At work in a tower

[From The Man Who Found Himself (dir. Lew Landers, 1937). Click for a larger view.]

Jim Lowe at 30 Squares of Ontario tells me that this kind of railroad structure is known as an interlocking tower or switching tower. Notice the levers to the right: they’re used to control the tracks. Here, via Jim, is an explanation of how a tower functions. And here, via that explanation, is an account of what it was like to work in one, with a photograph that complements the screenshot above.

We see one of these towers, no longer in use, whenever we head north on I-57. But what struck me when I hit this moment in The Man Who Found Himself was how much the scene reminded me of my working conditions as a grad student in Boston. I worked late into the night by the light of a little desk lamp, surrounded by books, legal pads, pens and pencils, and a manual typewriter. I liked working with just one little light. The tower operator had no choice at night: the darkness beyond the desk made it possible to see the outside world (i.e., trains) free of reflections in the windows. I liked to keep my shades up to look out on Commonwealth Avenue as the trolleys went by.