Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*originally recorded on 6-27-21*

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

After catching the Autorack train, we decided to head-up to Waycross to see about documenting the remaining interesting crossings there. However, on our way up US 1, we saw this southbound intermodal passing us so we turned around and raced it back down to this crossing, beating it with a bit of time to spare. Here we see it passing through Homeland with an ES44AH leading an ES40DC on the head-end, and an CM44AH working as the mid-train DPU.

This crossing is probably the most boring one we filmed on this day, though the signals themselves were put-up by the SBD back in the 80s. Originally, they would've had all US&S equipment (possibly including the re-used US&S base on the closer signal), but in the 90s, the original bell on the far signal was replaced with a WCH mechanical bell. Then, in the early 2000s, the closer signal also had its bell and gate mech replaced with the current ones. The signals remained at least mostly unchanged for the next several years, but in the early 2010s, all of the US&S 12x20 inch lights here got replaced with the current Safetran 12x24 inch lights, though they were originally incandescent. Then, in about 2014 or so (I'm assuming), CSX upgraded all of the lights here to LED, and then around 2016/2017 the WCH mechanical bell on the far signal got replaced with the current NEG e-bell. Finally, the most recent change here is that the original US&S Model 75 gate mech on the far signal was replaced with the current Siemens gate mech. Not exactly the most interesting crossing out there anymore, but at least the signals are still technically some older ones (though quite heavily modernized ones), and bell combos like this are always kinda neat, IMHO.