8th Street #1, Leeds, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 10-6-24*

Signal on the left: 4 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a sick General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG gate lights.
Signal on the right: 4 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a dead General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG gate lights.

After we caught 395 for the second time just west of Pell City, we stopped by a nearby gas station to use the bathroom before hitting the road back towards Leeds. On our way into Leeds, we wound-up catching-up with 395 again, which was stopping at the siding in Moody to meet a couple of eastbounds coming out of Irondale. As such, EquusStorm and I went over to this crossing, where were able to get there and get set-up just as the first eastbound was reaching Leeds for our fifth train of the day: NS 154 with an ES44DC pulling on the head-end and an AC44C6M working as the train's DPU.

This crossing is a pretty decent one, which is older than it may look at first. The cantilevers here were originally installed by the Southern Railway back in the 1970s, though, in the early-2000s, it appears NS chose to replace quite nearly all of the equipment here with the current stuff. During this upgrade, all of the lights, both gate masts, and both gate mechanisms were replaced, along with the bell(s) here being replaced by the current GS e-bells. Since then, however, basically nothing else appears to have changed to this crossing, thankfully, and it still retains its original (though modernized) SOU cantilevers.
I suspect another change will be occurring here soon though, as the bells here are definitely worn-out. The closer bell is completely dead, sadly, though older videos from Leeds confirm it was a GS Type 2. On top of that, while the far bell still "works', it's definitely very, very sick, making all kinds of funky sounds rather than actually ringing when it's on. I suspect both bells here will be replaced before too long, but, either way, I'm glad I was able to get this crossing shot when I did.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Leeds/8_1/