25th Street (FL 46) #2, Sanford, FL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 6-25-25*

Signal on the left: 1 pair of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, 3.5 pairs of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights, 1 WCH 12x24 inch light, a WCH mechanical bell, a WCH gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 1 pair of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights with Dialight Ball LEDs, 3 pairs of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights, 1 pair of WCH 12x24 inch lights, a WCH mechanical bell, a WCH gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.

After catching L717 at Osprey Trail, I made a beeline straight for this crossing in Sanford since I had one final attempt to try and get it on this trip. Thankfully, I was able to beat it here with plenty of time to spare, though seeing the school bus approaching as I knew the train was getting close did make my heart drop. Thankfully, it seems the third time's the charm, as the school bus very thankfully got moving and cleared the crossing a few seconds before it activated. Unfortunately, I did accidentally bump my camera shortly after the crossing activated, but I did correct it pretty quickly. Either way, here we get to see CSX L717 for the fifth and final time on this day, continuing on their way back up to the A Line.

This crossing is a rather nice one, and I'm glad I was finally able to get it after two other failed attempts. The signals here were installed by the Seaboard System back in the mid-1980s, it appears, and are still largely original! Later-on in the 1980s, or possibly the early-90s, it appears that CSX replaced the right-rear mast light on the far signal with the current MI 12x24. The crossing was left largely unchanged for a few decades, into the early-2010s at least anyways. Then, sometime between 2011 and 2013, the front pair of mast lights on the closer signal were upgraded to LED with the current Dialight Ball LEDs. After that, sometime between 2013 and 2016, the front pair of mast lights on the far signal were also upgraded to LED with the current Dialight Ball LEDs.
Thankfully, despite these changes, the crossing retains most of its original light heads, along with both of its original gate mechs and mechanical bells, which is great to see. Most of the lights here are still incandescent as well, which is nice to see. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like these signals have too much longer to live. CSX has put in a bunch of orange conduit around the crossing here, along with a pair of new foundations. It appears that the new signals going in here will also feature a pair of pedestrian gates on them, as the new foundations in at the time of this video. Definitely quite glad I was able to snag this video of the crossing while I was down here, even if I did accidentally bump my camera after the signals had activated.
As a side note, the far signal's front pair of mast lights are mounted a bit unusually. Unlike with the closer cantilever, where the front mast lights are mounted on the mast closer to the road, the SBD installed the front mast lights on the far cantilever on the mast further from the road. I believe this was due to an old wooden utility pole on that side of the crossing that was located right next to the road. However, sometime between 2016 and 2018, the local utility company replaced it with the much larger concrete utility pole currently seen over there, which partially blocked the front pair of mast lights at a distance, especially in the right hand lane. It seems Sanford or FDOT decided they weren't blocked at a distance well enough, however, as, sometime within the past two years, a pair of "Do Not Stop On Tracks" signs were installed in front of the signals here. While the one on this side only partially blocks the front mast lights, the one on the far side of the crossing works with the thick concrete utility pole to pretty much completely block the front mast lights on that side at a distance. I suppose with the signals here about to be getting replaced, however, the visibility issues with the mast lights here will probably be soon resolved in one way or another.