RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.
TOWER 87
at Englewood Yard
Houston TX
Signal Pictures
Tower 68
Signals at the south end
of Settegast
Other Pictures
This page covers Tower 87, a diamond located at Englewood Yard in east Houston TX.
Below is a map of
the signals at and adjacent to Tower 87, and below the map is a Google Earth
picture of the area.
The map is oriented as you would be looking at the signals in Englewood yard
from Liberty Rd. I also inverted the Google Earth map so it would be in the same
orientation. In the picture, you will notice a dirt road that not only
services the fenced in employee parking lot, but it goes on down to the frontage
road that goes under I-610. I could have gotten pictures of the signals at
locations 8 and 12, but time was short.
For a great guide to the area, check out Steve Sandifer's Houston railfan guide at: http://www.trainweb.org/jssand/Houston/Houston.htm
For more info on the towers of
Texas, check out:
http://www.towers.txrrhistory.com/index.htm (the motherload of information!)
http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasRailroads/Railroad-Interlocking-Towers-of-Texas.htm
Another great site with info on railroad structures in all of Texas (listed by county, ie: The city of Tyler is in Smith county, so don't click on Tyler county) is at : http://www.rrshs.org/Texas/txrrstruc.htm
1
Color light signals at location 1.
2 3 4 5
Looking south-ish under the flyover bridge towards signals 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The diamond at Tower 87.
7
The two US&S searchlight dwarfs at
location 7.
8
Color light signals for location 8.
The two photos at the right illustrate two different aspects for "restrict", one
is L/R, the other is R/R/L.
(More info on UP signal aspects at:
http://www.lundsten.dk/us_signaling/aspects_up1988/index.html )
9
Color light signal at location 9.
13
Signal bridge at location 13
with tri-lights for eastbound movements.
the Tower 68 end of Englewood Yard
Dwarf searchlights dominate the yard for yard movements.
The Union Pacific is leasing quite a few of
these CEFX engines with Caterpillar prime movers.
Haven't seen any EMD lease engines since being
in Minneapolis!
Tower 68,
one of the few remaining towers still intact (altho not in service).
For more pix of Tower 68, click here, or for more pix and info, here.
FYI - Other Towers
The only active tower in Texas is Tower 97 on the bridge between Galveston Island and the mainland.
Tower 17, which has been moved several hundred feet, now resides at the Rosenberg Railroad Museum.
I believe Tower 55 in Ft Worth is still standing, but not active.
Some signals at the south end of Settegast
A view looking (16)
west from Kirkpatrick Junction, still lotsa dwarf searchlights used. The
middle searchlight is displaying a lunar white for restrict.
A GRS Searchlight at Kirkpatrick Junction, the
only one I saw during my 3 day trip.
A few signs at one of the entrances to Settegast.
Northbound BNSF freight crossing the Tower 87 diamond.
Westbound KCS freight (with TFM engine) waiting at
location 1.
The KCS freight finally gets the go ahead and
gets to cross the diamond.
Hump engines.
A freight coming
from Settegast and heading east. More pix of the train from signals at location 8.
A train that just passed the color lights at
location 9.
Metro Transit route #77 stop on Liberty under
Wayside.
Base of the crossing gate on Liberty Rd., you
don't see Harmon very often.
NEW 2/21/2007
Last Modified: 03-Jul-2009