15th Way, Birmingham, AL
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:53 pm
Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran mechanical bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a Safetran mechanical bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG gate lights.
Took my older brother down to Birmingham earlier today for a doctor's appointment, so while he was at the doctor's office, I decided to go out railfanning. Since I didn't want to go far, I went to the NS AGS South District just west of downtown Birmingham, since I wanted to see if any mechanical bells were left on this part of the line (which, obviously, there were). Thankfully, while I was here, one of the signals to my east turned red and this westbound NS mixed freight came rolling past with an AC44C6M leading an ES44AC and a Dash-9!
This crossing is a rather nice one, and for being my only crossing I got today, I'm quite glad to have been able to record it. This crossing is a 1990s NS install that's still almost entirely original, down to both signals retaining their original Safetran mechanical bells! This is especially nice, since mechanical bells can be quite hard to find on the AGS South, it seems.
The three other crossings immediately around this one have all sadly had their mechanical bells replaced, but thankfully, this one remains unchanged. Hopefully these bells will be here for many more years to come, especially since they sound pretty good still!