txrrhistory.com - Interlocking Tower 28 - Texarkana, Texas


Historic Photo of Tower 28

Tower 28 resided at what was originally a crossing of the Texas & Pacific (T&P) Railway and the Texarkana & Ft. Smith (T&FtS) Railway on the south side of Texarkana, Texas. It was commissioned for operation on October 20, 1903. The T&P was the first to arrive, opening 74 miles of track between Texarkana and Marshall in 1873 as it began efforts to fulfill its charter to build a trans-continental line from east Texas to San Diego, California. In 1896, the T&FtS built 24 miles of track south from Texarkana to the state line as part of Arthur Stilwell's larger effort to build from Kansas City to Port Arthur. The T&FtS had originally built north from Texarkana toward Fort Smith, Arkansas, but Stilwell acquired control in 1892 and amended the charter to allow the T&FtS to build south to the Gulf of Mexico as a subsidiary of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf (KCP&G) Railroad. Stilwell's line to the Gulf from Kansas City opened in 1897, but by 1900, he had lost control of the KCP&G and it was bought by the newly chartered Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railway, which continues to operate the route today. The T&P route passed through ownership of the Missouri Pacific Railroad to become a major line for Union Pacific Railroad.

The crossing guarded by Tower 28 was on the property of the International Creosoting & Construction Company - Works. The crossing is at the intersection of the two rail lines in the right of the photo below. Click on the photo for a much larger view of this panoramic image, and see below for additional images of Tower 28 and the creosote works eventually owned by the Kerr-McGee corporation.




 

   

Detail photos from the panoramic image above.  Left is the view looking south down the KCS Main. The T&P crosses left to right.  There is also a lead into the tie plant that crosses left to right parallel to the T&P.  Both diamond crossings would have been controlled by the operator of Tower 28.

Modern Photos - Tower 28

 
Concrete bunker to the left is the automatic interlocker cabinet that replaced the tower interlocker.  KCS main line trails away in the distance.  Lead into the tie plant is in foreground and the now UP main line is behind the cabin.

 
Site of Tower 28 is about where the short sections of rail are next to the weeds. No evidence of the tower foundation is visible in this area. Diamond crossing of the two main lines is in the photo.


A green flag beckons southbound KCS trains after they cross the UP diamond at the site of Tower 28.


Detail photo of interlocking cabinet.

Other Photos from the Kerr-McGee creosote plant.

 
An 0-4-0 switcher of the steam era.

 
An 0-4-0 switcher of the diesel era.

 
GE 44-ton locomotive.		  
Plymoth (or Whitcomb?) 80-ton locomotive

 
High level aerial photo looking at the south end of the tie plant. Tower 28 is in this photo.
 
This photo is thought to be looking north from approximately above Tower 28. Visible at the top of the photo is an unidentified railroad crossing.
 
Steam shovel used in a bygone era at the tie plant.

 
Stateline Ave. in Texarkana.

 

 


Last Revised: 10/30/2005 JGK - Contact the Texas Interlocking Towers Page.