Crossing of the Texas & Pacific (T&P) Railway and the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe (GC&SF) Railway
Looking northeast down the Santa Fe right-of-way, the T&P
tracks are barely visible at the rear of the building to the right.
Tower 22 would have been visible just behind the trees on
the left.
Tower 22's location in the northwest quadrant of the crossing
is shown on this 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance map.
Under magnification, the printing in the rectangle depicting the
tower says "Switch Tower, 2" (indicating a 2-story structure).
Tower 22 was established in 1903 at the junction of two major
rail lines in east Dallas. The Texas & Pacific Railway main
east-west line crossed the Gulf, Colorado and Santa
Fe's main north-south line at Tower 22. The T&P arrived first,
building from Longview into Dallas in 1873. The Santa Fe line
was new construction originating at the Santa Fe yards in Dallas
and building northeast toward Paris in 1886. Tower 22 undoubtedly
saw significant rail traffic for many years before changes in
Dallas railroading rendered the crossing obsolete.
The Santa Fe line remained viable into the 1990s before it was
abandoned. The former Santa Fe yard southwest of Tower 22 became
the maintenance yard for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
light rail system. For many years, the T&P line has been out
of service west of the Age of Steam Railroad Museum at Fair Park
although the tracks remain in place. This will change soon - DART
will be using the T&P right-of-way to construct a light rail
line to southeast Dallas. The line will pass the site of Tower
22 and then turn south to pass the front of Fair Park before resuming
eastward progress along the former Texas Trunk (Southern Pacific)
right-of-way south of the park. Future DART passengers on this
line will have a nice view of Tower 19
which is now located near the northwest corner of Fair Park. Text
and photos by Jim King.
