Interlocking: Kalamazoo, MI - Tower 1

Tower 1 in Kalamazoo controlled the crossing of the Michigan Central east-west main line and the north-south crossing of the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad. The structure was 12' x 15' and was located in the northwest quadrant of the crossing. The tower was installed in November, 1893.

Photo Info: Top, Tower 1 in Kalamazoo. [Greg Peet]

Notes

Tower 1, in 1930, had a 24 lever frame mechanical interlocking machine, with 10 levers for 16 signals, 9 levers for derails and 5 switches, 2 levers for 5 FP locks, and 2 levers for 2 electric switch locks and detect lever. There was one spare lever. On the GR&I this crossing contained the main line and a second running track. On the MC, there was a double track main line and a westbound passing track. [CQII]

Tower 2 (BO Tower) actually controlled the eastbound signals on the MC in front of Tower 1.

Contributed by G. M. Meints on 1/17/2005: I spent many hours at Tower 1 as a kid and worked there several times as an adult.  I believe it was called "Tower 1" by the Michigan Central because it was the first interlocking tower in Kalamazoo and was built some years before BO tower was built.  By the way, BO Tower has never been called "Tower 2".  Like "BO" Tower, Tower 1 was owned and maintained by the Michigan Central - 100%.  Of course, the PRR had to reimburse a portion of the expense to the MC (later, NYC) but the MC did the work.  The tower was manned solely by MC operators on all three shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a weeks, year around.  At Tower 1, if you were answering the PRR telephone line, you called yourself "MC tower".  On the MC phone line, you answered "Pennsylvania Tower".  But these were vernacular replies, not the formal name of the tower.  There were five MC tracks in front (to the south) of Tower 1.  From the south, they were:  NYC Wye, MC eastbound main, MC westbound main, MC long middle track, MC House track (which diverged from the Long Middle directly in front of the tower).

Time Line

1931. A MPUC order indicates that Tower 1 existed as of 1931.