Now the only reason I am talking about this is because Metro-North was nice enough to post up a whole set of photos on Flickr in the interest of transparency.

As you can see these aren't the familiar glass cased vital relays that would be both costly and time consuming to replace.  Instead these are non-vital elevator/telephone type relays used in the CTC control elements.  Without any damage to the real interlocking local control can be used if necessary and from the service advisory delays of only 5-10 minutes were encountered at the time of the incident.

Not sure if MNRR is going to try to restore the same functionality or just use some infinitely more simple form of modern technology.  The latter would seem obvious, but since it would probably require a brand new custom interface between the non-vital and vital elements I suspect they'll just bring it back exactly as it was.  Note the worker with the old wet dry vac already putting a "restore" plan back into place.

MNRR didn't stop at photos, they also produced a video outlining their little whoopsie.



Anyway, fires happen all the time, but few are so well documented in a way that can shine a light on the inner workings of modern(ish) interlockings. Which reminds me...if you travel the New Haven line late at night instead of looking to the south side of the tracks where the fire was, look to the north because inside the tower a single bulb still burns illuminating the original interlocking machine which fortunately did not burst into flame during its 60 years of operation.

PHOTOS: NA "TOWER"

In the Year 2000 there were still two great railroad main lines controlled in the traditional method with regularly spaced interlocking towers manned by block operators. The first was the Amtrak Harrisburg Line between Philly and Harrisburg, PA.  The second was the B&O Main Line between Brunswick, MD and McKeesport, PA.   While not as well known as the Amtrak line and also featuring a few sections of dispatcher controlled CTC, the B&O main line features a total of 8 towers which from east to west were WB (US&S Model 14, pneumatic plant with relay machines for remote interlockings), NA Cabin in Martinsburg, WV (GRS panel relay machines), W tower at West Cumbo (GRS Model 2 pistol grip), R Tower at Miller, WV (mechanical), HO tower at Hancock, WV (mechanical), Hyndman tower (mechanical, simple crossover), SA Tower at Sand Patch, PA (GRS Model 2 pistol Grip) and VI Tower at Connelsville (Relay CTC machine in yard office).

NA "Tower" looking east in 2004

  The last of these, WB, closed in late 2012, but in 2003 CSX was only just finishing up its first assault on the B&O towers having just closed all but three of them .  In the west SA and Hyndman got the ax.  In the east it was NA, W and R (Miller).  Unfortunately I managed to visit NA in January, 2004, only after it had closed.  However a friend had managed to get out there shortly before the new signaling was cut over and managed to get some inside shots.  NA was a tower in name only, with many people and official documents referring to it as a cabin due to its small single story construction.  What was ultimately important was its status as a block and interlocking station filling the gap between HARPERS FERRY interlocking, remote WB, and W tower at West Cumbo.  The operator was on hand to not only throw switches and set signals, but also hand out train orders when wrong-railing was necessary on the D-251 ABS trackage.

Plywood, fresh in 2004, would still be in place in 2014.

 It is probably easiest to explain NA by starting off inside as I don't have any other documentation to show first.  NA is best described as cozy with an operator's room containing a desk and other communications equipment.  NA's local interlocking, controlled by the panel above the desk, was not very complicated and I suspect that at one point it was probably operated by a table type interlocking machine which allowed for a small single story structure.  Behind the operator was a unit lever CTC-type console controlling the remote pair of crossovers at Shenandoah Junction. All main track was single direction ABS.

 

By 2003 NA interlocking proper consisted of one facing point crossover, #18, one turnout to a station track, #16, paired signals on both main tracks protecting the switches, 17L/R and 19L/R, and a pair controlled approach signals, 15R and 21L, for the direction of travel on both main tracks.  NA was used as a terminus of the DC area commuter rail services and therefore a station track and holdout were provided to facilitate these movements.  You can see on the model board that the plant has at some point been altered.

The remote plant at Shenandoah Junction was controlled by a more traditional black GRS unit lever machine.  The layout is similar with two crossovers and a side track that lead to the N&W connection.  Signal levers were 7R/L and 9R/L, crossovers were #10 and #14 and the connecting track #8. Also panel blocking was fitted to this panel to prevent accidental wrong railing.

