18th Street, Sanford, FL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 6-23-25*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with General Signals LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with General Signals LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Pedestrian signal on the right: 2 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a US&S Model 95 gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After catching the northbound SunRail train at Southwest Road, I walked over to this crossing to wait for my next train. After a little while of waiting, I was able to catch my sixth train of the day: yet another southbound SunRail commuter train with an MP32PH-Q for power, pushing on the rear.

This crossing is another decent one, which shares its relay case with and appears to operate with the neighboring Southwest Road crossing just to its south. I'm honestly not sure when the first signals here were installed, the earliest street view image from 2011 here shows the closer signal in place while the far signal was a US&S/WABCO one. Now, I can't entirely say for certain on this, but I believe the far signal here was the original one, and would've been installed by either the SCL in the 1970s or SBD in the early-80s, while the closer signal is a knock-down replacement with an older, shorter mast being (re?)used for it, though I'm not sure when this would've been done. I kinda suspect it might've been in the 80s or early-90s, based on the fact that it had an older Safetran gate mech on it it appears, though it also had an MI/US&S mechanical bell that was presumably reused from the signal it replaced.
Either way, in the mid-90s, it appears, CSX replaced all of the lights here with the current Safetran 12x24s (which were originally incandescent). Then, in the late-90s or early-2000s, CSX replaced the bell on the far signal with a General Signals e-bell. The crossing then remained largely unchanged for several years after, but then, sometime between 2011 and 2013, SunRail added a second track through here. As a result, the SBD(?) signal on the far side was replaced with what appears to have been a reused late-90s CSX one, though with a newer GS e-bell on it and the light heads from the old signal were reused onto the newer one. At the same time, SunRail installed the pedestrian signal here (although with a short mast and no lights other than the gate lights), while upgradinging the lights here to LED. The relay case between the two crossings was also replaced with the current one located on the east side of the Southwest Road crossing. The crossing then remained largely unchanged for a few more years, but, sometime between 2015 and 2019, SunRail replaced the bell on the far signal with the current GS Type 3 e-bell. Then, sometime between 2019 and 2021, the MI/US&S mechanical bell on the closer signal was also replaced with the current GS Type 3 e-bell. Next, sometime between 2021 and 2022, SunRail replaced the original mast on the ped signal here and installed the current WCH 12x24s on it, though the original base and gate mech were reused onto it. Finally, sometime after 2022, SunRail replaced both of the gate mechs here with the current Siemens ones.
Thankfully, the older (and shorter) signal on this side of the crossing still remains, despite being well-upgraded, which is nice to see. For some reason, all of the lights on both road signals here are mounted very far apart on the masts, which certainly makes them look a bit strange. Not sure why CSX chose to do this back in the mid-90s, but at least it makes this crossing a bit unique, I suppose.