This is a good thing because it allows me to get pictures like this:
...and I get to see nifty towns like this:
The official greeter in Davis, Oklahoma
Later in the day, we passed over a railroad crossing and my son said, "OH MY GOD THAT'S A RARE BELL!"
He said it's called a teardrop bell and there aren't many around anymore. I'll take his word for it. He knows his stuff.
We spent a lot of time chasing trains and waiting for trains on this road trip, but then again that's a big part of my own family's history.
I enjoy all the train photos. My daughter is obsessed with trains right now. Her favorite baby doll is named Choo Choo Train.
ReplyDeleteI love that your son is into trains and that you take time to stop, look and listen. Most of us are in to much of a hurry. We had a youngster we baby sat for and would take him down to the rail yard or the local airport to sit and watch.
ReplyDeleteheh, that's nice about the doll. :) Glad you all like my hobby!
ReplyDeleteLook how skinny that boy is. He needs to eat more fried pie.
ReplyDeleteHe ate a ton of fried pie. My mom and dad were witnesses to the fact. The kid eats, I promise.
ReplyDeleteThe "Teardrop Bell" was built by Union Switch & Signal between 1917 and 1968, having the distinction of being one of the first railroad crossing bells ever made. Out of about 210,000 grade crossings in the United States, only 2,000 crossings are known to have 'em, many out west on former Southern Pacific lines.
ReplyDeleteHi Genset Foamer,
DeleteCrossingTalkAdmin/SETXRailfan here. I was also the one mentioned in this post. Thank you for commenting and telling us what years the bell was made. It was my first time seeing it on an active crossing, and I never expected to see it active. Yet somehow, I did. I was also surprised at the statistics. 2,000? I thought less than that.
Have a great day,
SETXR/CTA
The "Teardrop Bell" was built by Union Switch & Signal between 1917 and 1968, having the distinction of being one of the first railroad crossing bells ever made. Out of about 210,000 grade crossings in the United States, only 2,000 crossings are known to have 'em, many out west on former Southern Pacific lines.
ReplyDelete