I’m looking for some enlightenment on a trackside structure I saw today. First off, let me say that I did not take a photo of it. A description will have to suffice.
The building is along the BNSF (formerly Milwaukee Road) tracks between Parker and Marion, in southeastern S.D., visible from highway 42. I thought I could find a clear image on Goggle Earth street view, but the image there is slighlty less sharp than your average Lock Ness Monster pic.
Next to the right of way, on the north side, is a metal clad building. Both sides of the tracks are boardered by corn fields. The building is elevated, sitting on spindly looking legs with angle braces. The look kind of reminded me of the base of a radio tower. It was a ways off the ground. There was a metal set of steps to a landing, then another flight of steps up to the door.
The outside of the building, perhaps 12’X12’, was covered with corregated, galvanized sheet panels. The windows looked to be metal, with multiple panes of glass. The structure could easily be 50 years old(?). The only modern appearing item, was a smallish, white satellite dish, facing southwest.
Other than sitting in a cornfield next to the tracks, the best attribute the structure has, is that it’s in the central flyway. Looking out the window today, you’d see virtually thousands of Canadian geese, migrating north at very low altitude.
Any guess what this structure is? Vacation getaway for retired trainmen/goose hunters?
The fact that “… the building is elevated, sitting on spindly looking legs …” leads me to believe that it may be sitting in an area prone to flooding.
At first I thought it might be the equipment shack supporting a botbox/dragging-equipment detector, but such a building wouldn’t be that large, wouldn’t be made of corrugated, galvanized sheet panels, nor would it have windows.
Maybe it’s a “man cave” equipped with a couch, a refrigerator full of cold beer, and the satellite dish is pointing towards ESPN.
Like Bob’s post I have seen structures such as you describe but usually much smaller. The CSX (C&O) line along the Ohio river from Huntington - Cincinnati has all their signaling equipment bungalos’ floors above the level of the local levees.
State of South Dakota bought the lines when the Milwaukee was going under. BN (BNSF) leased them from the state for a number of years. The state sold them a few years ago to BNSF. The line is a major grain line in the state. It seems every town along the route has an elevator and an ethanol plant.
Dang! I used to have a memory. It is hwy 44. 42 is further north. That being said, the structure is north of hwy 44, west of the railroad overpass, a little west of the intersection with 250th street from the south. I’ll check out Bing maps tonight.
Yes. Train dispatching progression was telegraph to telephone to CTC. In the 1880-1940 period the railroad’s telegraph and Western Union lines were either the same lines or were co-located on a single pole line. When dispatcher’s phone lines came along they were co-located on the telegraph poles.
Microwave is a radio based system used to transmit phone calls and data. Most of the large railroads out West developed private microwave systems for their own voice and data starting about 1960. Remember Ma Bell’s phone rates were propped up by regulation, which helped the economics of a private network.
Microwave is a particular part of the radio band. It is line of sight so locations on top of hills and ridges and towers as part of the site are typical.
The data capabilites of microwave was required to make the centralized computer system, pioneered by SP and IBM, and adopted quickly by all the other railroads function. This too encouraged private microwave systems. When phone companies figured out how easy it is to place fiber optics on a railroad right of way, most railroads took some fiber optic capacity as part of their rent for the fiber optic rights. This allowed replacement of the microwave system where the fiber optic was in place. Microwave and fiber optics handle data; waybills, consists, and CTC. Voice is also handled as data on these systems.
Radios are relatively short range devices. Radio repeaters are required to allow dispatchers to talk to trains. Repeater stations also tend to be on hills or ridge tops and inv
OK, now I’m lost. The apparent rail line between Parker and Marion stays between 273rd and 276th - nowhere near 250th… And which road has the overpass?
I thought I had an possible answer, but what appears to be an airport is actually a drag strip.
Radio relay was mentioned - is there a tower next to the building? What kind of antennae are on it if there is?
Edit - I do see a radio tower just west of 451st, just west of a golf course. While it could be railroad comms, that could also be a local radio station, but is registered to a company that may build towers to lease space to other users.
The USGS aerial photos of the area are inconclusive as well (Acmemapper). The next road west of 250th is Thunder Valley Avenue. Is it east or west of that? I also see a small pond on the south side of the tracks almost exactly NW of 250th - that might serve as a reference point…
