Chicago, Illinois
Root Street Tower was built by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad in 1928 to help the handling of train traffic between LaSalle Street Station and 63Rd Street. The tower dimensions are 15 ft. by 34 ft. The tower is three stories high, the 2nd floor houses the interlocking machine and the 1st floor houses the relays and maintainers office. The basement is used for storage and the maintainers workshop. It is a brick structure and has an external metal staircase. The interlocking machine was a Union Switch and Signal Model 14 Machine. The interlocking machine when installed, had 35 spaces, 33 of which were used. Those 33 levers controlled 10 crossovers, 5 single switches and 43 signals. Later a 7 lever section was added to the left side of the machine making it a 43 lever machine. The model board was probably changed to what it is today when they added the 7 lever section. Two Union Switch and Signal type C interlocking machines were installed at a later date; they were placed to the right of the original Model 14 machine. The first section controlled signals and switches between 44th Street and 47th Street, the second section controlled from 47th Street to 55th Street. The tower has been closed for years, today only one of the type C interlocking machines remain and some of the levers have been stolen from the Model 14 machine. Metra uses this tower for spare parts for towers still in service such as Tower A-2 and A-5, the first floor also still serves as the maintainers office.
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| Model Board | Model Board | Model Board | Model Board |
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| Model Board | Battery Power Meter | Levers | Signal Timers |
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| Illuminated Indicators | |||
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| Back of Interlocking Machine | Contacts | Indication Magnets, Latches and Lever Lock Circuit Controllers | Contacts |
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| Interlocking Machine | Locking Bed | CTC Relays | |
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| Inside CTC Machine | Back of the Model Board | Top of the Indication Magnets, Latches and Lever Locks | Faded: New York Central - Rock Island |
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