Old Tilton Road, Tilton, GA

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 1-11-24*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, a dead Modern Industries mechanical bell, a GRS gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, an NEG electronic bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After catching M648, I was heading north towards Ringgold to wait on another train, when I saw an M647 sitting in the siding at Tunnel Hill that M648 had just met. Upon hearing M647 leaving the siding, I decided to hop on I-75 and chase it south, deciding to head for this crossing. After I got here, I got set-up and, just a few minutes later, this CSX L809 came rolling through with an ES44AH for power, heading for the siding in Tilton to get out of the way of M647.

This crossing is a pretty decent one, though, admittedly, I do feel it could've been a bit better. It appears that the signals here were originally installed in the 1970s by the L&N, but, in the 1980s, the closer signal seems to have had the bell on it replaced by the SBD. Then, in the mid-90s, CSX upgraded all of the lights here to Safetran 12x24s, followed by the base of the closer signal being replaced, along with the closer signal having its gate mechanism replaced by a Safetran one. Then, in the late-2010s/early-2020s, CSX replaced the closer signal entirely with the current one (except for maybe the base?), with the final notable change here being the far signal getting an LED upgrade in early-2022. Since then, it doesn't appear that any major changes have occurred to this crossing, thankfully.
Sadly, the MI bell here, which I was hoping to record, is very much dead, it doesn't seem to have made any noise at all when it would've been on. Thankfully, the far signal does still retain a classic GRS gate mechanism from the L&N, which will hopefully remain around here for many more years to come. Hopefully CSX fixes the MI bell here as well, but I wouldn't be too surprised if another NEG e-bell goes up over there at some point. You can also hear a nearby train on the NS Atlanta North District as well.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Georgia/R-Z/T ... ld_Tilton/