Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Yesterday I saw the Broad St. railroad crossing in Bridgewater, MA active again. But this time, something was a bit different. The Safetran mechanical bells didn't sound like how they usually do. Here is how I remember hearing them (shot in 2009)...


This is how they sounded as of now...

They did not sound as loud as they usually do either. I think those bells are soon going to be removed and replaced with electronic bells. I have a nasty feeling they will be replaced with WCH e-bells, like other MBTA-owned crossings have used. (Why can't the MBTA try using GS e-bells for a change?)

Like I said, the MBTA is actually rather picky about railroad crossings. It seems they want nearly all the crossings they own to have gates and have the bells ring the entire time the signals are active. One is given the impression the MBTA is very safety-cautious.

Truth be told, I love how they sound in the newer video. In fact, at least with the closest signal, I think that's the perfect speed and sound of a Safetran bell in my opinion, and I wish more sounded like that.

I wouldn't worry about extinction of Safetran bells, almost every crossing on New Jersey Transit has either that or a WC Hayes m-bell

YoshiDino90 wrote:I wouldn't worry about extinction of Safetran bells, almost every crossing on New Jersey Transit has either that or a WC Hayes m-bell

Well thats because NJ transit is the strangest railroad company because until very recently they kept using mechanical bells on their new crossings but recently they started useing the Safetran type 3 E bell.

The MBTA started switching to using e-bells around the mid-to-late 2000s, and for the most part, they're still keen on using WCH. However, at one railroad crossing in Abington MA they did install a General Signal e-bell (like the WCH e-bells, it too is replacing a Safetran mechanical bell.)