I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
QUOTE: Originally posted by tomikawaTT Interlocking towers are used where there is a LOT of traffic, too much for switchmen on the ground to handle. They were used in a lot of places, pre-CTC, but are now almost extinct - except for some busy yard and terminal throats. (These days, there is a crossing of two major railroads in eastern Tennessee that is controlled by CTC ops in Sarasota, FL, and Roanoke, VA.) Incidentally, 'interlocking' has nothing to do with the pattern of the trackwork. It refers to the mechanical action of the sliding bars and dogs in the old 'armstrong' machines, which prevented signals from being cleared until the switches were aligned for the desired route, then locked the switches until the signal was reset to STOP. More modern machines (and my control panels) do this electrically. More than a few yard offices in smaller yards like yours were 'detrucked' WWII troop sleepers, box cars, cabooses and even passenger cars, usually with doors and windows modified to suit.
QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage Jarrell, In the picture, how much space do you have there between the main line and the yard? (f the large square are 2', then each ndividual square would be 3". That would make that green area between the two sets of track about 4-1/2" wide. Jarrell, the reason for asking is that I have an American Model Builders (AMB) Interlocking tower that is only 2-1/4" wide - including outside staircase. From my guess, I think it would fit in there quite nicely, with plenty of room, and make a very handsome yard tower for you. ASM also makes a yard office and storage shed. (There's a pic of one on my llayout ink below, too.) Course, you can just kitbash one out of an old and neglected box car that you have laying around. Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy Actually, most yards didn't have a tower, except for hump yards. Flat yards usually only have a yard office, located near either throat. Interlocking towers are for interlockings; eg: where two lines physically crossed. The nice thing about only needing a yard office for your yard is stat the vast majority of them were basically stretched section houses: small, narrow, and would fit anywhere. That small open space between the yard throat anf the rear mainline on your layout, for example. But, if you want to have a tower for your yard, it should be near one of the throats.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943