Sunset Road (KY 260), Hanson, KY

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 2-6-26*

Signal on the left: 1.5 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light with a Leotek EV Series LED, a Safetran gate mechanism, an NEG LED gate light, a RECO gate light, and a RECO LED gate light.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Modern Industries 12x20 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, a dying Modern Industries mechanical bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After catching the monthly siren test in Providence, KY, vtgrxrman went over to the Madisonville area to do some railfanning on the CSX Henderson Subdivision before heading home for the night. After waiting for about an hour and a half here, Harris and I were able to catch our second train of the day: CSX B795 with an ET44AH leading an ES44AH and an ES40DC for power. Always nice getting another unit ethanol train, even if the power wasn't super interesting.

This crossing is a pretty nice one, and I'm glad I was finally able to record it as well. The signals here appear to have originally been installed by the L&N back in the 1970s (or possibly the early-80s), though, in the 2000s, it appears, CSX replaced all of the lights and the gate mechanism on the far signal with the current Safetran 12x24 inch lights and gate mech. The crossing then remained largely unchanged after then, until sometime between 2019 and when @EthantheRailfanner first visited here in 2021, when CSX gave this crossing an LED upgrade. Interestingly, they chose to install a mix of LEDs here for whatever reason, with the far signal getting a mix of three WCH 2nd Gen LEDs and a lone Leotek EV Series LED, while the closer signal got all Dialight Ball LEDs. Finally, sometime between 2021 and 2023, CSX sadly replaced the original gate mast on the closer signal, replacing the remaining original GRS Type D gate mech here with the current Siemens one. Thankfully, despite these changes, the old L&N double-mast install here still remains, with the closer signal even still retaining its original MI 12x20 inch light heads, which is nice to see. Even better, the crossing still retains its original Modern Industries mechanical bell, the last MI bell on the CSX Henderson Sub and one of the last three mechanical bells on the line as a whole! With this video, I have also now filmed all three of those mechanical bells on the Henderson Sub, which I'm glad to have achieved. Unfortunately, the bell clicks a few times when it starts and sounds a bit clicky when it rings, which honestly kinda reminds me of the MI bell that used to be at Moulton Street in Decatur, AL, on the CSX S&NA North Sub before it was replaced, so hopefully CSX gives it some TLC instead of replacing it before too long. Either way, I'm quite glad I was finally able to film this crossing when I did. Also nice to see that the far signal still retains a RECO incandescent gate light as well.

https://www.rxrsignals.com/Kentucky/A-K/Hanson/Sunset/