File:Crossing tower on the eastbound side of the tracks.jpg

Summary

This early 20th Century photo shows a crossing tower on the eastbound side of the tracks near the old mill. Towers like his were for crossing watchmen, who would control or display warning signals for vehicular traffic at a grade crossing. An ice house is visible on the other side.

The approaching train appears to be either The Capitol Limited or The National Limited.

(Photo courtesy of Brunswick Heritage Museum)

Reuben Moss: Definitely a crossing tower as Tom said. Photo is likely post-1907 as that was the year most construction on the yard west of Maple Avenue took place. If you look just under the locomotive you can see where Maryland Avenue (a light colored line) used to cross the tracks here, with a gate on either side of the tracks. There would be a guard here and one over on the other side for Westbound in between Maryland and Maple Avenues who would manually lower those gates across the street when a train was approaching.

Tom Greco: As shown in the B&O's plan book for 1908, towers like this were for crossing watchmen, who would control or display warning signals for vehicular traffic at a grade crossing. So they weren't exactly "signal towers" like WB Tower.

The tall building in the background on the right appears to be an ice house. I knew there was an icing platform there but most photos the storage building is gone. It was used to put blocks of ice in the ends of refrigerator cars. I want to say the shorter building with the boxcar beside it is the cattle pens.

Shirley Reinersman: My dad told me that his dad my grandfather count the train as they when by. His name is Howard D. Rice live on Maple St.,. He had 7 boys and 1 girl,. His wife name is Ida V. Rice. She was the president of the Moore club, also my grandfather and 1 Uncle Gene Rice.

Debbie Miller-Pearl: My family lived on 7th Ave my grandfather and uncle's worked there my one uncle was decapitated on that rail road. The Arvin family was a name well known my grandmother fed the people on the box cars out on the summer pouch. They would throw rocks at the window when they needed my grandfather.