Article appeared in the MAY/JUNE 1993 Issue of Rail Classics  Volume
22, number 3.

Update: Since the article appeared Hobart Tower is still in place,
Metrolink as well as San Diegans pass by it.  Santa Fe has sold the
Pasadena Subdivision to Metrolink and Santa Fe power mostly passes
the tower with through trains pulling on past to double back as well
as local switching industries west of the tower.  Hobart Tower's
future is still in jeopardy as more tracks are planned for the area
but for the moment it still guards the diamonds.  Dave Crammer



For almost three quarters of a century, since 1926, Hobart Tower has
guarded the diamond where the Union Pacific's San Pedro Branch
crosses the Santa Fe main line in Los Angeles.  Over the years there
have been upgrades in the technology in some areas of its
performance and a reliance on the old fashion way of doing things in
others.   "If it ain't broke don't fix it." is one way to look at a
switching arrangement that has withstood the test of time.  But
things change and the tower, where handles are pulled instead of
pushing computer keys, may now be doomed.  Doomed, not by the
ongoing computerization of the railroad, but by the dramatic
increase in business in the Los Angeles and Long Beach area
necessitating a switch from single to double tracks.  With the
increase of traffic down the branch to feed the incoming container
and coal appetite of the Pacific Rim countries Union Pacific can no
longer afford a leisurely mostly single track road to this vital
port.   Union Pacific plans to upgrade their track  and the
additional rails that Santa Fe is planning to add  for its expanded
business means that the corner of land the tower sits on may become
a bit crowded.  With this in mind rumors are always afloat that the
tower may  removed.  What is at the heart of all this expansion?
Terminal Island will be expanded and Los Angeles Harbor dredged to
accommodate 250,000 dead weight tonnage coal ships when the Kaiser
Bulk Loading Facility relocates there and Metropolitan Stevedore in
Long Beach Harbor  is also expanding its operations.  K-Line at ITS
and the LBCT (Long Beach Container Terminal) are both fitted with
tracks for ondock loading.  Auto imports and exports also impose a
need for increased traffic on the railroad.  Along with the
increased freight usage is the increase in commuter traffic into and
out of Los Angeles with Metrolink and the expansion of  San Diegan
service.  Sometimes the past must yield to the future, painful as
that may be to some railfans.  However, with all of this increase in
traffic around the tower it may be necessary for it to remain to
play an even more vital role.  What is the role of Hobart Tower and
how does it interact with four major roads and one shortline (UP,
Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, Amtrak, and LA Junction)?  To answer
that we must look what its function really is rather than just a
nice photo backdrop.
Operating  this Union Pacific Tower (which most railfans seem to
assume belongs to Santa Fe since it sits next to Hobart Yard but
both are named for the town of Hobart which was years ago gobbled up
by the City of Vernon) is one operator per shift (3 regular, 1
relief, and 2 extra board) who answers the radio or phone as
proscribed by FRA regulations, "UP Hobart Tower" and are paid by the
UP which is then reimbursed by the Santa Fe.  They handle the 24
Amtraks a day plus Santa Fe and UP freight.  It is done with a
switch assembly that was hand made in the 1920's and is backed up by
spare parts assembled and now stored in Los Angeles when similar
towers were dismantled in Texas.  Hanging over the switch assembly
in the center of the tower is the short board which monitors their
plant.  However outdated this equipment may seem the tower operators
have one major advantage over their more modern counterparts who sit
in distant bunkers.  They can look out the window and see the trains
go by.  Westbound trains appear with their headlight above the 710
Freeway to the east prompting a call to the Santa Fe dispatcher in
San Bernadino that the train has been sighted (In the near future
the Santa Fe dispatcher in San Bernadino will be moving to Topeka at
which time the Amtrak dispatcher will take over this area). The
Yardmaster and Trainmaster in UP's East Los Angeles Yard can also
take advantage of this ability of the tower operator by calling them
and asking what power is sitting down at the Spence Street Yard.
Acquiring this information does not require much effort since UP's
Spence Street Yard sits at an angle from the tower's east face which
is also where the phones, radios, computer, and fax machine are
located.  Of course there are times when train crews wish they
weren't under such tight scrutiny.  Should  they attempt to sneak a
rule violation they may be reminded over the radio that big sister
or brother is watching their movement.  Under rule #82 blind shoves
are not allowed and cars being moved with the engine pushing must
have a man on the point (in this cabooseless age sometimes riding on
the rear of a car) to watch for traffic at crossings.  Crews are not
allowed to make a reverse move without permission of the tower and
the operator is there  to see if everything  is in place and
conforms to regulations.  After all it is the tower operator that
controls the trains passing through her or his jurisdiction and they
are responsible to make sure everyone operates safely and under the
rule book.
