The Dennison Avenue shanty was located between the High Street and Olentangy/HV towers on the PRR Bradford Line. The operator had to manually
throw the switches under his control. The switches were equipped with a table model Union Switch & Signal interlocker that controlled dwarf signals. You could only "get" the signal if the hand throw switches were in the correct position as indicated by the circuit controllers on the switches.
At one time there were four main tracks between Olentangy and High Street. Dennison Avenue was only in service to the south three tracks. The 4th track to the north was bi-directional – CTC between High Street and Olentangy/HV. There were no connecting switches at Dennison Avenue on the 4th track to the north. Dennison's biggest purpose was to handle the switch off to the C&O through Yard A (C&O) so the C&O passenger trains could back in and out of Union Station. The B&O puller also used this switch moving cars from East Columbus yard to the C&O and also bringing cars back from the C&O to the B&O.
The switch is still important today handling all the CSX trains off and on to the old Big four line between Columbus and Galion. Traffic includes coal, grain and returning empties – about three trains a day each way in 2010.
While the Dennison and Fields Avenue operators had to hand throw the switches they were not refered to as a switchtender or operator-switchtender. Switchtender was a separate craft.
