Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Whats the deal w/ the Safetran M bell at 13:42? Sounds more like a WCH Product to me but clearly is a Safetran.

BNSF2184 wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:00 pm Whats the deal w/ the Safetran M bell at 13:42? Sounds more like a WCH Product to me but clearly is a Safetran.

Cast iron gong maybe? I know some 1st gen safetran mechanical bells had a similar sounding gong to the one in your vid.

Nascar Fan007 wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:06 am Cast iron gong maybe? I know some 1st gen safetran mechanical bells had a similar sounding gong to the one in your vid.

First off, there's no such thing as a "cast iron gong", as cast iron would be too brittle to work as a gong.

BNSF2184 wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:00 pm Whats the deal w/ the Safetran M bell at 13:42? Sounds more like a WCH Product to me but clearly is a Safetran.

That sounds like a 1st Generation Safetran mechanical bell, which largely used the same gongs as the older RACO/Griswold bells.

Interesting didnt know there were different generations of Safetran M bells.

BNSF2184 wrote: Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:00 pm Interesting didnt know there were different generations of Safetran M bells.

Yea. It appears the 1st Gen ones were only made for a few years from the early 1970s to about the mid/late-70s, so they aren't nearly as common as the 2nd Generation ones are.
Easiest way to tell 'em apart at a glance is that the 1st Generation ones feature a cast-on 4 inch base with three bolts (two on the back, one on the front) while the 2nd Generation ones feature a cast-on 5 inch base with only two bolts (two on the back, none on the front).