Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*Originally recorded on 7-11-17*

Eastbound signal: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, a General Signals Type 1 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Westbound signal: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, a General Signals Type 1 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

In the first video, a signal maintainer (who normally maintains the "Athens Territory", which is from the Tennessee River to Ardmore) was trying to fix a sagging gate on the left, while also walking another maintainer (who was newer at the job) through fixing a gate mechanism for a crossing on a golf course that was damaged (somehow), and I filmed most of what was done. All that I missed was him starting to manually lower the gate mechanism on the left once, along with him activating the crossing two times.

This crossing has a rather nice mid-1990s CSX install. The crossing originally had all incandescent lights with fiber-glass gate arms and two WCH mechanical bells. However, the WCH m-bells were replaced in the early 2000s, followed by the lights getting upgraded to LED by 2013. The gate arms and gate lights were replaced only recently.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/H ... Chestnut1/

*originally recorded on 6-28-22*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, a General Signals Type 1 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, an NEG electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

I'd seen that CSX had a southbound lined through Decatur, so when I got down to this crossing in Hartselle, I set on up and waited for it. After a little bit of waiting, this southbound phosphate train came through with a pair of ES44AHs for power. After this, I went back home, as I'd gotten what I needed on this short excursion out.

As you can see, since I last filmed this crossing, one of the GS Type 1s that had been here has sadly since been replaced with an NEG e-bell, I suspect due to the bell dying. I believe this happened earlier this year, as I don't recall the bell here being replaced when I went over to Hartselle on New Years Eve, but when I came back to Hartselle on the evening of March 24th, it had already been replaced.
Either way, I'm glad to see the GS Type 1 on the far signal is still here. Hopefully that's able to remain here for many more years to come.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/H ... Chestnut1/

No changes here as of 3-24-23:

Got another video of this crossing on 3-14-24: