Elvas Tower in Sacramento
END OF LINE FOR RAIL TOWER . . .
The historical structure called the Elvas Tower in Sacramento, unremarkable in appearance but noteworthy for its importance to railroading, is no longer needed, having been replaced by computers. Plans to move the little tower, which in its heyday was manned 24 hours a day, never materialized.
The relocated tower was to stand in a future railroad technology museum in the downtown railyard, said Paul Hammond, director of public programming for the state Railroad Museum.
But the museum does not yet have title to the property where the tech museum would be situated. So, windows, signs and artifacts have been salvaged by the California State Railroad Museum crews to be used for a future Elvas Tower replica building. The building also was measured and photographed for replication.
A Union Pacific spokesman said he did not know when the shell of the building would be torn down. The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento was given the building by the Union Pacific Railroad and had plans to move it.
To relocate the building, organizers wanted to saw off the second story and move it. But that didn't happen for several reasons, including lack of a place to relocate it in the downtown railyard and also because there was still some live signal wiring inside the tower.
The museum now has the Elvas Tower historic interlocking console in its possession for future placement in a replicated tower.
[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-26-07, from Sacramento Bee report]
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