Renfroe Road, Briarfield, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 4-2-18*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, 2 pairs of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights with Dialight Low Wattage LEDs, an NEG electronic bell, an Invensys Rail gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, 1 pair of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights with Dialight Low Wattage LEDs, 1 Federal Signal 12x24 inch light with a Dialight Low Wattage LED, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light with a Dialight Low Wattage LED, a dead General Signals (Type 1?) e-bell, an NEG e-bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.

This crossing is certainly unique. First off, the Federal Signal lights here are an older, much rarer variety with a smaller logo on the back (that also sticks out a bit, whereas the more common ones have the logo inset a bit). The left-hand signal used to have a WRRS mechanical bell back in 2015, but sometime more recently the bell was replaced with an NEG e-bell. The gate mast for that signal also used to have an old WRRS gate mech and some 8 inch lights, but CSX had replaced those with the current equipment by 2013. The right-hand signal also appears to have had its original gate mast replaced in the early to mid 2000s, oddly enough with a mast that appears to have been meant for a crossing without cantilevers as it has mounts where some lights used to be. The mast also used to have a General Signals e-bell when it was originally installed, but it was replaced by 2013 with the current NEG e-bell. I'm also not sure why the e-bell on the cantilever would be replaced so soon after it would've been installed in the late 90s or early 2000s. Seems like a bit of a waste to me. Speaking of the abandoned e-bell, the speaker on it has fallen into the speaker chamber in two pieces. There's also a slight delay between the two gate mechs beginning to lower. Interestingly enough, this crossing is just north of ALDOT's official end of AL 235 at CR 190 and CR 191 (which is the road this crossing's on), but apparently CSX believes that AL 235 goes all the way up to the crossing.

[freebrickproductions]

No changes as of 12-2-19:

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 10-14-23*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, 2 pairs of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights with Dialight Low Wattage LEDs, an NEG electronic bell, an Invensys Rail gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, 1 pair of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights with Dialight Low Wattage LEDs, 1 Federal Signal 12x24 inch light with a Dialight Low Wattage LED, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light with a Dialight Ball LED, a dead General Signals (Type 1?) e-bell, an NEG e-bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, NEG LED gate lights, and a RECO LED gate light.

On October 14th, I decided to head back down to the CSX Lineville Sub for some railfanning, as I felt like revisiting some of the old SCL installs along the line. This was the first train I caught, which was CSX I140 with an ES40DC pulling on the head-end and a pair of ES44AHs working as the DPUs.

On this trip, I noticed that the Safetran 12x24 on the overhead of the closer signal has a Dialight Ball LED in it. Looking back at my older pictures, I can't really tell if it was previously a Low Wattage LED (as I had recorded) or a Ball LED, but I suspect it was a Low Wattage LED, and the Ball LED is a more recent replacement reused from elsewhere on the Lineville Sub. The only other changes of note here since I last recorded this crossing was the replacement of most of the gate lights with NEG LEDs. Glad to see the classic SCL cantilevers are still here though.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/A-F/B ... d/Renfroe/