Back in 1929, when the Pennsylvania Railroad built this place, railroads were the rock stars of transportation. All those tracks once merged right near here, meaning Harris Tower’s operators had to keep an eagle eye on every signal and switch-or risk chaos on the rails. On the second floor, you’ll find a mechanical giant: the Union Switch & Signal Model 14 interlocking machine. It’s nearly 25 feet long, covered in steel levers, and used to prevent trains from playing bumper cars at high speed. Picture a stressed-out operator, hands flying over 113 levers, with a massive board glowing with more than 450 little lamps, each one showing where the trains were and which way the tracks pointed. Try not to picture them accidentally turning off the coffee machine instead of a signal light-railroads weren’t built for decaf emergencies.
During its busiest days in the 1940s, Harris Tower was the portal for passenger and freight trains from all across the northeast heading west. It even marked the last stop for electric locomotives before they were swapped for steam or diesel for the climb past the mountains. Now here’s something wild: before Harris Tower replaced three older towers in 1930, it took 21 people to juggle the maze of tracks. With Harris Tower, that number dropped to 12-though I suspect lunchtime still meant a jam at the sandwich shop.
But time brings change. In 1989, with the advent of computers and new signaling, Harris Tower found itself in semi-retirement, controlling just four Amtrak trains a day. By 1991, its last signalman packed up his lantern and the magic of steel bars and lamps gave way to digital control rooms elsewhere.
Yet, the story doesn’t stop there! In 1992, the local National Railway Historical Society saved Harris Tower and turned it into a museum. Today, you can even play signal operator yourself, running simulated trains just like the old days-minus the possibility of an actual train pileup.
So, while those levers no longer decide the fate of real locomotives, Harris Tower stands watch as a living memory for railfans and the simply curious. Just don’t try to pull any levers without permission-the last thing we need is a simulated traffic jam!
