Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

*originally recorded on 6-27-25*

Signal on the left: 1 Safetran 12x24 inch light with a WCH 2nd Generation LED, 1 WCH 12x24 inch light with a WCH 2nd Generation LED, 1 pair of US&S 12x20 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, an NEG electronic bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, NEG LED gate lights, and a dead RECO gate light.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of US&S 12x20 inch lights with WCH 2nd Generation LEDs, a dead US&S mechanical bell, an Invensys Rail gate mechanism, an NEG LED gate light, and RECO LED gate lights.

After catching M208 in Norwich, we continued on up to this crossing in Woodland to get it next, chasing M208 up here in the process. After a little while of waiting, we wound-up catching CSX M208 here, going into the siding to meet a southbound train!

This crossing is another nice one, featuring an early-SBD US&S install from the early-1980s, which is still decently original. It appears that the crossing had remained pretty much entirely unchanged up until sometime between 2008 and 2013, when CSX replaced the original US&S Model 75 gate mechanism on the far with the current Safetran one. At about the same time, CSX replaced the front-right light on that same signal with the current reused Safetran 12x24 from the mid-90s, which was originally incandescent. Then, in 2013, CSX replaced the other US&S Model 75 gate mech here on the closer signal with the current Invensys Rail one. Not too long after, I assume between 2013 and presumably 2014, it appears that CSX upgraded the crossing to LED, replacing the front-left light on the far signal with the current WCH 12x24 inch head in the process. It also appears that sometime between 2013 and 2021, the original US&S mechanical bell on the far signal here was also replaced with an NEG e-bell. Finally, sometime between 2021 and when EthantheRailfanner visited here in 2022, CSX replaced the bell on the far signal with another NEG e-bell. Thankfully, since then, nothing else too major appears to have changed to this crossing, which is nice to see.
Sadly, the remaining US&S mechanical bell on the closer signal here is also dead, which is a shame. Thankfully, most of the original US&S 12x20 inch light heads are still here, so that's nice at least, even if they are LED now. The LEDs here are definitely in need of some work though, a few of them have come out of their gaskets while a couple of others also have some noticeable strand-failures. Amusingly, with the way that the dead spot on the front-right LED on the closer signal is, it reminds me of the shadow that the incandescent US&S 12x20s cast on their lenses.

https://www.rxrsignals.com/Georgia/R-Z/Woodland/1/