Back at NA interlocking we can see one of the original CPL signals mounted on a bracket mast while a Darth cantilever hovers ovehead.

In this view of the still open NA tower we see the CPL dwarf has already been replaced by a the dwarf still in use to this day as well as the crossover that was since removed with BYRD interlocking constructed as a replacement about 2 miles to the east.

Similar shot a few months later showing the other room in the tower used for relays or maintainers.

Better Know a Signaling System - METRA

METRA is the Chicago area commuter rail umbrella organization that supplies equipment and funding to various contract railroads such as Union Pacific and BNSF to transport workers from the greater chicago metro area into the center city.  Unlike the commuter railroads in the east METRA was never forced to assume direct operation of all of its lines by congress so on a majority of its routes METRA trains operate under the rules and signals of the host railroads.  However in two and a half situations METRA actually owns and maintains its own track with its own rules and signals.  The first is the former Illinois Central electric division which was taken over sometime in the 1980's. and the other is the Rock Island Division, which was part of the Rock Island Railroad that went completely bankrupt and thus was not available to run its trains under contract.

METRA is the first of the Western railroads that I will be examining and as I have mentioned before Western roads like weak route signaling.  METRA is no exception and he lacks even the light dusting of speed signaling that UP and BNSF have incorporated over the years.  While it is not the most bland and boring set of signal rules we will look at, it is pretty close.  So anyway without further adoo here is a 1997 METRA signaling chart for the Rock Island district, but is also the same the signals used on the Electric District.

So let's look at the key features.  The use of Approach Diverging, Diverging Clear and Diverging Approach are hallmarks of the weak route signaling system.  In the case of three headed signals each of the two different diverging routes are known by the crews from literal route knowledge, although in general the bottom head is reserved for slower speed routes.  Other features include use of lunar white for restricting with no yellow or flashing red options.  This makes additional head or 4-lamp signals a feature on METRA just as it is on CSX.

A 4-banger that doesn't look like ass!

Unlike the Southern Y/Y is used for Approach Diverging.  If you are wondering why it actually goes hand in hand with the lunar white for Restricting.  If you check your classic signal vendor catalogues you will find that searchlight signals came in two flavors in terms of colors.  You could get a R/Y/G unit or R/Y/L.  With lunar chosen for Restricting then if one wanted to use Y/G for Approach Diverging then you would need a  third head with the R/Y/L unit.  The same logic applies to Semaphores.

Y/Y and four lamps lower heads.  Having your cake and eating it two.

The one vaguely "non-boring" feature of METRA's signal rule set is the use of *Y* for Advance Approach and R/*Y* for diverging advance approach.  Similar roads often omit this pair of signals so points go METRA.  Another interesting feature of the rule set is the 40mph speed used for Approach (and Advance Approach) speed control.  Those of us from the east coast are more familiar with a 30mph speed approaching a Stop signal.  *Y* could also double for "Approach Medium" as trains must be prepared to pass the next signal not exceeding 40mph and this is exactly what happened on the Burlington Northern system.




So when I said that METRA has two and a half lines that is because the MILW division is currently owned by Canadian Pacific.  However the section between Union Station and Tower A-5 is maintained and owned by METRA.  CP does not have a *Y* Advance Approach in it its signal ruleset, but as you can see in the above video there is a yellow flashing away at Tower A-3 interlocking.

Anyway you can read the signal chart just as easily s I can and that's pretty much it.  I never promised that BNASS would always be exciting :-P  Oh wait, I should mention that METRA does use a couple of position lights left over from when the PRR Panhandle trains came in to Union Station from the north and west.

They work pretty much as you would expect substituting positions for colors which is made easier due to the prevalence of Restricted speed diverging moves.  Position lights are located at the still US&S Model 14 controlled Tower A-2 and the famous Racine St signal bridge at MORGAN ST interlocking (remote Tower A-2).

Other unique METRA signals include these split track bracket masts at La Salle St station.

Along with these two lamp faux-SA style dwarf signals.  Both examples of early 1980's products from General Railway Signal. 

There is also a 15 mile section of cab signaling on the Rock Island line between Blue Island Tower and UD Tower on Joliet, but that's a story for a different time.

