FORT WORTH, Texas – Union Pacific’s Tower 55 in Forth Worth, which once controlled the busiest railroad junction in Texas, is being demolished this week. Demolition work began Nov. 14. Originally a wood structure, it was replaced by a three-story brick structure in the 1930s.
As railroads expanded in Texas, several railroads reached Forth Worth. Near downtown was a major junction where the Texas & Pacific crossed the Katy and predecessors of Santa Fe and Southern Pacific. To control the junction, the four railroads collaborated to establish an interlocker which was commissioned as Tower 55 by the Railroad Commission of Texas on Sept. 26, 1904. It was the largest interlocking plant in Texas. At one time trains of several “fallen flag” railroads passed the tower including Cotton Belt, Frisco, Katy, Missouri Pacific, Rock Island and Santa Fe. With railroad consolidations only BNSF and Union Pacific pass the tower today.
UP replaced the tower’s levers with a computerized system in 1989 and moved personnel out in 1995. In 2014, a $100 million construction project improved movement of rail traffic adding a third north-south track, new signals, street closures, and improvements to grade crossings and bridges. After operators were removed, the tower was retained for signal maintenance personnel.
Viewers can see the demolition work on the Tower 55 webcam.
I have read several articles saying that UP no longer wanted to pay taxes and maintenance on the building. It also was being invaded by homeless people so it was a security issue as well. The area is very congested so making it a tourist site would be difficult and perhaps dangerous as well. Just too much liability for our lawsuit happy citizens these days. Yes, it would have been nice to see it remain and the area now looks very different.
I believe that it would be fair to say that Union Pacific has done a pretty good job of preserving some things…like maybe the “Big Boy” for instance….just sayin’!
Informative article but the track map is outdated. A third north-south main line was added in 2014. Centennial Yard was renamed Davidson Yard in 2007 for then retiring Union Pacific CEO Richard K. (Dick) Davidson.
One point missed by the “let’s save everything old” group. Who’s going to beg the local governments into dropping the taxes on the railroads?
Why does everything always have to be torn down? If it is not hurting anything or anyone, why tear it down? Why not investigate making it a rail fan viewing location. Sure it won’t be easy but that would be a great use, How about just letting it stand as a monument to all who worked there and to the two railroads (and their pre-merger lines) and all those who depended on it.
Of course the railroads will respond that it is a liability and the costs of maintaining it are too much, etc; etc. The same excuses UP uses for shipping off Challenger 3985 (and 5511, the 2-10-2 loco, and other so called nonessential rolling stock ) to a museum in Silvis, Illinois: cost too much to rebuild the fire box, it duplicates the work of the 4014 Big Boy, or taking the wings off the front of the locomotives, because the shield is a stronger corporate statement, blah, blah, blah. These new age corporate chiefs have no sense of tradition or appreciation for those who built the railroad, probably before they were born… I guess we should just be glad they rebuilt Big Boy and kept 844… It could have been a goner too…
Tower 55 was a downtown Fort Worth landmark for decades. Did Union Pacific and/or BNSF make an effort to preserve the tower? Disgraceful.