31st Street #1, Birmingham, AL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 11-22-21*

Signal on the left: 4 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, an Invensys Rail gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 4 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a dead Safetran Type 3 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO gate lights.

After catching the local freight at Jefferson Avenue, I went down here to continue waiting on Amtrak 19, which had already been running late and was being held-up further by a CSX derailment in downtown Birmingham, blocking the interlocking at 27th Street. However, while waiting on it, I wound-up getting to catch this eastbound NS mixed freight, which featured a rather nice lash-up with a UP SD70M leading a pair of NS AC44C6Ms. Don't believe I've seen one of these leading since 2019, so I'm quite glad I was able to get this one.

This crossing is a rather nice one as well, IMHO, though it might not look it at first. The signals here were installed by the Southern Railway back in the late-70s, but then, in the early to mid-2000s, NS replaced both bells with General Signals e-bells (I'm guessing Type 2s) and the current Safetran 12x20 inch lights. Then, sometime between 2011 and 2014, the original gate mech on the far signal was replaced with the current Invensys Rail one. Then, between 2015 and 2016, the General Signals e-bell on the closer signal must've died and was replaced with the current Safetran Type 3 e-bell. Then, sometime between 2017 and 2020, the far GS e-bell died and was replaced with the current GS Type 3. Interestingly enough, despite being a relatively young bell, the Safetran Type 3 on this side has also since died, but newer street view imagery here from this year shows that NS has yet to replace it.
Thankfully, despite all of these upgrades, the original Safetran gate mech on the closer signal still survives and operates rather well, it seems. Hopefully it remains around here for a good while longer, but I'm certainly glad I've been able to record it. A bit unusually as well, the GS Type 3 on the far side shuts-off when the gate arms are only half-way down, and I have no-idea why it does that.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/A-F/Birmingham/31_1/