Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*originally recorded on 5-22-24*

The display signal here has 1 pair of Safetran 8 inch lights (with LED bulbs in them) and a Modern Industries mechanical bell.

On my way back home from Mooresville Road in Thach, I wound-up taking AL 53 back into Huntsville as it was slightly quicker. As I was passing through Harvest, however, I noticed this display signal at a business along the highway, so I decided to stop and document it, finding out that it does indeed work as I pulled-up. The business currently isn't leased, but is right next to Barry's Towing and features an old Southern Railway passenger car that had been converted into dining when it was used at the Twickenham Station restaurant in Huntsville many years ago. On the southern end of this car is a motion detector that activates the signal for a few seconds, and the lights have a bit of an odd flash pattern. No idea where the lights or bell would've come from, the bell here appears to have a 5 inch base on it, interestingly enough. The Safetran 8 inch lights are fitting, given that it's paired up with a Southern Railway passenger car, and I suppose the MI bell is also fitting given that the late-SOU used some, and the L&N also would've once used quite a few in this area.
Believe it or not, there did once used to be a rail line through Harvest, originally built by the Middle Tennessee & Alabama Railroad, who were hoping to complete their line to Decatur, along with the NC&StL later purchasing the line and seemingly extending it a bit further to the Capshaw area. The line was abandoned in 1929 after the stock market crashed and ripped out within the next few years. The right of way across northwest Madison County is now Old Railroad Bed Road. Abandoned Rails has a decent little article on this line, if you want to know more about it:
https://www.abandonedrails.com/middle-t ... ma-railway