F L Shuttlesworth Drive #2, Birmingham, AL
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 12:35 am
*originally recorded on 2-1-20*
Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights and a Safetran Type 3 electronic bell.
On February 1st, I went back down to the Birmingham Metro Area to try for M730 again. Sadly, the train never ran (as apparently they lacked a crew for it), but I was still able to get some other interesting stuff down there. This was the first train I caught: an eastbound NS local freight with a pair of SD40-2s for power making its way down the NS Ensley Branch to switch a few customers.
This crossing is a pretty nice one, being a nice pair of older gateless signals. It appears that these were installed by the SOU in the 1970s, but then in the 1980s, NS upgraded the lights to the current Safetran 12x24s. Then, finally, the original (Safetran?) mechanical bell was replaced with the current Safetran Type 3 by the time street view first came through in 2008. Since then, however, this crossing hasn't had any major changes. In fact, the I don't think these signals have seen any paint in years, and the lights are starting to look a bit faded. Either way, I'm glad I recorded this crossing.