Amtrak trains from Michigan to Chicago to stop service for 5 days

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Do these coaling towers really pose a threat?

I realize that the coaling towers have probably stood there for a century, but I have to ask: are they really such a threat? Are they now structurally unsound? Do they limit clearances so Amtrak can’t run bi-level rolling stock, or did someone think of a make-work project instead of putting funding into much-needed locomotive repairs?

OT The former Southern Pacific Railroad used to have coaling towers standing along its right of way along the former Sunset Route between El Paso, Texas and Yuma, Arizona decades after they stopped using steam locomotives in regular service.. Many stayed in place until after the SP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad, when they were torn down in the 1990’s.

I suspect that the UP had a better rationale for tearing down their coaling towers—either making space for track re-alignments or improving clearances for double-stack container cars.