Broadway Avenue (AL 21) #2, Sylacauga, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 7-7-22*

Signal on the left: 4 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a WCH gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 4 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a WCH gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

On July 7th, I went down to Sylacauga, AL, as I'd seen the EARY had installed some brand new cantilevers at this crossing recently, to replace a pair of crossbucks. When I got down here, the EARY had just finished-up working in Sylacauga and was about to be heading north to Talladega, so I set-up here. A few minutes later, the EARY came through with a GP40-2 leading a road slug and a trio of GP38-2s.
A southbound mixed freight came through on the P Line a bit before this train did, and I thought about chasing it south, but ultimately decided not to.

This crossing is a pretty decent one, featuring a very modern G&W install here. All of the equipment here is pretty much what the G&W typically uses these days on most of their railroads, at least here in the southeast, so it isn't anything too special. However, this is my first time recording a crossing with a pair of TCR cantilevers at it in action, so that's pretty nice I guess. The bells here also ring when the gates rise, which is pretty nice to see as well.
This crossing doesn't seem to have much of an activation circuit to it, seemingly only having an island circuit (at least for trains heading north). It makes sense though, I suppose, given the fact that there is a diamond that the EARY has to crossing, and they have to get permission from NS's dispatcher and then move a gate out of the way before they can cross.
I will admit, I'm kinda surprised that this crossing was just crossbucks for so long, and that the L&N never installed any signals here (with the pair that they did install in Sylacauga being at Norton Avenue), but I suspect what I mentioned above about the activation circuit might be why.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/R-Z/S ... Broadway2/