Program

Historic Transportation

Subject

Industry & Commerce, Site, Transportation

Location

152 Oliver St, North Tonawanda, NY 14120, USA

Lat/Long

43.027527, -78.874754

Grant Recipient

Niagara Frontier Chapter NRHS, Inc.

This former railroad switch and signal tower on Oliver Street in North Tonawanda is reminder of when four railroad tracks crossed each other here. According to the Niagara Frontier Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, the crossing of railroad tracks by each other to form a four-sided shape at the point of their crossing, is called a diamond. This location was an unusually dangerous layout of four diamonds within a major city street.

Prior to the tower’s construction, a flagman would wave a red flag to stop any oncoming train or trolley when a fire truck was approaching the crossing so that the firefighters were not delayed in answering a call. In 1911, the local fire chief stated that the fire trucks repeatedly encountered trouble at the Oliver Street crossing despite a city ordinance giving firefighting apparatus the right-of-way (The Evening News, August 11, 1911). By January of 1912, plans were in place to build the signal tower as an enhanced safety measure at a cost of approximately $60,000. New gates and signal lamps would be operated electrically. The tower went into operation the morning of March 19, 1912 (The Evening News, March 19, 1912).

A close inspection of the northeast corner of the tower reveals a repair to the brick structure. On June 13, 1964, a crash occurred taking the life of one man and critically injuring another. A vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed struck a utility pole and one of the signal standards, coming to rest next to the brick tower. The signal standard was pushed into the building, damaging the brick. (Tonawanda News, June 13, 1962)

Once common, these railroad switch and signal towers were abandoned as industries moved out, tracks were removed, and signaling and switching became more centralized due to more advanced communication and electronic technology. As of 2023, the Niagara Frontier Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, owned this tower.