More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

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More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by freebrickproductions » Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:16 am

Found tonight that Colbert Steam Plant Road in Barton, AL had its 8 inch lights replaced with what appear to be incandescent Safetran 12x20 inch lights sometime recently, as I was at the crossing earlier this year (back in January) to document the GS Type 1 being replaced with a Safetran Type 3 (of an older model too, interestingly enough), and it still had its 8 inch lights then. However, sometime afterwards, the 8 inch lights got replaced with 12x20s, which can be seen at about 2:01 in the video below:


Though I suppose it was only a matter of time, as the 8 inch lights in Cherokee, AL just down the line were replaced just last year.

Also, due to the timing of this upgrade, I won't be able to show it in my next update, which should be out sometime within the next few days (hopefully by the end of the week). However, due to the bell replacement occurring earlier than the light upgrade, the "new" Safetran Type 3 will make it in the update.
They/Them for me, please.

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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by freebrickproductions » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:23 pm

Unfortunately, this seems to have been a sign of a larger project by NS on the Memphis District West End. Found this picture today of the Commerce Road crossing in Piperton, TN (near Memphis) that shows the crossing now has 12x20 inch lights:
ImageNS 5154 | EMD GP38-2 | NS Memphis District by M.J. Scanlon, on Flickr

Here's how the crossing used to look back when it had 8 inch lights:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0444233 ... 312!8i6656

Hopefully. these two crossing were just coincidentally upgraded in recent years to 12 inch lights, but it's also possible that NS is replacing the remaining 8 inch lights on the NS Memphis District West End, if they haven't completed it already. If it is the latter, hopefully the NS Memphis District East End won't be next.
They/Them for me, please.

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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by ToledoRailfan » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:37 pm

Darn, kind of makes you wonder how rare 8'' lights will become in the future?

Last edited by ToledoRailfan on Wed Apr 26, 2017 2:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by ZachL » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:46 pm

Biting the dust? hey, that's my line! :LOL3:
Crossing pictures from Plant City, FL are finally here! viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2538
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by ToledoRailfan » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:52 pm

ZachL wrote:Biting the dust? hey, that's my line! :LOL3:
Its trademarked! :LOL2:
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by freebrickproductions » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:55 pm

ToledoRailfan wrote:Darn, kind of makes you wonder how rare 8'' lights will become in the future?
I suspect that 10-20 years from now, they'll be rather rare with ex-Conrail lines, shortlines on the west-coast and in the southeast, and branch lines on the west-coast being the last hold-outs for them, at least here in America. Australia will continue using them for a long time, probably.
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by ToledoRailfan » Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:57 pm

freebrickproductions wrote:
ToledoRailfan wrote:Darn, kind of makes you wonder how rare 8'' lights will become in the future?
Australia will continue using them for a long time, probably.
That is true sense they primarily use 8'' lights, I think the same can be said about New Zealand. Canada seems to have a lot as well but they're kind of slowly going the same way with the United States.
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by ZachL » Wed Apr 26, 2017 2:04 pm

Canada is also full of 8" lights as well.
Crossing pictures from Plant City, FL are finally here! viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2538
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by TrickyMario7654 » Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:28 pm

ToledoRailfan wrote:Darn, kind of makes you wonder how rare 8'' lights will become in the future?

That's Daniel Andrew's theme song, and you probably know why.
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Re: More 8 inch Lights Bite the Dust

Post by ToledoRailfan » Wed Apr 26, 2017 5:10 pm

TrickyMario7654 wrote:
ToledoRailfan wrote:Darn, kind of makes you wonder how rare 8'' lights will become in the future?

That's Daniel Andrew's theme song, and you probably know why.
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