Keener Gap Road, Keener, AL
Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2022 8:43 pm
*originally recorded on 2-8-22*
Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x20 inch lights, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and NEG gate lights.
On February 8th, I went down to Etowah County to get a siren test. I was trying for the STH-10 I'd found recently in Reece City, but while I was waiting, this NS 130 came rolling through with a great lash-up. I checked the time and saw I had enough to try to get it in, so I raced up to this crossing and was able to beat the train here with a few minutes to spare. Here we see NS 130 rolling through the community of Keener with an AC44C6M leading the Conrail Heritage Unit and a UP AC45CCTE! This was definitely a nice unexpected catch, and 8098 is easily my favorite of the NS heritage units, so I'm glad to have seen it again.
After this, I tried to record the STH-10 in Reece City, but it was sadly a no-go. Apparently the siren is owned by Reece City and is not tested with the Etowah County system.
This crossing is a pretty typical one of the NS AGS North. The signals here were installed back in the early to mid-2000s and have basically remained unchanged since, like most of the rest of the crossings along this line. It was another crossing I hadn't recorded before, however, so I'm glad to have gotten it recorded.