| EJ&E Baldwin DT-6-6-2000 912 crossing the C&NW at Tower JB in West Chicago, Illinois, on January 26, 1966, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. Although I was 18 years old when I shot this photo, this was the location of my first employment as a paperboy when I was seven. This is where my paper route began. One thing for sure, there was a lot of noise when the EJ&E crossed the C&NW, especially with short wheelbase freight cars. I talked to Bob Fox, a guy I know who worked in that tower. He did not have fond memories of his experience in that tower. Apparently, all was quiet in the tower one very early morning (about 2:00 AM or so) when the buzzer sounded and an EJ&E transfer run asked for permission to cross. Bob didn't see any C&NW trains asking for permission, so he allowed the EJ&E train to cross. Even in the best of conditions, the EJ&E train, which at this point was in Service Brake application, would have taken some time to get up to speed, maybe 10 mph, to cross the C&NW. According to Bob, as soon as the EJ&E train occupied the circuit, the buzzer went off again; a C&NW train asking for permission to cross. Then another. Before he knew what happened another C&NW train was asking for permission, and Bob was tieing up three C&NW trains, and the EJ&E train hadn't even hit the diamonds. Bob had to answer to both the EJ&E and C&NW dispatchers. He quit the railroad business a couple of weeks later. |