Among the rules to ensure that all movements are made safely is the
rule that all UP trains headed to or from the harbor must travel
under track warrant (even hyrails and maintenance of way may only
occupy the branch under track warrant).  The warrant can be issued
by either dispatchers or tower operators.  Track warrants can be
sent via the computer and printed out or faxed to UP locations such
as Spence Street Yard, East LA Yard, or the Crest Tower.  They can
also be issued over a mobile phone or over the radio where the
crewmember receiving the warrant must repeat  to the operators
satisfaction that it is understood.  In years past the train orders
were handed to the crews with the picturesque forked stick (hoop).
Nowadays the hoop sits in the corner and is only brought out at
Easter when Tower Operator Pat Warne ties Tootsi Rolls to the string
for the passing crews in a salute to the past. All units entering
the jurisdiction of the tower pass over a circuit sounding a buzzer
in the tower to alert the operator.  Trains passing through on the
Santa Fe's main line are controlled by signal but those wishing to
enter the main from the Santa Fe yard must first obtain permission
over the radio and the tower operator sets the switch allowing them
access.  Should a Santa Fe switch movement not proceed far enough
out to trip the switch (at least four car lengths) it will take five
minutes before the time delay lock will allow itself to be reset.
This built in factor prevents an accidental switch change from
derailing a train passing over it.  Besides switch movements out of
Hobart Yard, incoming container traffic may be to long to leave
their load on one track and may have to double or triple back. The
resulting movement fouls the mainline which could result in delaying
an Amtrak with resulting penalty fees.  Because of this the tower
operator may have to hold the train being yarded till the
approaching through train has cleared.
As well as looking out the window the tower operator also monitors
the radio listening to the UP road and Yard channel and the Santa
Fe's Road, Yard, and ramp channels.  While in the tower the operator
is responsible for any trains that will pass through their switches
and they want as much information as possible.  For instance on
hearing over the radio (160.650 Santa Fe road channel) that a
westbound train has just passed DT Junction means that in about ten
minutes it will be approaching the diamond.   If the westbound is an
Amtrak such as #35 it has number one priority since delaying an
Amtrak results in a $1000 per minute delay charge against the Santa
Fe.  The tower's main responsibility is to keep the trains moving
through and an approaching Amtrak and an approaching freight mean
the freight will have to wait.   After Amtrak, the trains that have
priority are K-Line's traveling to or from the ITS Yard in Long
Beach Harbor.  Following that on the UP are coal trains, Mead
Switcher (Sunday through Friday), LZG40 (Harbor Hauler), Paramount
Switcher (Monday through Saturday), and the LZG10 &11 (coal locals).
On the Santa Fe's list of priorities for the tower are, beside their
K-Line Trains, the QNYLA, QBHLA (Birmingham to Los Angeles), QFWLA
(Fort Worth to Los Angeles), the 198 (United Parcel), and the 398.
As westbounds these usually enter through the Pasadena Sub while the
eastbound reverse of these trains exit the east end of Hobart Yard
and do not pass through the tower's jurisdiction.  The tower talks
to the Santa Fe dispatcher to determine which track approaching
trains will be on in case they must be switched over on the approach
to Los Angeles.  Depending on traffic they will request that
approaching westbound Amtraks be sent on the North track out of
Fullerton or crossed over at DT Junction to avoid having to make the
cross in front of the tower.  In front of the tower are two
crossovers known as the short and long crossover.  The short
crossover is suitable only for a light engine movement and if
necessary to cross an Amtrak the long crossover is used.  Because of
this Amtraks coming out of Los Angeles past Redondo Junction are
usually sent over the South track and the Northbounds on the North
track.
Handling UP traffic on the San Pedro Branch the tower coordinates
with the River (Los Angeles River) dispatcher at the Harriman
Dispatch Center in Omaha who has control of the train as it
approaches the wye behind Hobart.  On the actual branch the Hobart
Tower operator is in charge and issues the warrants for the trains,
movements, or maintenance of way crews.  Since there are only
limited passing tracks for trains on the branch everyone must be
aware of what is happening and in constant communication. All of
this is documented on the tower's Operator Record of Train Movements
as well as entered on the computer. The operator charts utilizing
direction arrows on columns on the chart and keeps a record of
everything moving between it and Thenard Connection at milepost
21.6.  Each train has listed on the chart its symbol, conductor,
engineer, fireman, time the crew was called and when their twelve
hour period is up.  Deadhead movements are listed along with unusual
occurrences and the temperature recorded at six hour intervals.
