Grandview tower - The camera is looking east down the Big Four
main line. The track crossing the main is the T&OC line to Toledo
coming from the T&OC's West Columbus Yard in the background. To the left of the tower
can be seen the street crossing guard's shanty built on stilts. The
crossing guard lowered the crossing gates when a train came along. Just to the right
of Grandview tower is an automobile on Grandview Ave crossing the tracks.
The T&OC's West Columbus roundhouse is on the right. Photo from the
Edward H. Miller/BJ
Kern Collection, Ca. 1940s.
Grandview tower, located on the west side of Grandview Avenue just north of
McKinley Avenue, controlled the crossing of the NYC's Big Four and T&OC
lines. It also controlled the entrance to the west end of the West
Columbus yard.
The
Big Four originally had roundhouse and locomotive servicing facilities
located near Columbus Union Station. When that roundhouse was closed
in the 1930's the West Columbus roundhouse took over servicing the
Big Four locomotives necessitating the interchange you see in the
foreground of the photo above.
When
Grandview tower was built it was on the north side of the Big Four tracks.
When the T&OC passenger trains stopped using the Ohio Central Station on
West Broad Street the tower was moved across the tracks and enlarged.
An interchange track shown on the left edge of the photo was added so the
T&OC passenger trains could use the Big Four line to get to CUS.
