Monument Road #2, near Council Bluffs, IA

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 8-31-22*

Signal on the left: 1 pair of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights with Electro-tech LEDs, 1 pair of WCH 12x20 inch lights with Electro-tech LEDs, 1 Federal Signal 12x20 inch light with a GE Dotted LED, 1 WCH 12x20 inch with a GE Dotted LED, 1 pair of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Low Wattage LEDs, a General Signals Type 2 electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and Alstom LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 3 pairs of WCH 12x24 inch lights with Electro-tech LEDs, 1 WCH 12x24 inch light with a GE Dotted LED, 1 Modern Industries 12x20 inch light with a GE Dotted LED, a Siemens gate mechanism, and Alstom LED gate lights.

Soon after we shot the CN local freight, this northbound UP mixed freight came through as the sun set with an ES44AH leading an SD70ACe and a pair of AC44CWs and another SD70ACe working as the mid-train DPU.

This crossing is a rather nice one, featuring a pair of older C&NW cantilevers at it, which appear to have been put-up in the 1980s, with both being later extendable WCH cantilevers (with the rarer WCH bases the later ones had) and all WCH 12x24 inch lights and older Safetran gate mechs, it appears. The crossing appears to have remained fairly original, but in the 2000s (I believe), the bell here was replaced with the current GS Type 2, and with the lights all being upgraded to Electro-techs LEDs in the late-2000s alongside most of the rest of UP's system. However, sometime between 2014 and the present, several changes here occurred Unfortunately, most of them can't really be given a timeline, as the only newer streetview of this crossing is from I-29, and at that distance you can't really make-out any of the finer details (like lights or gate mechs). It appears that around sometime between 2014 and 2015 (maybe 2016 at the latest), the far signal was replaced entirely, though with a re-used 80s Safetran cantilever, surprisingly, which most likely came from another C&NW install somewhere. I'm guessing that around this time is when that signal also got its mix of lights, with them being a mix of re-used Federal Signal 12x20s, re-used WCH 12x20s (though I'm not sure if they were re-used from the previous cantilever and given 20 inch backgrounds or 12x20s from elsewhere), and I believe the current Safetran 12x24s with Dialight Ball LEDs as well. Also in the mid-2010s at some point, I'm guessing around the time of the cantilever replacement, both gate mechanisms here were replaced, with the far signal getting a reused 2000s gate mech and the closer signal getting a then-new Siemens gate mech, though it's possible one was replaced before the other. I'm guessing that, about this same time as well (or maybe some point after? Again, I ain't entirely sure), the closer signal had the left-hand rear overhead light replaced with a re-used MI 12x20 inch light, also with an Electro-tech LED. Since the mid-2010s, it appears the only noticeable changes here have been a few of the Electro-tech LEDs being replaced with GE Dotted LEDs, but otherwise, the crossing seems to have thankfully remained largely unchanged. Hopefully these older C&NW signals here remain unchanged for many more years to come, but either way, I'm glad I was able to record them when I did.
Also, standing just north of this crossing is a set of C&NW-era GRS searchlights guarding the end of the second track here, which were rather great to see. Kinda surprised they're still around too, as the rest of the line appears to have modern LED vader signals these days.