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Here is a compilation featuring numerous crossings that have real railroad crossing bells, or known as "mechanical bells". These bells mostly use electromagnets that make the hammer strike the gong, creating the sound. The first prototypes of mechanical railroad crossing bells were made around the 1890s to the 1910s by Hall Signal Co, LS Brach Co, Bryant Zinc Co, and a few others. They did not perform well, and some of those bells still exist, albeit super hard to find. One of the first mechanical bells patented that really popularized mechanical bells was Union Switch & Signal's Model 15-A, also known as "Teardrop" bells due to their shape. Teardrop bells were used by many railroads throughout the early-mid 20th century, and the last production ones were installed around the early 1970s. Other manufactures produced mechanical bells during that time period as well, such as Railroad Supply Co (RRS), later Western Railroad Supply Co. (WRRS), Federal Signal, and Western Cullen Hayes (WCH). Griswold Signal Company also produced many of their model 2B mechanical bells, and so did their successor Railroad Accessories Co (RACO), and Safetran. A couple other manufactures made mechanical bells throughout the 20th century too. Since the late 1990s, electronic bells (which use a circuit board and a speaker) have become very popular with railroads due to their minimal to no maintenance and lighter weight. Since the turn of the century, many railroads have decided to keep their mechanical bells unmaintained, which eventually lead to them to stop working, and then they're replaced with electronic bells. Year by year, the amount of mechanical bells continues to decline, so film them while you can!
Also noting that since this is a compilation, almost all of the videos that have been put here were shortened. So, feel free to ask me to link you to the full videos of these crossings.
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24 апр 2023
