Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Enough of cattle.

I hope this hasn't already been posted. Twin teardrops on gateless 8 inch:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 27,,0,6.81

gedunk wrote:Enough of cattle.

I hope this hasn't already been posted. Twin teardrops on gateless 8 inch:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 27,,0,6.81

Nice one! Too bad GSV messes up when you get closer to the signals.

cabman701 wrote:Nice one! Too bad GSV messes up when you get closer to the signals.

Maybe it was damaged crossing a cattle guard. They should Moooove up to Nikon equipment.

gedunk wrote:

cabman701 wrote:Nice one! Too bad GSV messes up when you get closer to the signals.

Maybe it was damaged crossing a cattle guard. They should Moooove up to Nikon equipment.

All right now... I'm off the cattle guard craze!

On the former SP Modoc line. Since mostly abandoned by UP. Black painted teardrops, 8 inch with split crossbuck

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 3,,0,-0.05

Here are two more from the Fresno, CA area that aren't on the site yet.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 89,,0,8.23

Seeing as how Google Maps shows the line as a path, this crossing is likely out of service.

Happily for the moment there are several US&S Co Teardrop bells active in Michigan. These are on the former Detroit and Mackinac (now Lake State or LSRC) on northern portions of the line such as Harrisville and Alpena as well as the Ann Arbor Railroad and Great Lakes Central (portions of former Ann Arbor track north of Ann Arbor, MI) in Dundee, Milan, Ann Arbor and Owosso / north.

Perhaps more prominently preserved in an active position is the one installed on the Wig Wag protecting Main Street at Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum here in Dearborn, MI where I live:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/270 ... d98950.jpg

This Teardrop bell came from a crossing replacement on the Lake State Railroad and was donated to the museum by a local signal maintainer.

Of an interesting note, the Detroit Toledo and Ironton Railroad (DT&I) which happened to own the Ann Arbor Railroad for many years was a predominant user of the US&S Model 15A crossing bell. The Teardrops could be found all over the system and several old timers would tell me that the bells were always painted a bright red like the locomotives. Well, digging into some research, there are numerous photos in Morning Sun books on the local railroad that show the brightly painted teardrop bells in their red glory. It was quite unique. This list you have going here is fun to sift through, but I had a few thoughts and questions.

First of all, there were obviously many Teardrop bells at one time, perhaps as common as a General Signals or Safetran E bell. But I get the impression that there were railroads that used them exclusively and I know that is how the Detroit and Mackinac and DT&I / Ann Arbor were. Id like to take a guess (as an Eastsider) that the Southern Pacific out west used them quite often as well.

Is there a way we can try to consolidate these posts into a master list of survivng Teardrops or are there still simply too many to try to attempt such a task? I would be happy to follow the Ann Arbor and note the remaining teardrops in Michigan to add to such a list. I just think it would be neat to put it into perspective, perhaps by State the known Teardrops. Whatcha think?

Michael

I could start some sub-forums up, like a "US&S Teardrop" sub-forum, and the topics would be in such states as "Arizona", "California", and where ever else they may exist.

Would people like to start seeing this?

Smjh1979 wrote:I could start some sub-forums up, like a "US&S Teardrop" sub-forum, and the topics would be in such states as "Arizona", "California", and where ever else they may exist.

Would people like to start seeing this?

That would be cool Mike, or if I may volunteer, I could go through all these posts and put them into one list and re post it, then people could just edit the list, just an idea. i may make a list just for my own referance

Mike

My good friend Nathan Nietering caught a nice old Teardrop in service the other night and took a video he wanted me to share with you, now before you ask "where is the crossing and flashers?" Let me answer, there are none. This little lone Teardrop stands guard atop a hill in a quiet part of Ann Arbor, protecting an otherwise un protected crossing.



In Nathan's words:
A few nights back I was still up well past midnight when I heard the distinctive sound of the northbound Ann Arbor breaking the night silence. The Ann Arbor Railroad's northbound road freight rolls through its namesake near the Pontiac Trail Crossing, at 1:30AM. The sounds of a still-operating "Teardrop" bell accompany the train's arrival. The GP39-2 twins have 21 covered hopper cars for interchange with the Great Lakes Central at Osmer Siding, north of Ann Arbor. 4/16/2010