Lamokin Tower is a closed interlocking tower of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Chester, Pennsylvania. It is located along the northwest corner of the Lloyd Street Bridge over the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line.
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History
Lamokin Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to control the Chester Creek Branch at its junction with the Northeast Corridor main line. The branch line runs westward from the junction for about 7 miles (11 km) to a connection with the West Chester Branch at Lenni. The tower also controlled a maintenance of way (MOW) track for MOW equipment.
In 1968, when the PRR merged with the New York Central Railroad to form Penn Central (PC), the tower remained active. In 1970, the PC filed for bankruptcy. Two years later, Hurricane Agnes severely damaged the Chester Creek Line, leading to not rebuild the Chester Creek line and closing Lamokin Tower.
Today
As of 2009, Lamokin Tower still stands, no longer used and all boarded up. SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line commuter trains, Amtrak intercity passenger trains, and Norfolk Southern (after Conrail breakup in 1999) locals pass the tower every day.