The CD operator was located in the NYC Yard
office across from the Columbus Union Station's Track #8. The New
Third Street bridge is on the right. The yard office is seeing its
last days as it will soon be torn down. Photo by by Galen Gonser, May 1971.
The operator at CD
was located in an upstairs south corner room in the Big Four yard office. The tower controlled New York Central (Big Four) passenger trains into
and out of Columbus Union Station and freight trains between Worthington,
geographically to the north, and Olentangy tower to the West. The Big
Four freight house was behind and to the north of the yard office facing
High Street.
CD was a manual operation using switchtenders. The Neil Avenue switchertender was located to the west of CUS and the DX switchertender on the eastside of
CUS.
The
DX switchtender handled the entrance to a small yard and the freight house.
Sometime before 1946 or 47 there was an operator located at Fifth Avenue where
the single track Big Four line from Cleveland transitioned to double
track. When the Fifth Avenue operator
was eliminated a CTC panel to remotely control the switch was installed in CD tower. When the CD operator was eliminated the CTC panel was moved to HV tower.
Essentially CD tower controlled all the Big Four trains from Worthington
tower to Olentangy tower.
The NYC Yard office from
CUS's track #8. The Smith Brother's Hardware Co. is in the
background haze. The NYC Xplorer is on its way to Cincinnati.
Photo by Alex Campbell, 1956
