Don't know when this happened, but it must have made a big thud:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... gpACA3.jpg

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... gpACA4.jpg

Rather sad, though entirely warranted. How many incredibly great locomotives have fueled under the old beast? I wonder if it was structurally failed? Many roads simply have decided to leave them in place, since it's cheaper and remains a symbol of the glorious era.

In the second photo, the vehicle appears to be a 66-67 Plymouth Fury.

Dave

I remember reading in a 1980s TRAINS that a contractor taking down one these giant monoliths in PA goofed big time. It dropped straight down instead off to the side, an ex PRR one if I remember correctly. Blocked the busy main for days instead of hours!!

Joshua

Perhaps I can shed a little light on this subject. First off, the coaling tower did not stand on any mainline trackage but on dead storage tracks in the East Altoona yard, notice the stored diesels, including Baldwin Sharks, in the background. So no blockage of traffic was involved.

The tower would probably still be standing today were it not for the ego of a certain PC official who (according to reports) saw the tower from his business car and ordered it removed. Some say this is because he was an NYC guy and the tower reminded him of the PRR.

The contractor hired for the job dug a huge pit beside the tower and set explosives to knock he legs from under it and topple it into the pit. Both he and said PC official did not take into account how well the PRR built things like this. There was a massive amount of rebar in this structure and the concrete around the rebar would last the ages. So the first explosion did little more than chip off a bit of the exterior concrete. Another try or two were required before the results shown in the second photo; the tower went more or less straight down, made a seismic impact with the ground, but did not disintegrate as predicted. It took many, many hours with a giant headache ball to finally reduce it to rubble and bulldoze that into the pit.

Perhaps experiences like this are one reason a lot of reinforced concrete coaling towers still stand today, decades after losing their functions.

Parhaps the best preserved large tower(the best i have seen) is that of the Central of Georgia in Macon,GA at the former site of their primary shop, The tower is now all that stands. As of three years ago it sat there complete with all 8 tracks worth of shoots, ladders and operating levers.

Any others out there like that?

There's a smaller version (or at least there was a couple years ago)standing out in a field near Sylvania, GA - presumably over an old ROW of Sylvania Central or another similar shortline. Spooky to be driving on a country road in a thick fog early in the AM and having it appear out of the mist.

dave

There is a coal (or sand?) tower standing next to the abandoned steam plant in the middle of the coach yard here at Washington DC Union Station.

Wesley

Jason - If I read your note correctly, you are saying that all of the steel work on the CofG Macon coal tower still exists. If true, that is a rarity. Would be nice if someone posted a photo of it, as it is today.

Les

You did read my post correctly. to stand under this thing is terribly cool. Pictures should be easy if any RYPNers live out that way. The thing sits behind a fence which is up around the entire former shop site(no other structures remain)
It is a rather unique design, goes something like this

Under Main tower=mt
Side of main tower=st
Chute from main=ch

ch.ch.st.mt.mt.st.ch.ch

If I remember correctly, the the chute services two tracks by way of pivoting between the two tracks. This tower looks more like a grain elevator than any I have seen.

CSX still has one, double track wide, standing over the former C&EI mainline and siding just north of Sullivan IN. It's a neat photo spot, especially with doublestacks rolling under it.

Bill

Here are two still standing in Illinois -- and both are still stradling main lines. The top photo is somewhere around Franklin Grove or Ashton, IL and below DeKalb, IL

That would be the Savannah & Atlanta tower that you found.

Jason Greene

Jason,

You call that perserved? I call that abandoned. The city and locals down in Macon have expressed interest several time to have it torn down. I know at one time there was a couple of local fans down that way that were talking, and that's all it was, about trying to get it on the National or State Historic Sites list to save it. Last I checked nobody has actually done anything about it.

In Georgia, you also can find the towers in Social Circle (Georgia RR), Newnan (A&WP), Raymond (CG), Macon (CG), Sardis (S&A) and I understand that somewhere on the hillside that the Gainesville Midland coaling spot at Belmont was located the timber retaining wall is still there.


Jason Greene