1800th Avenue, near Effingham, IL

[freebrickproductions]

*originally recorded on 11-20-25*

Signal on the left: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 2 pairs of Safetran 12x24 inch lights with GE Uniform Look LEDs, a Safetran mechanical bell, a Safetran gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.

After catching the southbound grain train, I knew I had a southbound Amtrak Saluki approaching, so I decided to hop back down to this crossing just north of Effingham since I knew it still had a mechanical bell. After a bit of waiting here, I was able to catch my second train of the day: AMTK 391 flying through with an SC-44 pulling it for power.

This crossing is another great one, and I'm glad I got to record it on this day as well. The signals here were installed by the ICG back in the late-70s, and still appear to be largely original, thankfully. In the 1980s, it appears, the IC replaced all of the lights here with the current Safetran 12x24s, which were originally incandescent. Then, in the early-2010s, it appears, CN upgraded this crossing to LED. Thankfully, since then, nothing else appears to have changed to this crossing, which I'm glad to see. Nice to see that both of the original late-70s gate mechs are still here, along with the original Safetran mechanical bell! NGL, I do quite like how this one sounds, though I suspect that the gong on it might be getting a bit worn-out, sadly. Admittedly, I do also quite like how the faded backgrounds on the lights here look, they kinda remind me of some of the crossings that TommyBNSF filmed on the CN Chicago Sub back in the mid-2010s. Hopefully this crossing remains unchanged for many more years to come, but, either way, I'm quite glad I got to record it when I did.

https://www.rxrsignals.com/Illinois/A-K/Effingham/1800/