For many, Miller Tower (CSX-Cumberland Subdivision; Cherry Run, WV) was a refuge from the vast stretches of barren right-of-ways long since purged of obsolete and expensive interlockings which the required continuous presence of skilled operators. Tucked away on the banks of the Potomac River, Miller was a peaceful and pastoral time machine. In good company, Miller lied at the heart of the last great string rural towers in the US. Here visitors could witness and experience the time honored tradition of controlling rail movements through mechanical interlocking, a practice largely unchanged throughout the last century. At it's time of construction the tower, pipelines, cranks, turnouts, locks, and armstrong levers represented state-of-the art technology, in many ways analogous to modern day computers. Thousands of similar interlocking towers once existed to guard important control points throughout the US and Canada. From a human perspective, these towers provided important points of contact between railroad employees and curious citizens who shared an interest in their operations. Today, countless railroad enthusiasts attribute their interest in railroading to early interactions with local operators. Sadly, these experiences are now almost entirely themselves history, scarcely different from the spectacle of mainline steam. Similar to steam engines, painfully few interlocking towers have been preserved for future generations. However, the situation is actually worse than this. Unlike steam engines, interlocking towers are almost never returned to actual operating condition. I my opinion there is an enormous difference between seeing a live animal and one that has undergone taxidermy. Of the currently preserved mechanical interlockings, NONE exist which operate mechanical appliances (switches, signals, derails, etc). The primary goal of saving a mechanical interlocking tower to should be to preserve it's history and of equal importance to demonstrate original function.

I want to thank Allen Brougham (retired CSX operator) for sharing Miller with railroad enthusiast community. His articles published in the The Bull Sheet, have helped spread the word of Miller's operation, status, preservation and pending restoration. Many deserve credit for Miller's move to Martinsburg, WV but I believe it was Allen's contagious enthusiasm and undying effort that helped each step.

The goal of the Martinsburg Roundhouse Center (1164 Winchester Ave, Martinsburg, WV 25401) is to reassemble and restore Miller to a 1950's era condition consistent with it's B&O RR heritage. Most importantly the goal is to reconnect the mechanical interlocking to real pipelines, locks and switches. When accomplished this will be the only public display in the US where this technology can be revisited.

For hundreds of people, experiences at Miller Tower provided priceless memories of a now by-gone era in railroad history. I want to encourage those who have fond memories of interlocking towers to make a contribution to the Miller Tower Project. If you have ever had remorse over the uncontrollable destruction of a favorite tower, now is an excellent opportunity to personally make a difference.

Please act with a financial donation to the Martinsburg Roundhouse Center's Miller Tower Project to make this worthy goal a reality.

Thank you for your support and shared vision.

MILLER TOWER NEEDS YOUR HELP !

Here is YOUR opportunity to participate in the restoration of Miller Tower. It is to be restored to its mid-1950's configuration and adorned in the B&O "Indian Red" paint scheme. The interlocking plant (a Saxby & Farmer machine installed in 1952) will be fully functional and used for educational programs. The Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority has begun a campaign to raise $75,000 toward the project's cost. All contributions are tax-deductible. Checks should be made payable to the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority, designated to the "Miller Tower Project," and sent to:

BERKELEY COUNTY ROUNDHOUSE AUTHORITY
ROUNDHOUSE CENTER
1164 WINCHESTER AVENUE
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA 25401-5035
________________________________________

Donations to the Miller Tower Project have been made by the following:

