Mack Street, Gaston, SC

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 12-18-21*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, a RECO gate light, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a US&S Teardrop Bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

On the morning of December 18th, after not having any luck with trains and meeting-up with @Bigmindcreator TS in Charlotte, NC, the night before, I got on up early in the morning and hit the interstate to head down to the Columbia, SC, area to catch F756 down on the CSX Columbia Sub. After a few hours of waiting, F756 finally left Cayce heading south, and I was successfully able to get it here with a YN2 AC44CW leading a YN3 AC44CW!

The main reason I got out here to make sure I could catch a train here is entirely due to this crossing alone. This crossing appears to have originally had signals installed at it by the SAL back in the 50s at least. In the 1980s, the gate mech on the closer signal was replaced with the current Safetran one by the SBD. There had been a second track here that was removed at some point as well, though I don't entirely know when. However, it certainly had to have been by the early to mid 2000s, as CSX replaced the signal on the far side with the current one, which was installed where the second track had been. It appears that around the same time, the closer signal had the lights on it replaced with the current Safetran 12x24s.
Thankfully, despite the various upgrades over the years, the closer signal still retains its original 3rd Gen US&S Teardrop bell, the last surviving one along the entire S Line, the former SAL main from Richmond, VA, to Tampa, FL. Sadly, it sounds a bit weak & quiet, though I don't know if that's just simply because of how fast it rings or not. Either way, I'm glad to see that it's still here and I was able to get it recorded, the first of several that I was able to get on this trip. Hopefully it remains around for many more years to come though.