MG Tower, a landmark on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Pittsburgh Line through the Allegheny Mountains, is reportedly facing demolition by current owner Norfolk Southern 27 years after its closure.
The tower was built to help the Pennsylvania deal with the increased demand to transport war materials, troops, civilian passenger trains, and regular freight shipments. In 1941 revenue ton-miles on the railroads increased to 475 million, and then to 640 million in 1942; by 1944 freight movements by rail increased to 745 million ton-miles. Like many railroads, the PRR had a few choke points in dealing with this flood of traffic, one of them being the 1.86% grade between Horseshoe Curve and the summit at Gallitzin, Pa. The steep grade slowed freights transporting heavy commodities, creating congestion for trains with lighter loads. To solve this problem, in 1944 the PRR installed new crossovers on this four-track line at milepost 243.5 to allow faster trains to pass slower ones. To operate the crossovers a two-story brick tower was constructed at the site and designated as MG, which stands for “Mid-Grade,” since it was located about midway on the 6-mile segment between Horseshoe Curve and Gallitzin.
MG Tower remained in service until 1994 when major upgrades were made across the Conrail system to allow operation of double stack trains. Since its closing 27 years ago little or no maintenance has been performed on MG Tower, so it has deteriorated substantially. The tower is shown here on a wintry day in January 1994, shortly before its deactivation, as a westbound Conrail intermodal train passes. — Alex Mayes
Spectacular photo! Winter at its best.
I miss seeing Conrail trains in my backyard.
If you knew how to get up to the tower it was a great place to watch trains and take pictures.
Some things just become surplus and have outlived their usefulness. Sad but not a terrible thing. Rest in peace.