Richard D. Acton, Jr. - Fairborn, Ohio
Paul V. Alisea, Jr. - McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania
Benjamin F. Anthony - Erie, Pennsylvania
Harry A. Bacas - Arlington, Virginia
Ralph W. Bailey - Toledo, Ohio
Richard D. Ballash - Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Baltimore Chapter, National Railway Historical Society
Michael A. Barnhart - North Babylon, New York
William D. Benswanger - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Richard L. Bilinski - Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Gordon Bjoraker - Seabrook, Maryland
James E. Bradley - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Donald L. Breakiron - Lanham, Maryland
Allen Brougham - Baltimore, Maryland
Robert Brzostowski - Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
James J. Buratti - Springfield, Virginia
William A. Burke - Westfield, New Jersey
Marie Burton - White Hall, Maryland
Charles M. Cather - Chantilly, Virginia
Chessie System Historical Society
Vincent P. Cipriani - Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Paul G. Cockerham, Jr. - Glen Burnie, Maryland
Roger P. Cook - Oradell, New Jersey
Robert B. Davis - Silver Spring, Maryland
M. Richard Deckinger - Baltimore, Maryland
Tracy L. Didas - Jacksonville, Florida
Sheila A. Dorr - Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Charles W. Dungy - Columbia, Maryland
Sidney W. Earle, Jr. - Barnesville, Maryland
Curt Elie - Olney, Maryland
Edward J. Feathers, Jr. - Glenolden, Pennsylvania
Matthew V. Foltz - Middletown, Maryland
Paul Fortin - Marshallton, Delaware
Robert J. Garbe - Hartford, Connecticut
Karl J. Gelfer - Columbus, Ohio
Wayne Greenstreet - Glen Burnie, Maryland
Dennis A. Grote - Key West, Florida
Richard Hafer - Bel Air, Maryland
William W. Haines - Vandalia, Ohio
William D. Hakkarinen, M.D. - Cockeysville, Maryland
Wilson B. Harkins, III - Arlington, Virginia
Louis M. Hause, Jr. - Glen Arm, Maryland
Russell J. Heine - Fort Wayne, Indiana
Mario J. Hendricks - Highland, Maryland
A. William Hess, II - Altamonte Springs, Florida
David H. Hickcox - Delaware, Ohio
Greg A. Hodges - Richmond, Virginia
H. Benner Hoeper - Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Richard D. Hogg - Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Lt. Col. Arthur House - New Canaan, Connecticut
William F. Howes, Jr - Jacksonville, Florida
Robert W. Janssen - Baltimore, Maryland
Stanley D. Johnson - Hagerstown, Maryland
Roland E. Jones, Jr. - New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Donald W. Kalkman, Jr. - Towson, Maryland
Richard L. Kithcart - Kearneysville, West Virginia
George M. Klein - Parkville, Maryland
Rev. Michael Koch - Upper Marlboro, Maryland
John C. Kouyeas - Wheaton, Maryland
Gary R. Kraus - Chester, Pennsylvania
G. Haden Lane - Raleigh, North Carolina
E. R. Lichty - Cockeysville, Maryland
Seymour Linder - Baltimore, Maryland
Russell MacNayr - East Longmeadow, Massachusetts
George B. Malsberry - Cumberland, Maryland
Christopher C. Manthey - Alexandria, Virginia
C. Thomas Marek, Jr. - Berea, Ohio
Donald W. Marks - Baltimore, Maryland
Raymond F. Martin - Baltimore, Maryland
Wade H. Massie - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Kenneth A. Maylath - Baltimore, Maryland
Edward K. Mellon, Jr. - Tallahassee, Florida
Alfred C. Mierzejewski - Tanner, Alabama
Kenneth R. Miller - California, Maryland
Mark A. Nelson, D.D.S. - Oregon, Wisconsin
William E. O'Hara - Williamsport, Maryland
Clinton E. Phillips - Sun City Center, Florida
Marion R. Pipkin, III - Rockingham, North Carolina
Potomac Chapter, National Railway Historical Society
Redboard Hobbies - Belleville, Illinois
Joseph S. Reiff - Berryville, Virginia
Retired Administrators of the B&O Railroad
William T. Rettberg - Bel Air, Maryland
C. Stewart Rhine - Sparks, Maryland
Henry E. Riecks - Forest Hill, Maryland
Eugene J. Rodrick, Jr. - Burke, Virginia
Howard H. Sanford, Jr. - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Raymond T. Saunders - Alexandria, Virginia
Eric Schmelz - Gainesville, Florida
David L. Sheppard - Naples, Florida
Edwin H. Sinclair - Moorefield, West Virginia
Malcolm A. Slagle - Burke, Virginia
Charles J. Smith, Jr. - Timonium, Maryland
Hilary H. Smith - Vienna, Virginia
William Spoehr - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Richard P. Stair - Champaign, Illinois
Victor F. Stone, Jr. - Charlottesville, Virginia
Mark Sublette - Falls Church, Virginia
Nancy C. Thomas - Apopka, Florida
Martin K. Van Horn - Baltimore, Maryland
Jeffrey M. Weaver - Ridgeley, West Virginia
Brenda S. Weller - Clear Spring, Maryland
Edward F. Wilsey - Bel Air, Maryland
Stuart S. Wilson, III - Douglasville, Georgia
John Woodland, Jr. - King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

List of contributors represents $12,431.00 in donations, or 16.6 percent of the amount required to fund the project. Stand up and be counted.... Add YOUR name to this list... All contributions are tax-deductible.

For features about Miller Tower go to:

Miller Tower Closes - Bull Sheet October 2000
Miller Tower Moved to New Home - Bull Sheet March 2001
Photos of tower being disassembled and moved - Photo Page

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ABOUT THE BULL SHEET . . .

The Bull Sheet (ISSN 1069-613X) is published by Allen Brougham, 8708 Richmond Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21234-2831.. Its printed version is published at cost and is furnished to those desiring it who share an interest in its content. Its import is railroading with features devoted (but not exclusively) to locomotive rosters, train schedules, historical artifacts, profiles of people, trip reports, book and tape reviews, feasibility studies, accident reports, and miscellaneous news items. This website is an adjunct to the newsletter. The Bull Sheet is an individual effort and is not a publication unit of any company or organization.