www.txrrhistory.com - Tower 17 - Rosenberg
Photo by Wes
Carr |
One of the earliest major rail junctions in Texas is also
one of the most enduring. Tower 17 is located in the town of
Rosenberg, named for the president of the Gulf, Colorado and
Santa Fe (GC&SF) Railway. The town was founded when the GC&SF
railroad built through the area in 1880, crossing the Galveston,
Harrisburg and San Antonio (GH&SA) Railway a few miles west
of Richmond, the county seat. The GH&SA's origins began before
the Civil War when the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado (BBB&C)
Railway built 80 miles from Harrisburg (on Buffalo Bayou near
Houston) to Alleyton at the banks of the Colorado River. After
the war, the BBB&C was acquired by the GH&SA which later
became the property of the Southern Pacific system. The GC&SF
elected to cross the GH&SA a few miles west of Richmond because
Richmond officials refused to grant a right-of-way through their
town. |
In 1881, Italian financier Joseph Telfener began construction
of the New York, Texas & Mexican Railway (a.k.a the "Macaroni
Line") from Rosenberg to Victoria. The NYT&M was later
acquired by the Southern Pacific system and its operations were
merged with the GH&SA in 1905. In 1918, the GH&SA built
a line south from Rosenberg to Damon to serve sulfur mines.
The rail junction at Tower 17 continues to see heavy traffic,
and is arguably the busiest rail junction in Texas located outside
of a major metropolitan area. The former GH&SA line is operated
by Union Pacific while the GC&SF line is operated by BNSF.
The Macaroni Line is out of service, but is being re-constituted
for operation by Kansas City Southern (KCS) for use by KCS trains between
Houston and Laredo.
Tower 17 was the last traditional manned interlocking
tower in the State of Texas. Tower 16 in Sherman and Tower 47
in El Paso both closed in 2001 leaving Tower 17 as the last holdout
until February 10, 2004 when Tower 17 closed. Albeit somewhat
non-traditional, the title
of last operational Interlocking Tower in Texas falls to Tower
97 which controls the lift bridge over Galveston Bay. The Rosenberg Railroad Museum has relocated Tower 17 to their museum site, just a few
blocks from Tower 17's historic home. A hearty thank-you to the Rosenberg Railroad Museum for their efforts in the preservation of this
piece of Texas railroad history!
Historic Photo, Tower 17
Tower 17 as it appeared in 1907. The gentleman in the photo
is C.C. Harris
who was employed as a towerman there. Photo
from the Rosenberg Railroad
Museum courtesy of Ken E. Stavinoha.
Modern Photos, Tower 17
Tower 17 was enlarged in the 1950's when the operators were moved
from the Rosenberg depot to the tower.
Notice the center molding
between the floors beneath the four windows is the same as on
the older photo.
The difference is that two more windows were
added further to the left, and the structure of the staircase
was
changed. [Photo by Jim King]
James Starkey from Templeton, MA visited Tower 17 on November
30, 2000 and sent in these photographs. BNSF 722
in Warbonnet
paint rolls past the tower.
Interior photo of Tower 17 by James Starkey. Note the contrast
between the technology of 1900 with the levers to control
train
movements and the computer terminals of 2000 that replaced the
era of telegraph wires.
A BNSF train led by the BNSF 6859 passes Tower 17 on 2/5/01. Photo
by Bob King.
Location Map, Tower 17
Historic Tower 17 to close in January
2004!
It Has Finally Happened - Tower
17 Is Going Away
Author: Bill Waldrop 11/9/2003
I went to UP Tower 17 (Rosenberg)
today, and what we have long feared has happened. UP signal crews
are now installing a new interlocker control building that will
replace Tower 17, the last remaining operating tower in Texas.
The small metal control building is in, a microwave link is set-up,
and they are working quickly running wires, etc. According to a UP official I spoke with
about this, he stated the tentative date for the changeover is
the first week of January, 2004. The signal guys are going to have to
replace all switches (and possibly the signals as well) that are
controlled by the manned tower because they are not compatible
with the current computer control system. The tower will come under the direct
control of UP's Glidden Sub Dispatcher based in Spring. We are
not sure how the BNSF will have any control of their line crossing
UP at this tower, but I know their dispatcher sits very close
to the UP dispatcher in the Spring Dispatch Center, so I'm sure
it will be easily coordinated. The good news out of all this is the
fact that the tower will NOT be torn down! In fact, UP will be
moving it a few blocks east to the Rosenberg Railroad Museum,
where they have already measured for the concrete base, etc. I've heard different accounts about how
old this tower is and how long it has been in service...anywhere
from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. It still uses the original
equipment to control the switches and signals (manually pulled
levers by the operator on duty). We all knew this was coming for many
years, but reality has hit in the fact that it will happen very
soon. I hope everyone has their pictures of this last operating
tower in Texas, it's surely a classic, and it will be sorely missed.
It's the end of an era.
Bill Waldrop
Houston
