*originally recorded on 3-29-22*
Signal on the left: 1 pair of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, 2 pairs of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights, 1 pair of WCH 12x24 inch lights, a dying WCH mechanical bell, a WCH gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
Signal on the right: 1 pair of Modern Industries 12x24 inch lights with Leotek EV Series LEDs, 2 pairs of Federal Signal 12x20 inch lights, 1 Modern Industries 12x24 inch light, 1 WCH 12x24 inch light, a dying WCH mechanical bell, a WCH gate mechanism, and RECO LED gate lights.
After chasing TA-Local, I went and documented the three crossings around Midway, along with this crossing, and started to head back into Tallahassee. On my way into Tallahassee, I thought I heard TA-West about to leave, so I turned around to head back to this crossing. It turned-out that it was just TA-East calling a signal as they approached the yard, but I decided to stay here and wait. After at least an hour of so of waiting, TA-West got on duty and took the train on out of Tallahassee, so I set-up. A little bit after, TA-West came through this crossing with an FGAR SD40-2 leading an ex-IC&E GP40-2 and another HLCX GP38-2, a different one from what was on TA-Local this time.
You also get a better look at the rather ugly flag scheme that RailUSA had painted a few units into. Thankfully, RailUSA kept the old RailAmerica scheme on their ex-FEC SD70M-2s they got, and seem to be repainting them into a RailAmerica-inspired scheme, so hopefully they'll be using that as their corporate scheme in the future. But as y'all pause the video to take a good long gaze at the sheer, magnificent horror that is the flag scheme RailUSA tried to use, just remember this: it reportedly cost $30,000 to paint per unit.
This crossing is a rather nice one, which I'm glad I was able to record. The signals here appear to have been a mid-70s SCL install originally, but in the 1980s, the SBD replaced all of the front mast lights with MI 12x24s and the gate masts entirely with the current ones. Later on in the 1980s or in the early 90s, it appears, the pair of mast lights closest to the road on the closer cantilever were struck, and the front-left mast light was replaced with a newer MI 12x24 while the previous front-left mast light was re-used to replace the rear-left mast light. Around this same time frame, if not slightly later, it appears CSX also replaced the relay case here with the current one. The crossing was largely left along for a couple of decades after this, until sometime between 2016 and 2019 when the front pair of mast lights on both signals (and only these two pairs, for some reason) were upgraded to LED. Since then, no major changes appear to have occurred here.
It's nice to see both WCH bells still here, although they both sound like they're starting to be on their way out. Both seem to click a few times before they start ringing, though once they get going they ring pretty well for the most part. Hopefully the FGAR gives them a bit of TLC in the future. It's nice to see both old Federal Signal-branded Walpar cantilevers still around here as well, especially since they still have all of their original overhead lights. Always do like the look of these things, and I'm glad the SCL used them a lot back in the 70s. The closer signal also still features a diagonally-striped gate arm too, which is a nice touch.
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