What's Happened To The Bells?

[BCR751]

I have been watching a few videos on YouTube recently an noticed that many grade crossings with flashing lights no longer have bells and on the ones that do, the bells only ring for a very short time and stop prior to the train reaching the crossing.  Have the rules governing grade crossings changed?  Seems counter-productive to me.

Doug

[CNR5529]

Do these crossings have gates? There are many crossings where municipalities have petitioned for the railways to stop "making noise". This includes no longer using the horn, and having crossing bells that only chime while the gates are coming down. Once the crossing is secured by the gates, there is no real need for the bell any more.

Fredrick

[C855B]

Bell protocol has changed over the years, and was for a long time dependent on each RR's policy. Examples I recall from long ago is SP would ring the bells as long as the lights were flashing, and ATSF would ring during flashing but if there were gates it was only while gates were going down or up, with a few seconds of ringing before gate activation. Current local practice (CN) is bells ring before and while gates are lowering only.

The logic behind ringing when gates are raising is to remind pedestrians about the counterweight.

I'm sure there are now FRA and/or NHTSA rules determining when bells are rung, or not, and possible relationships to "quiet zones" when applicable.