Nostalgia & History > Calumet Park Tower gone 40 years too

Lots of 40-year anniversaries to think back on this week, as seen by all the great posts today.  
One not as well known was the great loss to Chicago fanning of Calumet Park Tower in Burnham, Illinois.
 
40 years ago yesterday the tower was burned to the ground during 3rd trick, likely by an arsonist who
had recently been fired by the Penn Central.  I remember checking it out on Conrail Day April 1, and thought,
among other things, that this was not a good first day for Conrail.  It was a great place to hang out as a kid,
and later when I got a camera, to take great photos.  Perhaps some readers can add some, as unfortunately
I still am without a scanner.

After the fire, Cal Park was controlled from Hohman Avenue Tower, and after that, by the IHB dispatcher who 
still has it, jointly with the CSX dispr. in the Calumet City op center.  

Thanks for remembering the tower. This was a good thread.

http://northamericaninterlockings.com/

---

That's the first time I've ever seen a photo of that tower! Thanks for sharing it!!

Seventyfive Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lots of 40-year anniversaries to think back on
> this week, as seen by all the great posts today.
>  
> One not as well known was the great loss to
> Chicago fanning of Calumet Park Tower in Burnham,
> Illinois.
>  
> 40 years ago yesterday the tower was burned to the
> ground during 3rd trick, likely by an arsonist
> who
> had recently been fired by the Penn Central.  I
> remember checking it out on Conrail Day April 1,
> and thought,
> among other things, that this was not a good first
> day for Conrail.  It was a great place to hang
> out as a kid,
> and later when I got a camera, to take great
> photos.  Perhaps some readers can add some, as
> unfortunately
> I still am without a scanner.
>
> After the fire, Cal Park was controlled from
> Hohman Avenue Tower, and after that, by the IHB
> dispatcher who 
> still has it, jointly with the CSX dispr. in the
> Calumet City op center.  

However, the beginning of the end was in 1972 (pretty sure 72, just before I left). IHB had a derailment in the plant. The Instant Expert PC trainmaster set out to be a hero and show how fast he could get his important IHB open. He brought in a D9 from the north side, planning to shove everything in the clear, have the gandys fix the track, and get traffic moving.

The CAT wrecked the puzzle switch on the B&OCT outbound main and then proceeded to reposition, crossing the track again and destroying a 15-way or so (15 pipes) pipeline, pipes, carriers, and foundations. There were not enough reusable parts in the Western Hemisphere (exxageration, but might as well have been) to repair the damage. It was necessary to electrify the plant in order to get it back in service. That took a while and a half or so. So much for hero.

TAW