Nicholas Street #2, Elizabethtown, KY

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 12-5-23*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, an NEG electronic bell, a GRS gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, a GRS gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.

After catching CSX I142 in Bonnieville, I chased it on up to this crossing in Elizabethtown. This crossing features another nice 1970s L&N install, though it has been at least somewhat modernized over the years, with really only the original masts and gate mechs remaining. Between 2008 and 2013, CSX replaced the bell here with the current NEG electronic bell. Then, sometime between 2020 and 2022, CSX upgraded the crossing to LED, replacing the original 8 inch lights with the current WCH 12x24s in the process. Since then, however, no further changes have occurred to this crossing, and the classic GRS gate mechs still remain on both signals. The far signal also still retains a diagonally striped gate arm, which is nice to see.
The closer signal here is also a bit neat. As this road is just a small connector between Nicholas Street and US 62 (seen on the other side of the crossing), and technically Bypass US 31W as well, the intersection on this side of the crossing is just a T intersection. As a result, the closer signal lacks any front lights on it, which certainly makes it look a bit unusual. A few of the lights here have also had their backgrounds trimmed a bit to fit the gate arms and counterweight arms, while the right-hand pair of side lights on the closer signal have their backgrounds overlapping.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Kentucky/A-K/ ... Nicholas2/