US 278/AL 118, Guin, AL

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Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran Type-1 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
There's also a third signal here that has a Transport Products Corp 8 inch light and a Transport Products Corp 14 inch light that has a "No Left Turn" lens.

This crossing has the only known Safetran Type-1 e-bell here in Alabama, which is why I drove down to the BNSF Birmingham Sub.

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*originally recorded on 1-6-21*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the far right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the near right: 1 Transport Products Corp. 8 inch light and a Transport Products Corp. 14 inch "No Left Turn" light.

On January 6th, I came back down to the BNSF Birmingham Sub to see about recording (and rerecording) a few crossings along the line. When I got down here though, the line was absolutely dead, and I wound-up having to wait a few hours before anything came. Luckily enough for me though, I was able to chat with a signal maintainer who was able to show me that there were two trains approaching, so I stayed here and waiting.
After a while of waiting, I was finally able to catch my first train of the day: a northbound intermodal train with an H3 ES44C4 leading an H2 C44-9W, an H3 ES44DC, and another H3 ES44C4.

As you can see, since I last recorded this crossing, the Safetran Type 1 here has sadly been replaced by a General Signals Type 3 e-bell. This change happened prior to my re-visit in 2019, but I was only able to get a video of the new bell here earlier this year. Thankfully, since I don't have a rare bell to record here, I was able to set-up and record the old Frisco-era No Left Turn signal here, which doesn't appear to have had many, if any, major changes since it was installed. Given the fact that this is only one of two signals of this style that I'm aware of here in Alabama, I'm glad to finally have a proper video of it.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Guin/US278_AL118/

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*originally recorded on 5-11-24*

Signal on the left: 3 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.

After nearly missing the loaded coal train here, we hung around to see if anything else was going to come through before sunset. Thankfully, after about 40 or so minutes of waiting, this empty coal train came rolling timetable north through the crossing with an ET44ACH leading an ES44ACH on the head-end and another pair of ET44ACHs working as the train's DPUs.

As you can see, after I recorded this crossing last in January of 2021, BNSF upgraded the signals here between May and July of that year, replacing all of the equipment at this crossing. Both gated signals and the relay case here were replaced, but, sadly, the old TPC "No Left Turn" signal here from the Frisco was ripped-out entirely without replacement, with the new pair of side lights on the far signal protecting Cut Road at this crossing. Interestingly, it appears the gate arms from the older signals here were reused onto the current ones, based on the dirt at the bases of them along with the bit of diagonal striping poking-out at the base of the closer signal's arm.
It doesn't appear that any major changes have occurred to this crossing since these signals were installed, however.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Guin/US278_AL118/