McK&H.Aust wrote:
Nice find with the video. Apparently that teardrop was a Westinghouse, the one at Orange also sounds different and the gong actually has a rounder shape, so maybe they changed the gongs on the newer ones. The wording around the Westinghouse logo on the bell at Orange is also different, it reads "Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co. Pty Ltd" while all of the other ones I have seen read "Westinghouse McKenzie Holland Pty Ltd".
The teardrops that read "Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co. Pty Ltd" are the newest teardrop bells, most likely made in the early 80's.
McK&H.Aust wrote:
Nice find with the video. Apparently that teardrop was a Westinghouse, the one at Orange also sounds different and the gong actually has a rounder shape, so maybe they changed the gongs on the newer ones. The wording around the Westinghouse logo on the bell at Orange is also different, it reads "Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co. Pty Ltd" while all of the other ones I have seen read "Westinghouse McKenzie Holland Pty Ltd".
The teardrops that read "Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co. Pty Ltd" are the newest teardrop bells, most likely made in the early 80's.
It's interesting that those are the newest teardrop bells, but they also seem to be the rarest. They must have only been in production for a short time.
McK&H.Aust wrote:
It's interesting that those are the newest teardrop bells, but they also seem to be the rarest. They must have only been in production for a short time.
Yeah, they are incredibly rare. There used to be a "Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company" branded teardrop at Talbot, Victoria a few years back, but the crossing has since been trashed by V/Line. All of the Westinghouse teardrops I've seen in recent times (even those on disused lines) have the older WH-McK&H dual branding on the back. In fact It's quite possible that the bell in Orange is the last "Brake and Signal" bell still operating!
The teardrop bell sounded quite weak when I filmed it last year, so I'm not surprised that it has gone. At least it wasn't replaced by an e-bell, and it is encouraging to see mechanical bells still being installed in 2017. The new bell can be seen in this video starting at the 4:12 mark (it's the one closest to the camera).
The teardrop bell sounded quite weak when I filmed it last year, so I'm not surprised that it has gone. At least it wasn't replaced by an e-bell, and it is encouraging to see mechanical bells still being installed in 2017. The new bell can be seen in this video starting at the 4:12 mark (it's the one closest to the camera).
I wonder if the WCH bell came from the Clifton crossing?
Metro, why do you keep removing Mechanical bells?!
Following a recent visit to the area, I can confirm that this crossing at Lansdowne still has a teardrop bell and remains unchanged from the 2010 GSV images. https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-31.790 ... 312!8i6656
The bell is a super rare Westinghouse teardrop, and is branded "Westinghouse Brake & Signal Company". There are currently no plans to upgrade the crossing and the bell sounds quite healthy, so hopefully it will survive for a few years yet.
Sadly another nearby crossing at Coopernook has not been so fortunate. It was recently upgraded with new signals, and the teardrop bell has been replaced by a WCH e-bell. https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-31.805 ... 312!8i6656
All of the Westinghouse teardrops I've seen in recent times (even those on disused lines) have the older WH-McK&H dual branding on the back. In fact It's quite possible that the bell in Orange is the last "Brake and Signal" bell still operating! 