Switch engines may ask for and be given permission to work between
points and leave their cars on the track to run around them.  For
this reason units coming down the track must be in radio
communication if  joint permission has been given or must flag their
train which means having a man must walk in front.  If a Maintenance
of Way crew has been given a work window (period of time when they
may occupy a section of track) they must be given time to get in the
clear if a train has to be sent through their location.  This
intense protective system was devised following a head on collision
between two trains on the branch.  As a result the computer will not
allow track warrants to be issued if their is a conflict in traffic.
Because of this permission to pass through where a crew is working
must be given over the radio. This can lead to some  creative
efforts on the part of tower operators to keep things flowing but
flowing safely.
On a rainy night in January  Tower Operator Pat Warne received
notification that a coal train headed for the Kaiser Bulk Load
Facility in San Pedro was being delayed by a broken rail on the
Harbor Belt Line.  With an empty coal train already in one siding
Pat placed the train in the second Manuel Siding and issued it a
joint working order with the Mead Switcher. The joint order meant
that it could sit in the siding  and the Mead Switcher could come
out of the Harbor and pass it without needing a new warrant.  With a
joint working order the two crews would talk to each other and the
tower and even with the diminished visibility be assured that  the
coal train was clear of the main and the switch move could traverse
from Mead Yard to East LA.  All of this movement also shows up on
the computer in the form of a graph indicating where units with
track warrants are occupying.  The lead units number is displayed
above the blocks it has been given permission to occupy or in the
event of a maintenance of way window the name of the head of the
crew appears above their line.  Trains given blocks appear in green
and maintenance of way yellow plus those given permission to travel
both ways within the block show stars in the line. When there is no
authorized traffic on the branch the screen simply displays the
block names.  Of course should a crew be given a warrant that they
feel is in rule violation they may refuse the warrant until what
they are questioning is clarified.
The ultimate power of the tower rests in the ability to physically
move the track.  The switches are activated by pull handles
controlling the grid making up the diamond.  Its peripheral access
tracks and crossovers are set in place by the tower as well as  the
approach signals.  The handles sit in the center of the tower.
Known as an interlocking they are designed so that two trains cannot
be lined into each other. To prevent this they have a built in cross
protection that must be pulled when setting them.  For instance
switch #22 must be pulled before #35 and then to set the tracks back
to a straight run #35 must be set back before #22.  Some of the
switch sets work in tandem so that pulling #4 also activates #5 and
#20 interacts with #21. The switches are designed to work from left
to right to line up a move and to return the track to normal from
right to left.
The handles provide tactile, aural, and visual confirmation that
everything is functional.  When the handle is squeesed and pulled
out there is a momentary hesitation until the relay drops and then
locks in place with a firm "K-Thunk".  At the same time a white
light comes on at the end of the switch setup and then goes out as
the switch locks.  Should the light remain on it  means that the
switch is not locked and must be pulled again.  In the event of a
failure on the board the tower operator can hand crank the switch
and then give the crew permission to pass the signal displaying stop
indication.  Any problem with the switches brings out the immediate
services of switch maintainer Ed Wolfe who is on call 24 hours a
day.  Aside from switches that refuse to move a few years ago Hobart
was plagued with an apparent ghost train.  As an Amtrak was going by
the UP signal lit up and the gates went down on 26th street causing
a little panic.  Since the Lincoln Funeral Train had never crossed
this particular stretch of tracks the signal maintainer was
immediately called out by the tower operator. He immediately checked
but could not come up with a solution to the prblem.  When the ghost
train repeated itself he again came out and walked the track and
finally discovered where a wire was shorting out but for awhile the
operators said it felt rather spooky to see those gates rise and
fall and there was nothing there.
The tower operators do their best to keep everything weaving in and
out among the tracks they have at their disposal.  On a typical day
the operator may have 2 K-Line trains at the Harbor who are
eventually going to come out.  The Santa Fe now runs the slab train
and that will be passing through the towers control.  Coal trains
coming back from the harbor are of course a priority for the UP but
occasionally they have to wait for Amtrak and when this occurs they
may have to cut their train at crossings to avoid blockage until
everything is cleared for them to proceed.  Maintenance of way may
be tamping down ballast and the track inspector running around on
his hyrail.  The Mead Local will need a warrant and some airplane
wings are headed for Douglas Junction.  Amtrak will probably send
quite a few San Diegans through and Santa Fe switchers will need to
come out onto the main as part of a move.  All of this must be
logged and the switches pulled to align the necessary tracks.  It
all  works like the problems faced by an air traffic controller
except the trains don't tend to stack up at 1000 foot intervals.
Still there are lives and property at stake and the ultimate
responsibility to ensure the moves are made safely is that of the
tower operator.  May they long continue in this tradition and
continue to wave out the window to the passing crews.
I wish to thank Pat Warne, Tilly Wolfe, and Paul DuMontier for
letting me watch them sort things out and make it all work.