BH Tower, Walton: Thoughts on Mr. Gordon's Photo of the CTC Machine

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Joe:
I think maybe the GRS traffic control machines were a little
easier to manipulate than the Union stuff.  The big problem
in Norfolk is road crossings and once you give a train the
"go", you better make sure the train makes it to Lamberts
Point, Portlock, etc. without delay.  In the 60s, about one
in three coal trains went to Sewalls Point and the coal was
hauled back to Lamberts Point.  A crew would run light with
two units to Sewalls Point and return with 180 loads.  On my
second day, the operator a Carolina told me to cross the
180 car train to the westbound track because he was turning
the  Belt Line into the Ford plant on the eastbound.  The coal
drag hadn't passed Coleman, so I took the "clear" away and
the "time out" mechanism cut in automatically.  Five minutes
later, the drag was crawling to the home signal.  The timer ran out, I
lined the crossover switches, and gave the drag the signal.
You shoulda seen the obscene gesture the engineer made.
Then Victoria found out and it seems the operator at Carolina
had only a few more days in service.  

At NS Junction, there was an "Armstrong" interlocking.  To
change the signal, first the lever was "cocked" midpoint and
then the timer was set by hand.              Harry Bundy
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