Helena Road (AL 261) #2, Helena, AL

[freebrickproductions]

Signal on the left: 1.5 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs.

As you can see, this video isn't the best due to the train sneaking up on me. I'll have to re-record it later. However, I was able to finally record a true bell-less crossing! I also got a recording of another bell-less crossing later in the day. Also, due to the missing light here, the signal on the right has twice as many lights as the signal on the left currently.

[freebrickproductions]

The missing light has been replaced:


*originally recorded on 11-27-17*

Signal on the left: 1.5 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light with a Leotek EV Series LED.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs.

The only change to this crossing since I was out here in February was the installation of a new Safetran 12x24 inch light with a Leotek EV Series LED in it. Other than that though, this gateless, bell-less crossing lives on!

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/Helena/Helena2/

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 5-14-22*

Signal on the left: 1.5 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light with a Leotek EV Series LED.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs and 1 pair of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs.

After catching the two trains on the S&NA North, I went across the Birmingham area to this crossing in Helena. After seeing the upgrade here (and at the other Helena Road crossing), I went on after waiting a bit due to all of the traffic in the area thanks to a festival. When I went down through Pelham, however, I found that CSX had a northbound lined on the Lineville Sub, so I turned around and decided to go ahead and set-up here. The train turned-out to be CSX I126 which had an ES44AH on the head-end and another ES44AH working as the mid-train DPU.

As you can see, since I was last here, not too much has changed to this crossing though there's been a couple of notable ones to the closer signal. It appears that the signal got struck at some point and, as a result, has a new base and I'm guessing a new mast. The lights appear to all be the same heads, but the main ones were given new Leotek EV Series LEDs and the rear lights even got new visors (likely due to the old ones being smashed).
No other changes appear to have occurred to these signals though and, thankfully, this gateless & bell-less install lives on.
Due to the extremely heavy traffic thanks to the festival going on here at the time, I was kinda afraid someone would get hit by a train as people kept stopping on the crossing.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Helena/Helena2/