Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

I understand the double lights because of the hills here... what's different from everything else I've seen here is the really high placement of the crossbucks.

Streetview LINK

Because of the sidelights, look where this crossbuck was mounted on the cantilever...

SirKrunch wrote:Because of the sidelights, look where this crossbuck was mounted on the cantilever...

That first link with the crossbucks mounted above the 2nd set of lights is certainly a little weird.

On the second link, we've got a crossing here like that... although there are no sidelights. Illinoistrains knows the crossing I'm talking about. The gates are in front of the cantilevers, so the left one makes sense because the crossbuck would be blocked by the gate. They should have done the right side the same way. It has been like this for as long as I can remember:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 28,,0,0.26

cabman701 wrote: That first link with the crossbucks mounted above the 2nd set of lights is certainly a little weird.

On the second link, we've got a crossing here like that... although there are no sidelights. Illinoistrains knows the crossing I'm talking about. The gates are in front of the cantilevers, so the left one makes sense because the crossbuck would be blocked by the gate. They should have done the right side the same way. It has been like this for as long as I can remember:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 28,,0,0.26

I don't understand why they didn't just install the gates behind the cantilever.

illinoistrains wrote:I don't understand why they didn't just install the gates behind the cantilever.

At one time there were double tracks through there, so they may not have had room to put the gates behind the cantilevers. I believe at one point it was just the cantilevers only and the gates did not exist.

Funny... that is now what UP wants to do is a double track all the way from Chicago to St Louis for the high speed Amtrak trains. Still quite a debate going on whether or not the city is going to let UP do the double track on the same corrider the trains are on now.

From what I've heard, that line was single tracked when Illinois Central Gulf took over in 1972, I didn't think the signals were that old.

Whomever told you that was incorrect. In fact, there was a pretty large yard in between what is now Madison St (used to be another railroad there) and Carpenter Street. Here is proof:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=266512
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=327367
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=327056

I stand corrected about the signals though. It looks like they always had gates. The cantilevers themselves look like they were Griswald-type at one time.

On the first link i know where both these crossings are.

also on another note UP has alway installed gates in front of the cantilevers