Vanderbilt Road, Birmingham, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 1-16-20*

Westbound signal: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Eastbound signal: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, a Safetran Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.

After doing that brief chase on the Pinson Valley Branch, I decided to head over to the only mainline crossing on the CSX Boyles Terminal, since it wasn't too far. After I got here, I had to wait about half an hour, but the first train I caught here was pretty nice: a northbound CSX mixed freight pulling into Boyles Yard with a pair of AC44CWs for power (with one in YN3 leading one in YN2).

After catching the mixed freight pulling into Boyles Yard, I was thinking of leaving when I happened to see a northbound train approaching, so I decided to set on back-up on the east side of the crossing. It wound-up stopping at a signal south of the crossing (I'm guessing due to a southbound coal train that was sitting on the same track to the north of the crossing), but after a bit of waiting, a second northbound train appeared! This one wound-up being my second best catch of the day, as it had a pair of YN2 AC44CWs for power on it! In fact, this was the first all-YN2 lash-up I've seen since 2017! All in all, I'm glad I wound-up sticking around for this train.

This crossing is a pretty nice one as well. It features a pair of what appear to be some late-1990s signals, but by 2011, the original bell here had already been replaced with the current Safetran Type 3. The crossing then got upgraded to LED by 2015, but has pretty much remained unchanged since.
The crossing is also located right at the south end of Boyles Yard, and is pretty reasonably busy. According to the FRA, about 31 trains come through here daily, though I'm not sure if the ATN's two trains that come through here are counted as well. Either way, this is a pretty decent little spot to hang-out at, if you don't mind a decent amount of traffic (especially truck traffic).

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 5-19-21*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, a Safetran Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After catching NS 329, I decided to head over to this crossing as I'd noticed it'd had an upgrade since I last filmed it. When I got here, this yard job was hanging out on the crossing while another train pulled into the crossing, so I just got set-up and waited. After a while of waiting, however, this yard job came back out and into the crossing before shoving back into the yard with an SD40-3 leading an SD40-2!

As I mentioned above, this crossing has had an upgrade since I recorded it last year. For whatever reason, CSX chose to replace all of the Dialight LEDs that were here with Leotek EV Series LEDs. The closer signal has also had all of its gate lights (and possibly the gate arm as a whole) replaced, and now it has NEG LED gate lights at it. No other changes have occured here though, and the Safetran Type 3 e-bell here still briefly shuts-off as the gate arms here lower.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/A-F/B ... Vanderbilt