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Wes Carr's
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One of the last manned railroad interlocking towers in the state of Texas, Tower 16 in
Sherman, closed its doors in October 2001. During its final years of operation,
Tower 16 protected the Texas
Northeastern (TNER) crossing of BNSF's ex-SLSF Irving (TX) to Madill (OK) main line.
Tower operators also served as yardmasters and clerks for BNSF's Sherman Yard.
Please click any of the following thumbnails to see a larger image.
Photos from Tower 16: Sherman, Texas
Now that the Tower is closed, TNER trains enter BNSF trackage through a new connecting
track; the diamond crossing of the two lines has been removed. Power switches formerly
controlled by the Tower operator are now hand operated. Train movement over the tracks,
formerly authorized by signal indication, is now governed by TWC (Track Warrant Control) with an ABS signal system.
The good news regarding the Tower is that it will be preserved... the Tower has
found a new home in Grapevine, Texas, where it has been placed alongside Fort Worth & Western
trackage near the city's ex-Cotton Belt depot, which serves as the point of origin for the
popular Tarantula passenger train. Renovation is currently in progress.
I was fortunate to be able to visit Tower 16 in May of 2001, roughly five months before
the Tower was boarded up and its interlocking functions taken away forever. Here are a few
photos from my last pilgrimage to the Tower.
WSC
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All photographs and text on this website © 2000 - 2004 by Wes Carr.
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