Rosedale (KY) Tower

By the time I had begun to notice things, the Frisco interlocking tower was a thing of the past, and it wasn’t until I began perusing the Northern Division B&B records that I discovered KY Tower in Rosedale, KS.

Frisco’s Rosedale or KY (short for Katy) Tower stood at MP C-3.2, and it governed the movement of MKT trains as they entered the Frisco double tracked mainline at that location. It’s location was off the beaten path, and exploring the 19th Yard was always more interesting, so I never attempted to locate its exact location. I did produce an imagineered drawing of the structure based on the B&B record. I hoped to find a photograph or two, and then build a HO scale model.

Using Google Earth, I believe that I have located the foundation of the interlocker. The dimensions in the satellite photos match the dimensions of the structure. The foundation is located in the dotted-blue rectangle. The location is very close to MP C-3.2, and the location between the MKT mainline and the Frisco mainline seems to be a reasonable spot to place an interlocker.

The interlocker was closed when the Frisco replaced the ABS system with CTC which was about 1954-55. A local CTC machine was placed in the office building at Rosedale. It controlled traffic between Cross-over B and 29th Street. The first-trick operator was John Hatch, and he indulged my brother and me on many occasions.

Do any of you KC guys have photos or plats that depict KY tower?

 

Chris,

Very nice find, but this looks like the area around 29th Street.

-keb-

 

After a closer view in Photo Shop, I see MP C2.0 right in front of the tower, so it is 29th Street.
The photographer is looking "northeasterly". The track just in front of the tower is the MKT. The two tracks coming into view from the photographer's rear are the two main tracks of the Frisco. The tracks veering to the left, head to 19th St; the tracks veering to the right, head to KCUS

 

Karl--Thanks for these postings! Your little KCT diagram appears to be from a booklet or rule book of some sort?? What kind of book or was it from?

Thanks, Tom

 

The map was taken from the KCT RR Book of Operating Rules, May 15, 1953

 

Thanks.

Tom

 

Here's a page from a 1940 ETT that shows the 29th St Tower and KY Tower.

http://www.frisco.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=3760&d=1148930515

 

Thank you very much for the information on the location of KY Tower. The Tower picture posted is indeed 29th street. However I have a picture of KY Tower in my collection. I am more than willing to share it with everyone, but I am not very good at posting to this web site.The photos are also by Howard Killam and One is unknown. They are my Photos 298-26,375-30,384-17. If someone will tell my how to post them to this website, I am willing to do so. I also have a floor plan for Rosedale interlocking tower which has to be KY Tower. I am in the process of building the tower in HO Scale, the artilce will appear in The Meteor in about a year.
Richard E. Napper

 

There are a few observations that can be made from the photo of KY Tower by Howard Killam.
If you read the B&B entry for KY Tower you will find that it was built with 17 22" wide windows, and two 2'6" by 6'8" doors with windows in them. All Frisco towers had the two doors directly above the lower door. The first floor is 11' high, and the Top floor is 9' high with a 1 1/2' concrete base. The roof is singles on a 1/3 pitch. Now the only way the tower could have that many windows is to have two windows on the North end beside the door, three windows on the south end, and both sides had five windows on the top floor. My guess is the other two windows are on the West side on the bottom floor, because the picture shows no windows on the North side bottom, or the East side bottom beside the tracks. Yes I know there are only three windows left on the east side in the photo, but there had to of been five when the tower was built. I also do not think the location is where it was previously posted to be because there are no tracks on the west side of the tower. I am not award of any movement in the Frisco tracks, they have always been close to the small hill on the west side of the bottoms at Rosedale. I therefore think the tower sat more to the west at MP 3.2 with all tracks to the east of the tower. I have also provided the scale drawings I am using to build the tower in HO scale.

 

I have resized the pictures and I will try again to post them.
Richard

 

Guys--What direction are we looking in these photos? South?? Also, is there a track diagram showing how many tracks and how the Frisco and Katy tracks came together? I've ridden through there on trains, but I have no conception of the geography of the area.

Thanks, Tom

 

Howard did not indicate a direction, but my guess is you are looking south. That looks like the KATY elevator in the background.
Richard

 

I believe that the photographer is looking RR north. The pole line is on the right, and one can just make out SW Blvd to the right. I still believe that my Google Earth location is pretty close. During the renovations to Rosdale and with the addtion of CTC, the MKT built several "Long Tracks" into Glen Park which were not extant at the time of the photo.

 

I was thinking south from looking at the diagram (Showing stairs on north end of the building).

Tom

 

Karl is correct, the view is looking RR North. By the compass, this would be in a Northeasterly direction. The two main tracks are on the left and the track to the right heads toward Glen Park. It appears from the train order signal and the delivery device near the tower that MKT trains picked up orders at this location. The track off the main that leads toward the bottom of the picture appears to be little used and therefore is probably an industry track. It must be the jelly refinery mentioned in another thread on this subject.

The large building in the backround on the left is the Katy elevator. It is located Northeast of where KY Tower would have stood.

 

Rosedale and Environs....

The 2 degree 30 minute curve to the left as shown in Richard's picture is shown on the attached track chart. The pole line is also shown on the track chart and it is located on the RR east side.

The track chart is dated 1928.

 

The Katy Elevator is on the Southeast of Glen Park Yard, not the Northeast. The tower is on the North end of Glen Park Yard and Rosedale which is where the KS-MO State line is located, so you have to be looking generally South.
Richard