VN Tower Nova, OH gone

PaulWWoodring · **Posted:** Mon Nov 25, 2013 1:07 pm

Those of us in Northern Ohio have been expecting this for quite some time. Last Friday, 11/22, CSX demolished the hulk that remained of former B&O VN tower at Nova, OH.

Link to article: http://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/

Also, since it had not been previously noted here, the former Akron B&O yard office that sat at the underpass of the CT&V sub (CVSR) below the CSX main was torn down in the last month, after it had been extensively damaged by fire.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Nov 25, 2013 1:37 pm

I came upon that tower for the first time escorting/expediting several passenger cars from the East to Chicago on a CSX train around 2000 or so; when I complained to former CSX company photographer John B. Corns that he didn't tell me about that tower when I asked him for landmarks to shoot westbound, he practically screamed shock in his e-mail reply that the tower could possibly still be standing! I guess the termites finally got tired of holding hands to keep it upright......

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Fri Nov 29, 2013 10:25 am

This was posted as a comment to the original blogpost:

Quote:

I would like to clarify that the lever base and other operating mechanisms have been moved to the Heber Valley Historic RR in Heber City, Utah, about 15 miles south of Park City and 40 miles east of Salt Lake City.

The HVRR plans to raise money to build a replica of the Nova Tower and install the equipment and put it in use in its yard where it will once again be an operating tower.

Also, we plan to put a mini-museum on the ground floor of the tower. The HVRR is owned by the State of Utah, but does not receive annual funding, so projects such as this must be funded by donations. We welcome donations which are tax deductible.

Larry Weist,
HVRR volunteer signal maintainer

Rick Rowlands · **Posted:** Fri Nov 29, 2013 2:00 pm

B&O tower in Utah? Interesting!

hamster · **Posted:** Fri Nov 29, 2013 10:13 pm

The interlocking machine, complete, was salvaged before the tower was razed. It is now safely located at Heber, UT. My sources (second hand) tell me that the machine was keeping the tower from collapsing in on itself and the salvage was difficult and dangerous, but successful. There is a plan for restoration of the machine to operation, but much has to happen first for that to come true.