Harris Switch Tower

Harris Switch Tower (HM45F)

Location: Harrisburg, PA 17120 Dauphin County
Buy Pennsylvania State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 40° 15.912', W 76° 52.753'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1492 views
Inscription
By 1929, Harrisburg's growth as a freight and passenger rail hub in the eastern United States necessitated the introduction of new rail interlocking technologies to guide the convergence of high volume locomotive traffic through the city. At that time, over 100 passenger and 20 freight trains per day passed through the yards of the Pennsylvania Railroad here on fifteen tracks. The widening of the Market Street subway in 1926 and completion of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge in 1930 resulted in the re-working of tract alignments requiring a more advanced facility that could monitor and activate track switching, train directions and speed. Thus in 1929 was erected the Harris Switch Tower, a Colonial and Tudor Revival-styled structure complete with Flemish bond brickwork and keystone window trim, giving architectural distinction to what otherwise would be strictly a utilitarian structure. From the time it opened, the Tower was technologically advanced in signal control and circuitry to allow for remote track switching at railroad junctions. Because Harrisburg was the hub from which six major rail routes emanated like spokes on a wheel, this technology was essential in maintaining the smooth movement of people and goods as well as to aid in the prevention of train collisions. now individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Tower is one of only several that still stands on the main line railroad from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, although the Tower ceased operations in the early 1990's. Purchased from Amtrak in 1992 by the Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railways Historical Society, the Switch Tower is a landmark to the golden age of the Pennsylvania Railroad's operations in the capital city.
Photo
1955 view showing the abundance of railroad tracks with Harris Switch Tower in right foreground and old Reading Railroad Station in distance.
Details
HM NumberHM45F
Series This marker is part of the Pennsylvania Railroad series, and the Pennsylvania: The Harrisburg History Project series.
Tags
Placed ByThe Harrisburg History Project Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 7th, 2014 at 6:45am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 340208 N 4458886
Decimal Degrees40.26520000, -76.87921667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 15.912', W 76° 52.753'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 15' 54.72" N, 76° 52' 45.18" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)717
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 4583 Walnut St Unp, Harrisburg PA 17120, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?