PHOTOS: Port Road Trips - SHOCKS to COLA

After the short detour up the Royalton Branch it is once again time to get back on the Enola Branch as we continue on towards Columbia, PA and COLA interlocking.  I have mentioned it several times before that while entire area is covered by the 1938 COLA CTC project that was undertaken along side the electrification of the low grade freight lines.  As you may know the PRR never fully embraced the whole CTC concept, clinging to its manned block stations and either single direction ABS or manual traffic control using traffic levers at adjacent towers.  As a wealthy road the PRR lacked the large stretches of single track main line that forced other railroads to adopt CTC starting in the 1940's or 50's.  While I describe COLA as a CTC project that is because it uses a US&S Centralized Traffic Control style interlocking machine making use of unit levers on a console with 504 code controlled remote interlockings. 

What this and other similar projects lack is actual traffic control technology to enable bi-directional operation.  Over the 10's of miles and 7 remote interlockings that COLA controled there were only two segments of bi-directional track, both of which I will cover today.  The first was the center siding track between COLA and LAKE.  The second was track #2 between SHOCKS and LAKE which made use of the only traffic control lever (#104) on the 150 lever console.  You can see for yourself on the COLA interlocking chart.  Today's post will be covering the far left hand side.

In this stretch of track there are two ABS signaling locations, MP 41 and MP43, one reverse direction ABS signal on track #2 at MP 42 and then LAKE interlocking at MP 40.  Everything can of course be found on this 1995 Conrail ETT. I do not have any of my own photos here for this post as all of this classic PRR signaling was wiped out in the 2007-2009 time frame, but my 2004 photo survey is on hand to fill in the gaps.

We begin with the MP 43 ABS signal location. Mileposts are prefixed from L which start at PARK interlocking on the Main Line.  The westbound signal is a two head PRR PL mast while the eastbound signal is mounted on a catenary pole.  Both signals are equipped with US&S PL equipment.

 Automatic L433 is the distant signal to SHOCKS interlocking and is therefore capable of displaying Approach Medium using the | lower had.  Default indication is Approach.  Note the 100hz signal power supply on the cat pole.

Caught on Camera - Episode 2 Google Special

having a railfan catch a rare signaling situation on camera, but having one be captured by a civilian on a completely unrelated mission is a lot rarer.  In today's episode of Caught on Camera I wanted to show off two interesting bits of signaling captured by the Google Street View car.  With more and more of the world's roads appearing in glorious HD by the law of large numbers it is only natural that Street View will capture comparatively rare events.

The first of these is located at SHEPARDSTOWN interlocking  on the NS Shenandoah Line in Shepardstown, WV.   The Street View car was traveling on State rt 230 when it caught the southbound N&W position light signal displaying a Diverging Approach indication for a southbound train taking the single track to wait for a northbound to pass.

Here is a closer view of the same signal in its normal state.

The second photo was taken in Bridgeport, NJ on the Conrail Penns Grove secondary.  This is the location of the Bridgeport Movable Bridge on the Raccoon Creek   The Bridgeport Movable Bridge is a non-interlocking swing bridge that was converted to automatic operation about 10 years ago.  The bridge works by a train occupying an island circuit which combined with some radio handset tones will command the bridge to close and a small dwarf signal to light up.   Well the Google Street View Car did it again, capturing the bridge in the closed position, crews on hand wanting for something or another.  

 Interesting detail is that the dwarf displays G/R proceed instead of G.  Remember this is DCS trackage so the signal only indicates the bridge is locked and does not convey movement authority.

Our last photos was actually not provided by Google, but looks like it should have.  Instead the Ohio DoT compiled a photo database of every grade crossing in the state and in so doing captured the unique pair of automatic signals on the former Conrail Cincinnati Line at Hague Ave in Columbus.  These are the only known examples of Amtrak style colorized position lights employed by Conrail.  Later replaced by NS as part of the general SCIOTO tower resignaling project in 2003 they live on in these photos.  

Of course Google is still helpful if you want to check out the non-Darth traffic lights that replaced them.

Anyway that's all, but rest assured that next time I catch the Google Street View car catching I'll let you know ;-)