Harris Switch Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Harris Switch Tower, Pennsylvania Railroad
|
|
Harris Switch Tower, October 2011
|
|
 Location in Pennsylvania
|
|
| Location | 637 Walnut Street Harrisburg, Pennsylvania United States |
|---|---|
| Built | 1929 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001056 |
| Added to NRHP | August 30, 1994 |
Harris Switch Tower, also known as HG Tower or Harris Tower, is a special building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It was used to control train signals and switches. The Pennsylvania Railroad built this tower in 1929. It helped manage train traffic for many years. In 1991, Amtrak closed the tower. A group called the National Railway Historical Society bought it in 1992. The tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Today, it is a museum where you can learn about how trains were controlled.
Contents
What is Harris Tower?
Harris Tower is a two-story building. It is built in the Colonial Revival style. You can find it at 7th & Walnut Streets in Harrisburg. The tower is located near the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex. It sits between the State Street Bridge and the Harrisburg Transportation Center. The building has strong brick walls. These walls are built on a concrete base.
Inside the Tower
The second floor of Harris Tower holds a very important machine. This machine is called an interlocking machine. It was used to control all the train signals and switches. The machine is a Union Switch & Signal Model 14. It has many steel bars that fit together. This design stopped mistakes that could cause a train crash.
The machine is about 24 feet 10 inches long. It is 6 feet 6 inches wide and 4 feet 4 inches tall. On the front, there are 113 levers. These levers controlled all the switches and signals in the tower's area. Above the machine, there is a model board. This board is 4 feet 4 inches tall. It has over 450 small lights. These lights showed where switches were set. They also showed where trains were. The lights even showed if the overhead electric wires were on.
History of Harris Tower
The Pennsylvania Railroad finished its main train line in 1854. This line connected Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. By the 1870s, the railroad reached New York City, Chicago, and St. Louis. This meant that all trains from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. had to pass through Harrisburg.
Harris Tower was built in 1929. It was first called HG Tower. This name came from its call sign for telegraph messages. It replaced three older towers built in 1889. Bringing these controls into one tower saved a lot of effort. It reduced the number of workers needed from 21 to 12. Harris Tower started working on April 26, 1930.
Some tracks controlled by Harris Tower were removed later. This happened when a new engine area was built. It was part of making the train line electric. This was for the line between Harrisburg and Philadelphia in 1938. Harris Tower marked the end of the electric train lines for passengers. The engine area helped switch electric trains to steam or diesel trains. This was for trips west of Harrisburg.
Changes and Closure
The Pennsylvania Railroad joined with the New York Central Railroad in 1968. They formed a new company called Penn Central. In 1971, Amtrak took over passenger train services. Amtrak also took over many old Pennsylvania Railroad tracks and buildings. This included Harris Tower.
Later, Conrail took over Penn Central in 1976. Conrail updated its signalling control system in 1989. They moved all controls to one central place north of Harrisburg. Because of this, Harris Tower only controlled four Amtrak trains each day. Amtrak then combined Harris Tower's work with another tower nearby. This happened on November 15, 1991. After that, Harris Tower was closed.
Harris Tower Today
On July 24, 1992, a local group bought Harris Tower from Amtrak. This group is the Harrisburg chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. They opened the tower to the public as a museum. Visitors can even operate the old interlocking machine.
Now, the machine does not control real trains. Instead, it is connected to a computer. This computer pretends to move trains through the area. The simulation uses old train schedules from the early 1940s. That was when the tower was busiest. Many train fans enjoy visiting the tower. It is a great spot to watch the many Amtrak and Norfolk Southern trains pass by. The tower was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1994.
See also
