Sherwood Forest Rd. (Near Williams, AZ)

Picture 1 shows Aurora L.E.Ds on the gates. The 12"x20" lights are incandescents.

The train showed below in picture 7 finally takes off. Picture 6 shows a close-up with the inverted "2 Tracks" sign.

This train was waiting since I got to the crossing. It finally crossed later on, with pictures 4-6 capturing the event.

The older "2 Tracks" sign taken by the digital camera.

CLICK THE ICON TO THE LEFT TO HEAR THE CROSSING IN ACTION.
(RECORDED JANUARY 18, 2003)

On January 10, 2004, I went back out here to film some more train footage. After waiting a long time, a train came by, but there were a few things different. First, the lights used to be MI lights.Now they are Safetran lights. They flash a lot brighter than the old MI's.

Secondly, the bell on this side of the tracks was not working. When the train goes by, there isn't a bell sound. I went to check it out in picture 11, and I didn't hear a thing come from that bell. That will likely mean in the near future, these bells will become electronic unfortunately.

There are some more differences on this side as well. Yes, the only bell that works is heard very clearly throughout this video. As kind of a correction, the left light on picture 15 was Safetran and the other 7 including the other signal were MI.

That was the case when I first visited here back on January 18, 2003.

In picture 15 that the 2-tracks sign has been replaced. I went back out here on May 11, 2003, and the 2-tracks sign was replaced back then. I do have video of that crossing back then. The Safetran lights didn't get installed until Fall 2003.

When I made it here, a westbound train just finished crossing. The eastbound shown here was just starting up. As you can see, I didn't make it to the other side. I took pictures of the crossing because no one was around. I had a strong feeling that the bells would be replaced, and not surprisingly, they were. However, the bells are a different than expected. the signal shown in pictures 17, 18, 22 and 25 are type 1, while the other signal not pictured is type 2. Two different e-bells at this crossing... Very strange.

A close up view of gate lights. Pictures 19 and 20 are the center light, and picture 21 is the light at the end of the gate. Note the last row of L.E.Ds are burned out...

Picture 26 tells you not to park near the road when it snows heavily here. Picture 27 shows a broad view of the crossing. Note the slightly different font on the R's. The other one on the other side is the same way. Pictures 17-27 were taken August 1, 2004, just one month before I'd begin my 5-month stay in Midland, Michigan.

Both types of bells (the mechanicals of the past, and the electronic bells of the present), turned off when the gates go up.

CLICK THE ICON TO THE LEFT TO HEAR THE CROSSING IN ACTION.
(RECORDED AUGUST 1, 2004)

Upon visiting the crossing, back in April 14, 2005, I learned that the crossing has changed again! I guess the southern gate got damaged, and a new one with 4" incandescent gate lights have replaced the southern Aurora L.E.D. gate. The northern signal is still the same as when I was last here. The bells haven't changed either.

On September 30, 2007, rrxingrick@aol.com came out to the crossing with me, and took pictures of the crossing. Nothing has changed since I was last here.