Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*originally recorded on 6-25-25*

Signal on the left: 1 pair of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, 3 pairs of RACO 12x20 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, 1 pair of WCH 12x20 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, 3 pairs of RACO 12x20 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a General Signals Type 3 electronic bell, a Siemens gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
Pedestrian signal on the right: 2 pairs of WCH 12x20 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a Siemens gate mechanism, and NEG LED gate lights.
This crossing is located in a quiet zone. Trains do not usually blow their horns at this crossing.

After catching the southbound SunRail, I knew that the northbound Floridian would be getting close, so I decided to hop over to this crossing just south of Orlando's Amtrak station to be able to get an extra crossing on this evening. Thankfully, I was able to beat it here and get set-up with a few minutes to spare. Here we get to see my ninth, final, and best catch of the day: Amtrak 40 with Amtrak 301, one of the Day 1 heritage units (an ALC-42), leading a P42DC for power! Definitely nice to be able to end-off this day with one of Amtrak's heritage units, especially one that was leading!

This crossing is another great one, featuring another SCL install at it from the late-60s/early-70s that's been modernized over the years (unsurprisingly). It seems that, later-on in the 1970s or mid-80s (or possibly even the early-90s), either the SCL, SBD, or even CSX, replaced the original RACO gate mech on the far side with a newer Safetran one. Then, in the mid-90s, CSX replaced all of the mast lights here with the current Safetran 12x24 inch lights, though they were originally incandescent. At about the same time, it appears (though possibly earlier in the late-80s), CSX also replaced the bell on the far signal with a WCH mechanical bell. The crossing remained largely unchanged for a little while, but then, sometime between 2013 and 2014, SunRail replaced the original RACO mechanical bell on the closer signal with a General Signals e-bell. Then, sometime between 2016 and 2019, both cantilevers here would have brand new extra tall extensions mounted onto the gate masts. Interestingly, at the same time, both bells here would be replaced by new General Signals e-bells which were mounted to the sides of these extensions with small mounting arms extending off the sides of them as well. After that, in 2019, the pedestrian signal on the far side of the crossing here would be installed by SunRail. Not too long after that as well, the far cantilever here would also have its gate mast replaced entirely with the current one sometime between 2019 and 2020. At about this same time, the crossing was fully upgraded to LED by SunRail. The other extended gate mast wouldn't last too much longer here either, as, sometime between 2020 and 2021, SunRail would replace the gate mast on the closer cantilever signal with the current one. Interestingly, this new gate mast originally had a Safetran Type 3 e-bell, but it seems that it didn't last too long, as, sometime after 2024, the bell on this signal was replaced by the current GS Type 3 e-bell.
Thankfully, despite all of these various upgrades and changes to this crossing over the years (mostly by SunRail), both of the old SCL-era Federal Signal cantilevers here still remain. They even retain all of their original RACO 12x20 inch lights, which are great to see, even if they are now LED these days. Hopefully these old cantilever signals and their RACO 12x20s continue to remain here for many more years to come, but, either way, I'm quite glad I got to record it when I did.
Interestingly, the closer signal's bell here rings until the gates rise, while the far signal's bell seems to shut-off when the gates have lowered. How Australian, lol.