BO Railroad Tower Cafe and Train Watching Station
Spende geschützt
A Rail Museum Reimagined
Save a piece of history NOW or the BO Switch Tower will be gone forever!
DONATE NOW! $3500 is needed by Tuesday, July 9th for asbestos testing on the structure. If funds are not raised by that time, it is likely the BO Tower project will be unable to continue forward leaving the building to MDOT who is currently putting plans in place to have the tower demolished this September. If no action is taken immediately, there is no second chance!
Help to save the BO tower! An integral part of Kalamazoo’s railroad history is destined to be demolished this fall. The BO Tower, used for 102 years, was a hub for railroad activity in Kalamazoo from October 2, 1914 to October 20, 2016 when the last radio communication was sent from the tower. Despite the historical significance of the tower there has been no successful effort to save it up to this point. With your support the BO tower can live again as a historical train watching station and cafe. Plans are to have it reside in the Village of Schoolcraft where a switch tower just like the BO Tower once sat. Here 40+ trains pass through every day and will allow for ample railroad viewing.
Save a piece of history NOW or the BO Switch Tower will be gone forever!
DONATE NOW! $3500 is needed by Tuesday, July 9th for asbestos testing on the structure. If funds are not raised by that time, it is likely the BO Tower project will be unable to continue forward leaving the building to MDOT who is currently putting plans in place to have the tower demolished this September. If no action is taken immediately, there is no second chance!
Help to save the BO tower! An integral part of Kalamazoo’s railroad history is destined to be demolished this fall. The BO Tower, used for 102 years, was a hub for railroad activity in Kalamazoo from October 2, 1914 to October 20, 2016 when the last radio communication was sent from the tower. Despite the historical significance of the tower there has been no successful effort to save it up to this point. With your support the BO tower can live again as a historical train watching station and cafe. Plans are to have it reside in the Village of Schoolcraft where a switch tower just like the BO Tower once sat. Here 40+ trains pass through every day and will allow for ample railroad viewing.
Amtrak's Detroit / Chicago Turboliner passes BO Tower in July 1976. Photo by Mark Hinsdale.
The Project
The Project
This project is being done in cooperation with the Village of Schoolcraft and Schoolcraft Historical Society in an effort to preserve this amazing piece of railroad history. Our goal is to create a space to preserve the past as well as create a future space for people to gather and spend time together.
Worried this is just going to be another railroad museum with a bunch of “look but don’t touch” displays and nothing to do? Not true!
The BO Tower Museum and Cafe will be interactive and include a small coffee shop in the lower story and in the upper story will be the museum and viewing space, including seating and a 360 degree view of the surrounding area at the diamond crossing where east/west tracks intersect with north/south tracks. In addition to this, upwards of 40 trains per day come through Schoolcraft so you’re almost guaranteed to see a locomotive at every visit with a live schedule passing trains. Demonstrations of the original 48 lever interlocking frame will also be held regularly.
Worried this is just going to be another railroad museum with a bunch of “look but don’t touch” displays and nothing to do? Not true!
The BO Tower Museum and Cafe will be interactive and include a small coffee shop in the lower story and in the upper story will be the museum and viewing space, including seating and a 360 degree view of the surrounding area at the diamond crossing where east/west tracks intersect with north/south tracks. In addition to this, upwards of 40 trains per day come through Schoolcraft so you’re almost guaranteed to see a locomotive at every visit with a live schedule passing trains. Demonstrations of the original 48 lever interlocking frame will also be held regularly.
A Brief History
From the 19th century through the 20th century interlocking towers like the BO played an important role in railroad control. Interlocking towers managed train movements through a series of levers in the upper story, each with a designated purpose. Some levers would throw switches and others would change signals but all would work together smoothly to maintain a flow of traffic along the railroad.
The interior of the BO Tower in April of 2010. You can see the line of levers used to operate the switches along the tracks. Photo by David Daruszka.
In the early 20th century you would be likely to find one of these towers in every city with a rail line, each tower with a dedicated operator working through the day and night to move trains from one place to the next. Unfortunately with the era of computerization and connectivity these towers fell out of use in favor of modern, electronically controlled systems. Towers started to disappear and they soon became hard to find, only remaining in service in a few places across the U.S. It is for this reason that the BO tower needs to be saved from demolition and given a new life.
The Schoolcraft Grand Trunk Depot in 1911. Schoolcraft's original tower can be seen in the background. Photo from the Kim Maxam collection.
From the 19th century through the 20th century interlocking towers like the BO played an important role in railroad control. Interlocking towers managed train movements through a series of levers in the upper story, each with a designated purpose. Some levers would throw switches and others would change signals but all would work together smoothly to maintain a flow of traffic along the railroad.
