Ever since 1856, Lansale was using a watchman to control the crossing gates in Lansdale at Main Street and Broad Street. This continued up until the 21st Century, where the Lansdale crossing was one of two in the country that was manually operated, and the only one east of the Mississippi River. The main reason this watchman was retained was because of the complicated crossing nature of Lansdale station, particularly for short-turning trains since they stop so close to the street.
This weekend, SEPTA installed switches and circuits that would render the watchman and watchtower useless. However, just in case there are any bugs in the system There is a comprehensive article (complete with pictures) at the following website: http://www.trainweb.org/phillynrhs/RPOTW071007.html.