Gilbert Ferry Road (AL 77), Attalla, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 2-5-22*

Signal on the left: 7 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 6 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

On February 5th, I went down to the NS AGS North District to work on getting the remaining crossings along the line documented. Decided to start-out in Attalla and work north, as I wanted to record this crossing in particular. When I got down here, I found-out NS A54 was working a customer just south of the crossing, so I set-up and recorded them timing-out the signals a few times.

This crossing is a pretty nice one, featuring a pair of gated cantilevers installed by NS in the 1990s, which are still largely original. In the mid-2000s, NS replaced the original Safetran mechanical bell here with the current Safetran Type 3, but nothing really major has changed to it since. The closer cantilever has two pairs of overhead lights that are rather close together, which I honestly like the look of. Nothing really too much else to say about this crossing, though these are easily the oldest signals on the AGS North in Attalla, lol.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/A-F/A ... ert_Ferry/

[freebrickproductions]

No major changes here as of 11-26-24:


I'd heard from a local signal maintainer a while back that apparently the gate mechs here were having issues,and he wanted to replace them as a result. I wasn't entirely sure what those issues were, but now I know, lol. Apparently the gates here don't settle properly, and, as a result, it keeps causing the bell here to cut in and out somewhat randomly while the crossing is active, which is certainly an interesting experience to say the least. It honestly reminds me of how the Spring Creek Road (TN 279) crossing in Estill Springs, TN, on the CSX Chattanooga Sub acted when I first recorded it back in 2016, TBQH. Amusingly, the original gate mechs on that crossing were from about the same era as the ones here are, and they were replaced with a pair of new Siemens gate mechs. I guess we'll get to see how soon these gate mechs get replaced, and what they're replaced with as well.

[SirKrunch]

I'm surprised East coast railroads even worry about shutting off the electronic bells on gate down. While I can understand trying to minimize wear on a mechanical bell, e-bells should be cheap throwaways. Heck, since we're generally just dealing with PCBs, chips, caps, and resisters... it feels as though e-bells should be easy to fix and/or swap out boards in a jiffy and just spot check and refurb others back into life.
I guess maybe I've been watching too many YouTube fixer videos from the likes of MyMateVince and TronicsFix and am making this out to be easier than it seems too.
Also, as a life long Iowan, I grew up on the CNW having bells on from power on to gate up on all their installs. (And the Rock from power on to gate rise.) So the East and Southeast thing of power on to gate down... not a fan.