Essay Tower or SA Tower is a closed Pennsylvania Railroad

Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

 interlocking tower in South Amboy, New Jersey

South Amboy, New Jersey

South Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city population was 7,913.South Amboy, and Perth Amboy across the Raritan River, are collectively referred to as The Amboys...

.

History

Essay Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad to control traffic coming off the Camden and Amboy Railroad and the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad

Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad

The Perth Amboy and Wooodbridge Railroad was a railroad operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The main line began along the Pennsy main at Rahway, New Jersey. The line was only 6 miles long and was electrified in the year 1935. The line ended at the now closed Essay Tower in South Amboy, New...

. The tower was in later years to control the South Amboy Engine Facilities for the New York and Long Branch Railroad

New York and Long Branch Railroad

The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railroad was jointly owned and operated by the Pennsylvania...

. Where the electric locomotive

Electric locomotive

An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...

 was exchanged for a steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

 or in later years a diesel-electric locomotive. The tower served through the shortly-lived Penn Central, and then Conrail followed by New Jersey Transit

New Jersey Transit

The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

 from 1983 on. In 1986 the tower closed on a warm July 2, 1986 when a GE E60

GE E60

The GE E60 is a C-C electric locomotive made by GE Transportation Systems. The E60's were based on existing locomotives designed for freight service...

 electric handed train 104 to an EMD F40PH

EMD F40PH

-Amtrak NPCU Conversions:In later years, as Amtrak's F40PH fleet was being replaced by the newer GE Genesis-series locomotives, Amtrak converted a number of the retired units—generally ones with major mechanical problems limiting their value in the resale or lease marketplace—into "Non-Power...

 Diesel-Electric Locomotive. From that point onwards "South Amboy would never be the same" courtesey: Mark 1 Video "New York and Long Branch Railroad".

Current status

Today Essay Tower is now closed following the electrification

Railway electrification system

A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...

 to Long Branch, New Jersey

Long Branch, New Jersey

Long Branch is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,719.Long Branch was formed on April 11, 1867, as the Long Branch Commission, from portions of Ocean Township...

and service is now automated.