Pennsylvania Railroad "BF" Tower : Marker #21-55
Posted by: 
Mr. 0
N 40° 07.852 W 084° 25.544
16T E 719331 N 4445458
Located near the old BF tower in Bradford
Waymark Code: WMCG40
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 09/03/2011
Views: 5
"Pennsylvania Railroad "BF" Tower"
The Bradford or "BF" Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad circa 1929, at the important site of Bradford Junction. It replaced an earlier wooden tower that stood to its west. From this building, operators controlled the movement of every train, aligned track switches, set the track side signals, and relayed messages to the crews in the locomotive and caboose of passing trains. The tower originally housed a desk, telegraph equipment, and the all-important railroad clock. Its core housed many steel throw-arms, known as Armstrong levers. These were hand thrown, connecting track switches and signals via pipes throughout the junction area. The operator telegraphed other outlying towers and dispatching centers in Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis and Logansport, Indiana. Railroad telephones appeared during the late 1920s and radios just after World War II. The tower was closed January 3, 1984. This is an example of the once common railroad interlocking tower that dotted railroads throughout Ohio and the United States.
Marker Number: 21-55
County: Miami
Significance of Location: Building or House
Bicentenial Mark: no
Website address: [Web Link]
Additional Coordinate: Not Listed
Additional Coordinate description: Not listed
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