Virginia Street, Mobile, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 5-17-22*

Far crossing:
Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, 1 pair of US&S 12x20 inch lights, an NEG electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Near crossing:
Signal on the left: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights, 1 pair of US&S 12x20 inch lights, and an NEG electronic bell.

After I saw the TASD intermodal and got the crossing documented, I still wanted to try to get this unusual double crossing recorded, so once the sun set I set-up on this side of the crossing and waited. After a little bit of waiting, this CSX local freight came out from the yard going south with the same GP40-2 for power as seen on the local freight I'd caught earlier in the evening. After this, I went back to my hotel room for the night.
Also, for anyone curious, the K5HL heard was from a CSX coal train that was about to leave the port and head north towards Birmingham.

This crossing is one of the more unique CSX crossings in Mobile, given that it's a rather unusual double crossing. Rather than having gated signals on the outside of the crossings with gateless ones in the middle, you have a gateless crossing protecting one set of tracks and gated crossing protecting the main, both of which operate together for every train. TBH, I'm kinda surprised they even made it a double crossing to begin with, as the second track for the closer crossing is right next to the main, and both of the middle signals are basically directly across the street from each other with literally no room for a car to stop between both tracks. Seems kinda poorly designed, TBH. However, the one track in question doesn't really seem to be used very often, if it all, due to how rusted the rails are, so it probably isn't a major issue.
The signals here are a bit more interesting though, IMHO. It appears this is a US&S install from the SBD, though the gateless signals use MI masts and originally had an MI bell. I suppose it's entirely possible they were installed by the L&N, but it's a bit hard to say for certain. While the signals likely originally had almost all US&S 12x20s, it appears that the main lights for the gateless signals were either quickly replaced with the current WCH 12x24s by the SBD, or these signals were installed around the time the SBD was starting to switch over to WCH equipment and the WCH 12x24s are original to the signals. A bit hard to say either way, IMHO.
Either way, it doesn't seem like the crossing saw much change at it until the late-90s/early-2000s, when the gated signals had some upgrades done to them. At that time, both gated signals had their main lights upgraded to the current Safetran 12x24s and the closer gated signal had its original US&S Model 75 gate mech replaced with the current Safetran one. The bell on those signals was also replaced with a General Signals e-bell. The crossing then remained further unchanged until sometime between 2011 and 2013, when the remaining US&S Model 75 gate mech on the farther gated signal was replaced with its current Safetran gate mech. Finally, sometime after 2019, CSX replaced both bells at this crossing. It appears that the bell on the gated crossing was replaced first, followed by the MI bell here unfortunately being replaced a bit more recently. At some point, the right-hand pair of lights on the closer gated signal also got LED light bulbs in them, something that I hadn't ever seen on a Class I crossing before, TBH.
Either way, as badly designed and as relatively modernized as this crossing may be, it's still a pretty neat set-up and I'm glad I was able to record it. I actually didn't know how the bell on the gateless crossing here operated, though, as you can see, it just shuts-off when the gate arms on the gated crossing lower.
Reportedly, the Alabama State Docks likes to kick out railfans from this crossing. I will say, while no-one approached me while I was here and I was able to record it without any issues, it was also rather late at night and they probably didn't seen the need to go after me, thankfully. This crossing still right next to part of the port though, so I'd be careful here and don't be too surprised if you do get kicked out should you come here as well.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Mobile/Virginia/