CTC Installation in the 1950's

Wed Aug 25 02:06:52 EDT 2021

Just for reference in regard to CTC, CTC was completed on the Norfolk Division in December 1958 with Pamplin and Burkeville converted to CTC.  My father had just become the agent at Burkeville a couple of months prior to that, so he went back to being an operator until the switch-over  was complete.  He worked the third trick (midnight to 8AM) for over three years during WW2 doing the interlocking plant and selling passenger tickets.  This was seven days a week; no days off. He never missed a day’s work during that time.  When the operators finally got one day a week off in late 1945 or early 46, Daddy said it was very difficult knowing how to handle that one day off.

Bill Mason     

William M (Bill) Mason 

wmmason at verizon.net

From: NW Mailing List [mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 9:15 AM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Pocahontas mainline operators

Marty,

Crews referred to them variously as "operator," "tower" or by name. The three mainline Pocahontas towers you mention below, plus HQ tower (the late version), were of a similar frame design. Two exceptions were Devon (mentioned earlier, was in the depot) and Eckman, between Bluestone and Tug. The Eckman operator was in the yard office, a depot-like structure pictured in Alex's book, "The Norfolk And Western In West Virginia 1881-1959" on page 261. 

As mentioned, the operator count was a moving target and declined through the 1950s. A handy inflection point that includes those mentioned here was the start of centralizing TC in Bluefield. I believe Bluestone was the first to move and close, barely making it into 1950, then Eckman, then HQ.

Grant Carpenter

On 8/23/2021 5:52 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

Thanks for the replies.  I would have responded sooner but haven't had much time to sit and spend on email lately. 

I guess from a modeling perspective, when I say tower, in this case I am looking for a structure that's primary or sole purpose was controlling train movements at a yard, junction, crossing, or other such location, to see what options I have for including such a structure on my layout, which I guess you could say is loosely based on or inspired by the Pocahontas Division.  I have seen pictures of SU/Bluestone, DY/Iaeger, Tug, KX/Kenova, Cowan, and RD, and was wondering if any other structures would have been standing and in use in the 1950s.  

That being said, it is also helpful to know what locations were controlled remotely or by a tower integrated with a station or other building, so that way I know I don't have to spend time trying to find pictures of a structure that never existed.

Marty Flick

-----------------------------------------

From: "NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List" 
To: "NW Mailing List"
Cc: "NW Mailing List"
Sent: Sunday August 15 2021 8:37:43AM
Subject: Re: RD and other Pocahontas Towers

Larry you hit the nail on the head.  The N&W called it a tower.  That gets to the point of how do you define a tower.  By the building or by the function. Or perhaps what the RR wanted to call it.  Jim B

On 8/14/2021 7:33 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

Add Kermit it wasn’t  exactly a tower  one level

Larry Evans

From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2021 12:21 PM
To: 'nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org' <nw-mailing-list at nwhsorg>
Subject: RD and other Pocahontas Towers

Pages 240-241 of Alex Schust's "The Norfolk And Western In West Virginia 1881-1959" describe and show a picture of RD Tower, on the east end of Bluefield Yard.  What isn't clear to me is if it controlled only the east end of the yard or both ends?  If RD only controlled the east end of the yard, was there another tower that controlled the west end, perhaps Graham/RQ?

While we're on the subject, how many towers were there on the N&W main, particularly between Bluefield and Kenova?  I know there was SU tower at Bluestone Junction, TUG at Welch, DY at Iaeger, and KX at Kenova.  I believe the Devon depot contained the controls for the Buchanan Branch.  Are there any others?  I've tried browsing the online Archives, but haven't had much success, maybe using the wrong search terms.

Thank you

Marty Flick

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