Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Found some railroad tracks out of service on google maps near the Pedestrian Crossing in Park City Kentucky. Explored only a little bit in person when I was there back in March. Not much to be known as I couldn't find any crossbucks. Based on how bad the tracks are, I'd say it went out of service around the 2000's.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.0916615 ... 312!8i6656

Ethan the Railfanner wrote:Found some railroad tracks out of service on google maps near the Pedestrian Crossing in Park City Kentucky. Explored only a little bit in person when I was there back in March. Not much to be known as I couldn't find any crossbucks. Based on how bad the tracks are, I'd say it went out of service around the 2000's.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.0916615 ... 312!8i6656

Could still be in service but with very little traffic.

ToledoRailfan wrote:

Ethan the Railfanner wrote:Found some railroad tracks out of service on google maps near the Pedestrian Crossing in Park City Kentucky. Explored only a little bit in person when I was there back in March. Not much to be known as I couldn't find any crossbucks. Based on how bad the tracks are, I'd say it went out of service around the 2000's.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.0916615 ... 312!8i6656

Could still be in service but with very little traffic.

Also, with the way that spur is set-up, any trains serving it would always have to be shoving back which would require the conductor to be on the back end of the train, and for him to stop and flag any crossings, so crossbucks might not be needed there no matter what. However, just up the road, the area that the branch line (that this spur is on) breaks off from the main used to be a wye at one point, as evidenced by this abandoned leg:
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.0930093 ... 312!8i6656

ToledoRailfan wrote:

Ethan the Railfanner wrote:Found some railroad tracks out of service on google maps near the Pedestrian Crossing in Park City Kentucky. Explored only a little bit in person when I was there back in March. Not much to be known as I couldn't find any crossbucks. Based on how bad the tracks are, I'd say it went out of service around the 2000's.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.0916615 ... 312!8i6656

Could still be in service but with very little traffic.

I doubt it. There are patches of asphalt over the tracks right there.

Doing some deep digging into this BNSF line that didn't make the cut for Metrolink.
This crossing has a stop sign and the PRIVATE RXR CROSSING sign.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7382594 ... 6656?hl=en
This crossing has had its lights mysteriously downed (Vandalism?) The gates and lights also look to have been renewed unnecessarily
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7325184 ... 6656?hl=en
The nearby signal for some reason has a General Signals type 1 e-bell.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7325184 ... 6656?hl=en
This is just another crossbuck crossing, but the road is being renewed, these could be long gone.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.722265, ... 6656?hl=en
This BNSF dot tag may make it seem the line may've went out of service in the mid to late 1990's, or even the early to the mid-2000's.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7123997 ... 6656?hl=en
This crossing is still receiving power!
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7108411 ... 6656?hl=en
This looks to be a mid-2000's BNSF installation. Maybe that provides another clue? It's missing a gate however.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7106524 ... 6656?hl=en
It was there in 2015... Maybe someone came along, took the entire gate and gate mast with them without leaving a trace?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7109311 ... 6656?hl=en
large crossbuck
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.711027, ... 1664?hl=en
Another large crossbuck, the "RAIL ROAD" section has been renewed, which makes me suspicious.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7108523 ... 6656?hl=en
Weird crossbuck.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7250978 ... 6656?hl=en
60's/70's ATSF installation?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7293396 ... 6656?hl=en
Hm...
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7293224 ... 6656?hl=en
50's ATSF installation?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7312691 ... 6656?hl=en
Cool plane!
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7312691 ... 6656?hl=en
Safetran 12x24 lights. What was the point of having the old one's replaced?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7347568 ... 6656?hl=en
4 icon's still standing proud here.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.737768, ... 6656?hl=en
ATSF no trespassing sign.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7410942 ... 6656?hl=en
However, in 2017, the ATSF changed to RITZ. What is RITZ?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7410619 ... 6656?hl=en
Look's like somebody was practicing handwriting here.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7438031 ... 6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7459211 ... 6656?hl=en
Some kind-hearted person restored this crossbuck.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7473364 ... 6656?hl=en
There must've been 2 tracks here once.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.751145, ... 6656?hl=en
Siding that may've been used for car storage, notice the nearby switch.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.754781, ... 6656?hl=en
Smashed lights?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7728907 ... 6656?hl=en
The remains, the line cuts off here.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7802022 ... 6656?hl=en

Found an abandoned railroad crossing with tracks out of service in Georgia. I'm betting the bell on the near right is a Safetran Mechanical Bell
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7629891 ... 328!8i1664

Ethan the Railfanner wrote:Found an abandoned railroad crossing with tracks out of service in Georgia. I'm betting the bell on the near right is a Safetran Mechanical Bell
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7629891 ... 328!8i1664

Not too far away is this crossbuck crossing, also out of service.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4733321 ... 312!8i6656
However, in December 2015, the tracks had came back to service, and the crossbucks replaced.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4733385 ... 312!8i6656

Ethan the Railfanner wrote:Found an abandoned railroad crossing with tracks out of service in Georgia. I'm betting the bell on the near right is a Safetran Mechanical Bell
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7629891 ... 328!8i1664

I'm going to guess it's a Safetran, since those usually stick out further than Griswold and RACO bells.

That line has a ton of abandoned signals heading back towards Chattanooga, as the CCKY still used it up until a little under 10 years ago when the last customer on that part of the line shut-down. It's also part of what used to be the Tennessee, Alabama, & Georgia Railway (TAG), which ran from Chattanooga, TN to Gadsden, AL through Georgia. It once served two steel mills, and was owned by one of them, so it was able to be quite a successful shortline in the 1960s, prior to the purchase by the SOU in 1971. The death of the line was the result of one or both of the steel mills shutting down, though the one in Gadsden still has the yard leading up to it and is used for car storage (and has a GE switcher for it, from what I've seen):
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0186427 ... 312!8i6656

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee ... ia_Railway

Way up in Northern Maine near Limestone on US 1A

https://www.google.com/maps/@46.859673, ... m2!1e4!1e1

Grand Junction, CO along a rail-trail;
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.5291174 ... m2!1e4!1e1