Bell overkill...

[SirKrunch]

Thankfully nothing like that around here anymore.
I remember my first time in North Carolina too... Noticed about all signals installed up on wires like that. Not used to that at all here. Only time you see traffic signals "loosey-goosey" here are on temporary construction setups. We use solid arms to put them over the highway. Keeps the wind from messing with them and turning them the wrong direction.

[cabman701]

I know we are kind of getting off subject here... but on the east coast and down around Florida, you will find a lot of traffic lights intalled on wires above the road. Pretty sure it is like that because of the wind (hurricanes). Yes they get juggled around alot, but they tend to survive a large windstorm better than a standard traffic cantilever would.

[Smjh1979]

Here's a preview of one of next week's submissions showing only one signal.

[SirKrunch]

And it looks as though the one signal is between tracks as well.

I know we are kind of getting off subject here... but on the east coast and down around Florida, you will find a lot of traffic lights intalled on wires above the road. Pretty sure it is like that because of the wind (hurricanes). Yes they get juggled around alot, but they tend to survive a large windstorm better than a standard traffic cantilever would.

Yes, a bit off subject perhaps... but interesting in the way of discussion of antiquated signal devices and practices.

[Smjh1979]

There is another track in the distance, but it's defunct.

[AndyWS]

There's a crossing in Madison that has six bells. Two Griswold mechanicals on posts by themselves, from the days when only the highway traffic signals flashed red when a train approached, plus four WCH electronics that were added when proper signals were installed in 2003. Two cantilevers and two mast signals were installed, each with a WCH e-bell on top. The two Griswold mechanicals were left in place and working.

The crossing can be seen at 1:16 into this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiO33vyKr1M

The bells cannot be heard very well due to distance and being inside a car, but they can be heard briefly starting around 2:02. The two mechanicals almost drown out the four electronics.

I believe the last crossing in the video has four GS Type 2 electronic bells, one on each of the signals at the four-way intersection that the railroad track cuts through.

[legsbluetrain]

Michigan Street in Pine Bluff,AR has no bells on that crossing at all.
Check out the crossing with only signals.

[Brent]

UP is doing both around here. Their Kenosha Subdivision, which is a low volume line, has only one bell at most crossings. This is the way C&NW originally did it and UP is keeping it that way with signal replacements.

Their former C&NW Milwaukee Subdivision, which sees quite a bit more traffic, gets a bell installed on each side when they replace the standard flashing light signals with gated ones. The old installations only had one bell.

Something I noticed is that on the Kenosha Sub, only the signals were replaced, not the detection equipment. On the Milwaukee Sub, the detection equipment is being replaced as well. (Elton, I'm sure you can probably appreciate having a shed to work in when it's raining instead of a little relay cabinet!)

UP also has the bells wired to ring constantly when the signals are on, just like the C&NW did. This is also standard practice on all of their new installations where there previously weren't gates.

Avoca, Black Earth, Marshall, and Lima Center are locations of crossings here in Wisconsin that have only one active warning device (a Wig-Wag) in conjunction with one or more crossbucks. The Milwaukee Road and C&NW were also known to simply install a single bell as an active warning device at some of their rural crossings. One of these installations is still in use north of Dalton, WI. (Amish country!)

[AndrewFields]

How about traffic lights? Back in the "old" days, it used to be one traffic signal hung over the middle of the intersection with one set of lights facing each direction. Now, there are a few intersections where I have seen 6 or more signals for one direction.

This has nothing to do with lawsuits. Those single-signal intersections led to a lot of right angle accidents because of intersection "over-simplification" and this was back in the '50s and '60s. Also, what happens if a bulb burns out? There are more cars now and they travel at higher speeds. A single signal is simply not appropriate for a situation such as this. That would be the equivalent of putting one 8" mast signal on a three lane state highway with average speeds of 60 mph. It's a safety issue, not a lawsuit issue. Two 12" traffic signal lenses are far more visible than one 8" lens.

Portland used to install signals in singles but they've all been removed. Here is one such installation. As you can see, the pole to hold two replacement signals had been installed when this photo was taken.

Just my

[weatherdan882002]

I remember a couple of years ago when I went on a cruise. We stayed in a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Ft. Lauderdale had a ton of crossings. One crossing in particular had like 8 signals w/ 6 bells. I forget which one it is. It was in viewing distance from a place I was eating dinner at (outside). A train did go by while I was eating, but surprisingly, I never heard any bells.