About Haley and environs
Looking south at Haley from the CSX main. (66k jpeg)
Operator Clee Sprague looks over R123 (103k jpeg)
Operator Tom Berry puts up orders on Conrail's #1 main. (72k jpeg)
Westbound Conrail INMP-A, running wrong main, picks up the orders (55k jpeg)
Southbound R123 rumbles past Haley as operator Tom Berry and section men give the rollby. (96k jpeg)
Haley Tower stood at the grade crossing of CSX's CE&D Subdivision and the former Conrail St. Louis Line. In service in its present form since 1926, the interlocking plant used movable-point switches for each of the mainline junctions, plus a slip switch which allowed movement between the CSX main and Conrail's #1 main. Before the CSX-Conrail merger, the cost of maintaining Haley is split evenly between Conrail and CSX.
Haley also served as the interchange point for CSX and Conrail in Terre Haute. Before the merger, CSX and Conrail yard crews alternated responsibility for visiting the other carrier's yard and handling interchange traffic. For many years, CSX and Conrail interchange had been handled at Chestnut Street yard, just a couple of miles south of the tower, where the CSX main connected to Conrail's former PRR East Yard. However, when Conrail sold East Yard and it's associated trackage to the Terre Haute, Brazil & Eastern shortline, the Stamper lead track (which had been dormant for many years) was rebuilt at Haley to avoid using TBER as an intermediate carrier. (Read the memo - 51k jpeg) Interestingly, control of the Stamper lead was outside of Haley's plant, and controlled by the CSX dispatcher in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1992, CSX began running trains from the Monon Subdivision via trackage rights over Conrail between Greencastle, Indiana, and Terre Haute. To accommodate this routing, the slip switch between Conrail's #1 main and the CSX main was refurbished, and is used daily by former Monon Sub trains R590 and R591.
Work crews at Haley lower one of the new switches into place. 9/30/96 (96k jpeg) Photo by Bill Foster
In the summer of 1996, the entire interlocking plant at Haley was upgraded. The old, worn out movable point switches were completely removed, and new sub-ballast was laid. Brand new switches, complete with improved switch motors, were installed. The final track level was raised a few inches. It was during this upgrade that the Conrail order hoops were removed, and the original battery building was demolished and replaced with yet another silver bungalow.
If any one factor played a role in keeping Haley open, it was each railroad's refusal to relinquish complete control of the interlocking to the other. Both busy mainlines were kept fluid by having an operator on the scene to call the shots and keep the trains moving, and both Jacksonville and Indianapolis knew it.
Unfortunately, in early 1999 it became certain that CSX would be allowed to take over Conrail's operations in western Indiana. It also became obvious that Haley's tenure was finally drawing to a close. Even before "Day 1" (June 1 1999), plans were drawn up to eliminate the tower and streamline the junction. In September of 1999, signs of a work in progress started showing. New signals were being put up, and new crossovers were installed between the CSX and Conrail mains south of Haley. CSX determined that on Friday, October 22, at 0700 CSX time, Haley would be cut out as part of a local signal suspension, in preparation for a 12 hour curfew to completely replace the interlocking plant. The curfew would be enacted on Sunday, October 24.
Watch this page for more information and photographs from Haley's last shift, the end of an era.
Operator Clee Sprague lines up a train at Haley. (61k jpeg)
A closeup of the interlocking machine. (78k jpeg)
A detail shot of the interlocking diagram. (55k jpeg)
The small interior of Haley is dominated by the massive GRS "pistol grip" style interlocking machine, which has 40 lever positions. Haley manually controlled both mainline movable-point switches, the slip switch, an eastbound Conrail crossover from #2 to #1 main, and the turnout from the #1 main into Duane Yard. There are pages available which provide a detailed look at the interlocking machine, or the track diagram and manipulation chart (tables-capable browser required).
Operator Clee Sprague confers with the CSX dispatcher at Haley. (78k jpeg)
A closeup of the operator's desk at Haley. (77k jpeg)
The antique typewriter to the left of the operator's desk. (85k jpeg)
The operator's desk was the traditional pile of telephones, radios, and paperwork. There is a page available which provides a detailed look at the operator's desk, circa 1987.
"Haley Interlocking Plant - Instructions to levermen for operation of electric locking", 10/12/26 (240k jpeg)
(Yes, it's a huge download, but you can read the whole thing if you're really into it.)
An L&N Form 19, 7/7/80, operator unkown. (81k jpeg)
A Conrail Form 19, 8/13/81, Clee Sprague. (76k jpeg)
A Conrail Clearance Form A, 10/15/79, Ralph Conner. (46k jpeg)
Go to the Haley Tower Photo Gallery
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Haley Tower page