The interior of the BO Tower in April of 2010. You can see the line of levers used to operate the switches along the tracks. Photo by David Daruszka.In the early 20th century you would be likely to find one of these towers in every city with a rail line, each tower with a dedicated operator working through the day and night to move trains from one place to the next. Unfortunately with the era of computerization and connectivity these towers fell out of use in favor of modern, electronically controlled systems. Towers started to disappear and they soon became hard to find, only remaining in service in a few places across the U.S. It is for this reason that the BO tower needs to be saved from demolition and given a new life.
The Schoolcraft Grand Trunk Depot in 1911. Schoolcraft's original tower can be seen in the background. Photo from the Kim Maxam collection.The Impact
Currently the BO tower sits abandoned, boarded up, and empty with plans to be demolished , but with help from you the BO tower can be saved and given a new life. The BO Tower Museum + Cafe will serve as a community gathering space and source of cultural enrichment for the region. It is the last remaining New York Central built wooden frame interlocking tower in existence and should be saved unlike so many of its siblings. This is the last chance for this tower.
The space will be used as a public space for the Village of Schoolcraft. Someplace where you can sit down, grab a cup of coffee, chat with a friend, and watch the trains roll by. Special events planned for this space are cruise ins, museum tours, and demonstrations of the original 44 lever interlocking frame.
The BO Tower as it sits currently, boarded up and abandoned.
How YOU Can Help
So, what’s the first step? Well, with the funding gathered the first step will be to remove the asbestos siding to reveal the wood underneath. After this the building will be separated into four pieces and transported to Schoolcraft via the Grand Elk Railroad. A foundation will have already been poured and the building will be placed in its new location at the crossing of the Grand Trunk and Grand Elk railroads on the original location of the interlocking tower like the BO Tower that was located in Schoolcraft. The next step is to restore and refinish the tower to it's grand old glory while allowing the public to be part of it's new history as a viewing tower and coffee shop.
Again, $3500 is needed ASAP for the initial asbestos testing on the building with another $3500 needed for asbestos abatement. If this effort to save the tower is unsuccessful, there is no second chance to make this happen. Be part of reclaiming a piece of history and making it part of the future. HELP SAVE THE SWITCH TOWER TODAY!
Support the BO Train Watching Station and Cafe and press the support button to donate now. If you'd like to know more you can visit our Facebook page here: BO Tower
Thank you for your support of the BO Tower project! If you have any questions regarding the project please don't hesitate to contact me by pressing the envelope icon next to my name above. Have a great day!
(Cover photo by Nathan Beal)
Currently the BO tower sits abandoned, boarded up, and empty with plans to be demolished , but with help from you the BO tower can be saved and given a new life. The BO Tower Museum + Cafe will serve as a community gathering space and source of cultural enrichment for the region. It is the last remaining New York Central built wooden frame interlocking tower in existence and should be saved unlike so many of its siblings. This is the last chance for this tower.
The space will be used as a public space for the Village of Schoolcraft. Someplace where you can sit down, grab a cup of coffee, chat with a friend, and watch the trains roll by. Special events planned for this space are cruise ins, museum tours, and demonstrations of the original 44 lever interlocking frame.
The BO Tower as it sits currently, boarded up and abandoned.How YOU Can Help
So, what’s the first step? Well, with the funding gathered the first step will be to remove the asbestos siding to reveal the wood underneath. After this the building will be separated into four pieces and transported to Schoolcraft via the Grand Elk Railroad. A foundation will have already been poured and the building will be placed in its new location at the crossing of the Grand Trunk and Grand Elk railroads on the original location of the interlocking tower like the BO Tower that was located in Schoolcraft. The next step is to restore and refinish the tower to it's grand old glory while allowing the public to be part of it's new history as a viewing tower and coffee shop.
Again, $3500 is needed ASAP for the initial asbestos testing on the building with another $3500 needed for asbestos abatement. If this effort to save the tower is unsuccessful, there is no second chance to make this happen. Be part of reclaiming a piece of history and making it part of the future. HELP SAVE THE SWITCH TOWER TODAY!
Support the BO Train Watching Station and Cafe and press the support button to donate now. If you'd like to know more you can visit our Facebook page here: BO Tower
Thank you for your support of the BO Tower project! If you have any questions regarding the project please don't hesitate to contact me by pressing the envelope icon next to my name above. Have a great day!
(Cover photo by Nathan Beal)
Organisator
Jager Doorn
Organisator
Schoolcraft, MI
