Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*originally recorded on 1-8-22*

Signal on the left: 3 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 1.5 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light, a Safetran Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.

After catching the northbound at CR 87, I decided to head down to this crossing for the southbound as I hadn't recorded it yet. After a little while of waiting, this southbound phosphate train came through with an ES44AH leading an SD70MAC.

This crossing is a fairly nice one, featuring an old pair of TPC signals from the L&N at it. It appears that both signals originally featured three pairs of lights on them, but, at some point, the closer signal had its pair of side lights removed. In the 1980s, the SBD appears to have replaced all of the lights here with WCH 12x24s. Then, in the mid-2000s, CSX replaced both gate mechs and the bell with the current ones. The crossing then remained unchanged until sometime after 2018, when it appears that the closer signal was knocked-down and set back up, though this time with a new Safetran base and the front-right light being replaced with the current Safetran 12x24, which appears to be a re-used one from the mid-90s. Thankfully, both signals here remain fully incandescent.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Jemison/Church/

*originally recorded on 7-3-24*

Signal on the left: 1.5 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights, 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light, a Safetran Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, NEG LED gate lights, and a RECO LED gate light.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights, a Safetran gate mechanism, NEG LED gate lights, and a RECO LED gate light.

On July 3rd, I was heading down to the Montgomery area for some monthly siren tests. As I was passing through Alabaster on my way south down I-65, I saw this loaded coal train heading south on the S&NA South, so I decided to chase it down to this crossing in Jemison, as I hadn't filmed it in a while and had been wanting to film the east side of it for a while as well. Thankfully, after a little bit of waiting, I was able to catch my first train of the day: CSX C249 with a pair of ES44AHs for power.

Since I last recorded this crossing, CSX has replaced most of the gate lights here with NEG LED gate lights. Thankfully, nothing else has changed to these classic TPC signals from the L&N, and I was finally able to record this crossing on the side with all WCH 12x24 inch lights. The closer signal has had its gate lights messed-up though, as all three flash at the same time.

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Alabama/G-Q/Jemison/Church/