Question : CPR Gate tower
#1
I have a blueprint for the construction of an old CPR crossing gate tower . What makes this tower unusual is the the legs holding the tower are not wood , but vertically situated rails ( 4 , I think ) that must have been heated to bend them in such a way as to cradle the structure . I've never seen one and was wondering if anyone has pics ( or knows about pics ) of such a tower . I'm thinking of making one in HO .

Thanks , Terry
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#2
Terry: the only gate towers I even remember were on the line from West Toronto to Union. They all disappeared before I thought of looking at them seriously.
And I can't even be sure where they were because there's only one crossing along that stretch now (Strachan Ave.) And they were joint CP-CN.
David
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Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
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#3
I don't have the blueprint at home ...it's at the shop . I'll try to get a pic of it Monday so it will better describe the tower . Maybe I'll get lucky and someone will recognize it .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#4
I've seen the drawing you are talking about. There is a Crossing Gate Tower drawing on the Canadian Pacific Historical Assoc. website. It is indeed held up by 4 vertical rails bent at the top and bolted to the small 8' 6" x 6' 5" structure on top. The bottom ends of the rails are cemented in about 5 feet of concrete. The tricky part might be getting consistent bends in the rails. Sorry I don't have any pictures.
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#5
Thanks , I did find that drawing on the CPR site and saved it . I'm hoping to find a real life pic in some archives ........another friend says he saw one somewhere . Looks like it would be a neat build .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#6
Here is the blueprint of the tower ....maybe it will jog someones memory as to seeing one in the past .

[Image: tower1.jpg]

Thanks , T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#7
Hey teejay.

It definitely looks like we are reading the same plans. I came across a photo of one of these towers in a book published by Morning Sun, CPR Facilities Vol 2, however the rail structure had been all framed and boxed in so you can't see the details. Kinda stinks. I could still scan it for you so you can see the colours used for paint.

Shane.
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#8
I'll take you up on the photo if it's not too much trouble .

Thanks , Terry
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
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#9
Cool project!

You could make those bends consistently by building a wire-bending jig and using code 70 rail. You'd just have to have a die the same size as the radius of the bend. It would look like a tube-bender, but you could probably use a 1/2" socket as your die, and lay the foot of the rail against it as you wrap it around.

There's some wire benders available for the RC crowd, but they're more for sharp 90' bends, not gradual curves. I think Fasttracks has a rail bender, but IIRC, it's an expensive piece of kit for a one-off project.

As for pictures, if you can figure out where these things were located, you could always try those cities' archives. They've almost always got photos of the railway areas from the early part of the last century. It involves some legwork, but who knows, you might find it fun! Smile
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