Photos from Spring Hill Tower



















last updated: 06/18/04


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© 2000-2004 Dave Honan
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David.Honan
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Soo 6049 & CP 4617 sit at Spring Hill with the southbound XL, waiting for a signal to proceed towards Latta Yard. (Spring Hill, IN, April 24, 2004)

For the Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society, April 21, 2001 was a workday at Spring Hill Tower. In between performing electrical work, removing the insulation from the attic, and preparing the roof to be removed from the second floor, we had a some fun railfanning.

An unknown northbound coal train is crawling up to the diamond at Spring Hill; power is CSX 7681 and CSX 7874. In the distance on the CP is train 241, known to CSX as Z452. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
The Spring Hill Work Gang taking a break from its chores. The man on the right is Bill Foster, President of the Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)

Oh yeah...sorry about the graffiti over the door, Bill...

After 241 cleared the Sub, southbound XL-118 was able to proceed through the plant and head down to the Farmersburg Mine at Blackhawk. Soo 4515 and Soo 4424 trail a cloud of blue smoke as they sweep past the tower. This photo was taken from the window next to the water fountain on the second floor of Spring Hill Tower; this famous view will cease to exist in two weeks. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)

See if you can spot the bad pun in this caption.
Hint: The nose knows all.

Bill, at right, is going to get a wide-angle shot with a 28mm lens of Q514 (CSX 8533, CSX 8064) passing the tower, with V502 on the right edge of the frame. Another HTH&TS member will shoot Q514 meeting V502 at South End Baker. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
V502 is moving south out of Baker Siding after Q514 passed. This photo shows every rail line within the confines of Spring Hill Junction.

The centerpiece of the photo is obviously the CSX CE&D Sub, upon which V502 is progressing south. At front-right is the Riley Spur; it connects to the Sub at South End Baker and meanders to the AMAX Chinook Mine in Riley, east-southeast of Terre Haute (the tipples are visible from I-70, just east of the Vigo/Clay County border; the mine no longer receives rail service). It is this track that CP uses to access the Spring Hill Yard Limit, and thus onto the Latta Sub. The crossover next to CSX 8487 was installed a few years ago to increase flexibility of movements within the interlocking.

Splitting off from the CE&D Sub on the left side of the photo is the Peavey Grain Spur. It crosses over the Latta Sub and runs to the Peavy Grain elevator in Terre Haute, alongside US 41. This line used to be a New York Central coal branch that served the Chinook Mine.

The Latta Sub enters the picture to the left of the telephone pole, crosses the PG Spur, and curves to the northwest as it crosses Springhill Road; the line can be seen disappearing into the trees behind the northbound signal on the CE&D main.

(Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)

HTH&TS members capturing V502 as it passes south past the tower.

Aluminum siding has been removed from the tower in preparation for the cut that must be made so that the tower can be moved by road up to the Wabash Valley Railroaders' Museum (Haley Tower) site. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)

While taking a break from the hard work inherent in railfanning, I happened to notice a headlight stopped down on the Latta Sub at Mud Road. With the help of some deductive reasoning (and a report from a fellow who'd stopped by earlier), I detemined that this was a northbound coal train with a Chicago & Northwestern C44-something on the point. Indeed, the power was a pair of C44ACs: CNW 8827 and UP 7003. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
Much to my delight, the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds just as Z458's power cleared the Spring Hill Yard Limit. The long train of NCUX empties is strung out down the Latta Sub in the distance. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
CNW 8827. Note there are no numbers in the numberboards on the nose, and the "8827" on the long hood seems to have been applied at a different time than other markings on the unit. CNW was one of the few railroads that installed black lights in their crossing-gate flashers. (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
All was not as it seemed with UP 7003. The unit was originally leased to UP as GECX 4003. And what's that below the exhaust stack? (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
After long discussion, on-the-scene experts gave up their efforts to write a phamplet and were merely able to state the cause of the deformation as "probable fire damage." (Spring Hill, IN, April 21, 2001)
This CP coal train (90 loads) came south off CSX as train Z489 and moved onto the Latta Sub at Spring Hill. Power is CP 9120, a "Golden Rat" SD9043MAC, and Soo 6003. (March 24, 2001, Spring Hill, IN)
A second shot of Z489. (March 24, 2001, Spring Hill, IN)

I have detail shots of the engineer's side of CP 9120 available for any modelers who wish to model the unit; please email / IM me to request them.

Wisconsin Central SD45 6664 and SDP45 6634 were the power for northbound Q596. (March 24, 2001, Spring Hill, IN)
The next train south was Q585 with Soo 6042 alone on the point. It was surmised that this long train was primarily empties, else the one engine would not have been able to make it up the hill at Youngstown. (March 24, 2001, Spring Hill, IN)
Soo 6003 and CP 5829 (in "Action Pink" scheme) lead southbound XL-118 through the Spring Hill interlocking with coal empties in tow. (March 24, 2001, Spring Hill, IN)
I never did find out what train this was, but BNSF 6460 was the trailing unit -- only the second BNSF unit in Heritage I paint that I've seen and only the second SD45-2 I've ever seen. (March 24, 2001, Spring Hill, IN)
Spring Hill Tower early on the afternoon of February 17, 2001. Shortly after this photo was taken, work was begun to prepare the tower for its moving to the Wabash Valley Railroaders Museum. The ladder on the building's east (right) side was removed, and a large protrusion of concrete inside was demolished. The tower is scheduled to begin its journey north on April 30, 2001. (Spring Hill, IN)
On Saturday, January 20, 2001, the Haley Tower Society had a work day at Spring Hill Tower to clean up in preparation for its moving (to occur in late April). The northbound XL (Latta Yard-Wabash Generating Station) is seen crossing over the CSX SB Line (CE&D Sub.) at Spring Hill around 1400. Power is Soo 2041 (in the "Bandit" scheme), Soo 4413, and CP 5644.
This grain train came south on the CE&D Sub with CSX 2509, GCFX 3079, and CSX 7823. This photo was taken from the second-story windows of Spring Hill Tower. (Spring Hill, IN, January 20, 2001)
The grain train shoving its train down the Peavey Grain Spur; the rail line in the foreground is CP's Latta Sub. (Spring Hill, IN, January 20, 2001)