Girls School Road #1, Indianapolis, IN

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 4-9-24*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, a Safetran Model 85 gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, a Safetran Model 85 gate mechanism, RECO LED gate lights, and an NEG LED gate light.

After I caught I131, I went over to another crossing along Massachusetts Avenue that I wanted to record, only to hear over the scanner that it sounded like I131 was about to take the line this crossing is on. As such, I raced on over here, and found the signal to my east lit-up and showing clear. I quickly got my camera set-up just in case something was coming east, and, not too long after, I saw this surprise eastbound train approaching from around the curve to my west. This wound-up being my second catch of the day, and probably my favorite catch of the trip: INRD SAAVT/CSX Z748 rolling east through this crossing with a pair of INRD SD70Ms for power! This was definitely a great catch, and I'm glad I was able to snag it on this trip. This was also my first time catching the INRD, though I know kyleb06 has shot them many, many times before.

This crossing is another great one, featuring another 1980s Conrail install, which is still almost entirely original. Sadly, sometime after street view last came through here in 2022, CSX upgraded the signals here to LED. Thankfully, these nice bell-less gated signals have remained otherwise entirely original since they were installed. Of course, the star of the show here (and why I wanted to get this one), is the pair of Safetran Model 85 gate mechs that still remain here. These also feature the classic counterweight arms unique to this model of gate mech, and there aren't any cantilevers here to obscure them either. Hopefully this crossing remains like this for many more years to come, but, either way, I'm glad I was able to record this crossing on this trip as well.