Tower 19 was located about 3 miles east of Dallas Union Station and at the southern end of the Santa Fe's Dallas yard. Tower 19 stood at the crossing of the ATSF and the T&P/MP/UP/MKT/SP/RI in Dallas for over 90 years in active service. Railroad Commission of Texas records indicate the tower began operations on July 27, 1903. The tower ceased operations in 1993. The tower remained at its service site until August 1996 when the structure was moved across town to Dallas' Fair Park and the Age of Steam Railroad Museum for permanent preservation and restoration.
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MKT Geep 94 passes Tower 19 heading toward Dallas Union Station and the MKT Dallas Yard north of the depot on February 2, 1980.
Tower 19, located at ATSF milepost 51 was constructed to work in tandem with Tower 10, located at ATSF milepost 52, one mile to the southwest. Operation of the two towers allowed for a more efficient handling of rail traffic. In 1932, a General Railway Signal Company interlocking system was installed in Tower 19. At this time the control functions of Tower 10 were consolidated with Tower 19 and Tower 10 was razed. The new General Railway Signal System provided a significant technological advancement over manual interlocking capabilities.
In 1990, the Santa Fe sold its Dallas yard and mainline from the Dallas yard south toward Cleburne to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. By 1991, the Southwest Railroad Historical Society, operators of the Age of Steam museum at Fair Park, began efforts to acquire and preserve Tower 19. Even though DART now owned the rail line, the tower was still in service. The original plan was for Tower 19 to remain in its original location until it was removed from service. However, the Union Pacific needed additional time to make changes to support removing Tower 19 from service. To prevent delaying construction of the new light rail line, Tower 19 had to be moved from its original location. In 1993, the tower was removed from its first floor concrete foundation and shifted about 50 feet east. It rested on movers beams, but had all necessary control functions re-connected for service.
The tower was removed from service for the last time in the summer of 1993. It remained at the crossing, unused and unprotected except for boards over the windows, for more than two years. The building suffered vandalism and had most of its copper wiring stripped out by thieves. Fortunately, most of the damage was on the lower floor. The upper floor, including the interlocking machine and track diagram remained intact.
Ten years later, in Sept, 1992, the diamond connecting the ATSF Dallas Yard to the line to Cleburne has been removed. Sale of the Santa Fe property has been made to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority and changes which will put Tower 19 out of service have started. In the background are KCS engines arriving in Dallas with a train. KCS used the Santa Fe yard as their interchange point in Dallas.
On August 14, 1996 the tower was relocated from the crossing of the ATSF and UP to the Age of Steam museum at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. A new concrete first floor foundation was poured and Tower 19 was set in its new home. Exterior restoration of the tower is now underway. In the future, the interior of the tower will be open to visitors to the museum.
After Tower 19 was removed from service, the building was moved to the Southwest Railroad Historical Society's Age of Steam Museum in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. The tower is currently undergoing restoration at the museum. Photo by Hume Kading.
Interior Photographs:
Track diagrams hang above the interlocking machine to give the operator a visual indication of the area controlled. Small lights on the diagrams would illuminate whenever a train would enter a track circuit at a particular location near the tower. Two photos by Bob Courtney; October 14, 1984.
This is the actual interlocking machine. By pulling or pushing these levers, the tower operator could align switches and signals for a specific train movement. Once aligned, a conflicting movement could not be aligned until after passage of the first train. Photo by Bob Courtney; October 14, 1984.
This is the operators console at the desk inside Tower 19. Notice the track diagram at the top of this console. As technology improved, functions which were once controlled by the large handles on the interlocking machine could be reduced in size and controlled by small electrical switches. Tower 19 was controlled by a combination of these small switches and the large handles on the interlocking machine. Photo by Bob Courtney; October 14, 1984.
Location Map of Tower 19:
