Virginia Avenue, West End-Cobb Town, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 8-8-25*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

On August 8th, a friend of mine and I got up and hit the road for a weekend trip to LaGrange, GA. On our way down, we saw that we'd be getting to the Anniston area a bit before Amtrak arrived, so we went over to this crossing in West End-Cobb Town to shoot it. After a bit of waiting, I was able to catch my first train of the day: Amtrak 19 with an ALC-42 leading a P42DC for power.

This crossing is a pretty decent one, featuring a mid-90s NS install that's still largely original. It appears that the only major change here occurred sometime between 2008 and 2021, when NS replaced both of the original Safetran mechanical bells here with the current GS e-bells. Not entirely sure when exactly this happened, but I suspect it was in the mid-2010s as both bells appear to be about the same age. I assume the far one was replaced first, though obviously I can't say that for certain either. Thankfully, this crossing has remained largely unchanged since then, and still has its original incandescent lights and Safetran gate mechs. The bells here are also set to ring while the gates rise still, which is nice to see.

https://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/R-Z/ ... /Virginia/