Ten pairs of eyebrows are raised ten pairs of eyebrows, each in a big question mark when the plant¹s presence is mentioned.

Howard Griffeth remembered that the plant supplied the air pressure that operated the switches at the sidings at Willits Coal Yard, the freight station on Washington Avenue, and the cutoff to the Marlton-Medford tracks near Crows Woods.

It was a fairly large brick building standing where Chestnut Street ended just over a little embankment at the railroad tracks. Once there was a road crossing the tracks there. It was later done away with.

The water tank and coal chute by the building were operated by gravity and air pressure was created.  Tubes carried this air to the switch tower at Mount Vernon Avenue where the large handled levers were manually operated to work the switches.

All of the switches were connected by rods and pulleys. Moving a switch opened an air valve that enabled the air to reach the next switch down the line.

Freight cars were able to move off or on the side tracks.

At the compressor plant there was a four foot high copper whistle that was blown for town fires and town emergencies. Fire Chief William Mackin had it moved to the firehouse, but it was never successfully there.

Howard Griffeth supplied the facts of the compressor plant, but the fate of the whistle is a mystery.