*originally recorded on 3-29-22*
Signal on the left: 5 pairs of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights, a GRS gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 6 pairs of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights, a Federal Signal mechanical bell, a GRS gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
After catching TA-West in Cottondale, I chased them on over to Chipley to watch them interchange with PA-East. It turns out that PA-East is a daytime job, so they don't directly interchange. However, they still had to pull past the siding in Chipley and through the downtown to be able to drop off their cars for PA-East, so I was still able to record them here.
Unfortunately, I had to mute around 30 seconds of the video in the middle of it to avoid a copyright claim, because someone drove-up right next to my camera with their windows rolled down and music blasting out of it. So if you're wondering why the video goes silent for a bit there, that's why. Given how long this video is, I'll probably just trim-out much of the middle of it in compilations anyways.
This crossing is a rather nice one and probably my favorite in Chipley, so I'm quite glad to have been able to record it. These signals appear to be another L&N install from the mid-70s, and they're thankfully still fairly original. It appears that the only major change here occurred in the 80s/early-90s, when CSX went through and replaced all of the original lights here with the current MI 12x24s. Since then, thankfully, no major changes have occured to this crossing, and much of the original L&N equipment on them still remains.
It's nice to see another pair of old FS cantilevers here, along with the signals also still having both of their original GRS gate mechs. However, IMHO, the star of the show here is the Federal Signal bell, which still sounds fairly healthy and I'm quite glad is still around. I didn't visit Chipley back in 2016, but I'd seen these signals on street view back around there and had long suspected there was an FS bell here, so I'm quite glad to have confirmed such. I always do enjoy finding FS bells, so I'm glad to have another one recorded.
This is also the only remaining cantilever crossing in Chipley with incandescent overhead lights on it. The other two crossings with cantilevers in downtown Chipley had their overhead lights upgraded to LED by CSX, so I'm glad these are still fully incandescent. Hopefully these classic L&N signals remain unchanged for many more years to come, but either way, I'm glad I was able to get these when I did.
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