Re: PC: Forge Interlocking

["Gary Farmer" <gary@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike,
Thanks for your help. The reason I was asking is because I have a chance to
buy the PC sign from FORGE interlocking. It is made of wood. I found this
interesting, because according to photos I've seen of the middle div. in
the PC era, PC simply repainted most of the PRR cast iron signs vs.
replacing them. GRAY, PORT, & TYRONE are some examples of this. My theory
is that PC closed the FORGE tower in 1968, tore it down & put up a shed of
some sort in it's place. They then had a wooden sign made for the new shed.
I can't image they replaced 1 cast iron sign with a wooden one, when they
left the rest go (although some other middle div. PC towers also appear to
have wooden signs). Someone else suggested that maybe someone stole the PRR
FORGE sign & PC had to replace it, hence the wooden one. Any opinion on
this? Thanks!

Gary
 
----------
> From: Mike Bezilla <mxb13 -AT- psu.edu>
> To: penn-central -AT- smellycat.com
> Subject: Re: PC: Forge Interlocking
> Date: Saturday, August 16, 1997 8:03 AM
> 
> >Gary Farmer wrote:
> >> 
> >> Hello fellow PC lovers:
> >> I am looking for info. on "Forge" interlocking in the Allegheny
Division.
> 
> 
> Just for the record, I am not a "lover" of the PC, but it was in some
ways
> an interesting rr. Anyway, FORGE was on its way out at the end of the PRR
> era and what is in the #1 PC ett reflects its passing.
> 
> Historically, FORGE controlled the jct of the Tyrone forge branch with
the
> main (the switch was roughly opposite and a little east of the tower, the
> tower being on the north side of the tracks). It also controlled the jct
of
> the Fairbrook br w/ the main. Most important, it was located at the point
on
> the main where the tracks broadened from 3 to 4 (remember, the 4 track
main
> narrowed to 3 at SPRUCE) then for a while 5. I'm not sure it controlled
the
> wye at Tyrone. WILSON did way back, then GRAY in more recent years, but
> there may have been a time when FORGE did, tho there wasn't much traffic
> using the east leg of that wye, e.g., coming west up the Middle div.,
then
> going to the Bald Eagle branch & vice versa. Most trains came/went in
GRAY's
> direction on the west leg. The tower was very similar in appearance to
GRAY.
> Its closing was part of the removal of the 4th main track from FORGE to
GRAY
> and that was a PRR decision.
> 
> Mike