Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*originally recorded on 12-27-19*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a WCH Type 4 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and Progress Rail(?) gate lights.

This was the third crossing I caught the ATN at. I hadn't quite realized just how much quicker the ATN rolls through the Albertville/Boaz area now, and as a result, I was only just able to beat them to this crossing via pure luck. Unfortunately, I think this means that all future chases through here will either feature Albertville or Boaz, but not both, more than likely.

This crossing is another pretty decent one, being an early to mid-2000s CSX install that's still largely original. Of course, sometime between 2016 and 2019, the ATN replaced the original General Signals e-bell on the closer signal with the current WCH Type 4 e-bell, and neither gate arm nor none of the gate lights are original. However, it is pretty nice to see more of these incandescent Progress Rail(?) gate lights, especially since this is the last crossing on the ATN to have them. Unfortunately, they might not be around for too much longer, as one of them appears to be burnt out.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/A-F/Boaz/Denson/

*originally recorded on 11-15-24*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a WCH Type 4 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, NEG LED gate lights, and a RECO LED gate light.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After I caught Y102 at Pine Street, I snapped a few photos of them over by Progress Rail before continuing down to this crossing to wait for them. After over an hour of waiting, I was able to film ATN Y102 at my seventh crossing of the day with a 2,300 foot train in tow.

Sometime between when I last recorded this crossing in 2019 and 2021, the ATN replaced the Progress Rail(?) gate lights on the far signal with the current mix of RECO and NEG LEDs. Thankfully, nothing else has changed to these early-2000s CSX signals since I last recorded them. I'm definitely glad to see they're still fully incandescent, and that the closer one even still retains its original GS Type 2 e-bell. Admittedly, I do always enjoy recording the late-90s and early-2000s CSX signals the ATN still has. I suppose it's also quite fitting that the train I filmed going through a good few largely unmodified pairs of them on this day had its leader still wearing a very dirty & patched CSX YN3 paint scheme.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/A-F/Boaz/Denson/