Main Street (KY 218), Horse Cave, KY

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 12-7-23*

Signal on the left: 4 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, an NEG electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, NEG LED gate lights, and a RECO LED gate light.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After I caught CSX I142 in Bowling Green, I hit the road and chased them north. I was originally just gonna head straight for Elizabethtown, but decided to hop off of I-65 to get them at this crossing in Horse Cave in order just to get another crossing on this line filmed, beating them here with a few minutes to spare. Here we see I142 once again, this time flying through downtown Horse Cave.

This crossing is a pretty alright one, though it is one of my least favorite crossings from this trip, and was admittedly one that I wasn't too interested in getting in action (similar to Red River Road #1 in Gallatin). The signals here were installed by CSX in the late-90s, replacing what seems to have been an older L&N install from the 1970s. Strangely, rather than doing the standard late-90s install, CSX chose to replicate the older double-mast install here with the newer signals, and also reuse the Modern Industries mechanical bell onto the newer signals here. Sadly, sometime between 2017 and 2019, the MI mechanical bell here was replaced by the current NEG e-bell, with no major changes to the crossing since. A few recordings of the MI bell that used to be here can still be found on YouTube though:


I will admit, seeing relatively modern CSX signals installed as double-mast signals like this is definitely a bit on the unusual side though, so that's at least something neat with this crossing.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Kentucky/A-K/Horse_Cave/Main/