This is the site of the original crossing of the MoPac's Livonia-Houston line and SP's Sunset Route, now referred to as CP (Control Point) 459. The view is looking east, with the Amtrak station/Tower 74 (new version) to our back. The foreground track alignment is that of the SP, whose main continued eastward through downtown Beaumont. The alignment veering to the right is that of the MoPac toward GCL Jct. where it joins the KCS mainline to DeQuincy, LA. When the MP and SP consolidated their trackage into a double-tracked joint corridor in the mid-1960's, the SP line was used from the west end of Beaumont (where MoPac built a new 1-mile connection to their original line) to Tower 74. The crossing was removed, and the corridor then followed the MoPac alignment east through town. The track diverging to the lower left is a remnant of the old MoPac main used to serve a gravel company. The track diverging to the upper left is remains of the former SP main, referred to as the "NO Main", for New Orleans main. The yard in the distance on the right is the MoPac downtown yard, and the track running on the far right is known as the "Roy Jones" connection, and connects to SP's yard which lies west (behind the photographer). The site of the original Tower 74 building is to the right just out of the photo.
The above photo was the "new" Tower 74, which unceremoniously shared a building with the Amtrak waiting room at Beaumont until it closed during April 2000. It was replaced by dispatcher control at Spring, TX. The windows to the far left are the waiting room, the windows to the right are the operator's office where the CTC board, printer, fridge, and sundry other items were located. The remainder of the building to the right of the windows was a room full of relays and other electrical gear. This installation replaced the original Tower 74 building in the mid-60's when MP and SP consolidated their mainlines into a single corridor through Beaumont.
