24th Street, Gadsden, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 3-30-21*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights and an NEG electronic bell.

This was the fourth crossing I caught the ATN at, and like with all of the others, it too is a nice one. The signals here appear to have originally been put-up by the L&N, although I don't know exactly when (but I personally suspect sometime in the 1970s). In the 1980s though, the SBD replaced the mast on the far side with a newer one (but keeping the original base), along with replacing the bell on the closer signal with a WCH mechanical bell and upgrading all of the lights to the current WCH 12x24s at the same time. The signals were then left almost completely unchanged until about 2019 or so, when the ATN replaced the WCH mechanical bell here with the current NEG e-bell. A bit of a shame that it was replaced, but I wouldn't be too surprised to find-out the old one had just straight-up died at some point and could've even been dead for years for all I know.
Since then though, no major changes have occured to these signals, and the backgrounds have thankfully been able to get nice and faded over the years. Interestingly enough, this is also one of only two NEG e-bells on the ATN, with the other being over in Glencoe. There had also been a Safetran Type 2 in Attalla, the only one along the line (and was likely installed by CSX before the line was sold off), but that got replaced a few years back as well.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Gadsden/24/

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 9-23-21*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights and a WCH Type 4 electronic bell.

After checking up on the crossings in Gadsden, I'd seen this one had a new bell at it, so I decided to set-up here and wait for it. After about 30 minutes of waiting, M715 departed the yard, and began its journey south to Ragland with the SD40R leading a GP40-2LW.

As I said earlier, since I last recorded this crossing, the ATN has replaced the NEG e-bell here with a new WCH Type 4. Not entirely sure why it was replaced, but I suspect it died. Other than that though, no changes have occured here and the WCH 12 inch lights retains their nicely faded backgrounds.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Gadsden/24

[freebrickproductions]

Caught a malfunction here on 4-16-24: