This may be a video that I'm uploading today but there's actually a teaser tied into it within the intro. (0:07) Those who know what to look for will know what I'm going to be uploading tomorrow. Anyways, about this video.
I bet at least one person thought I'd have to resort to General Signals bells sooner or later, it's going to be a while before I resort to them because I think they're the most common and most easiest model to make a video on.
The Safetran Type 3 has been in production since the 2000s and has proven to be a mainstay in the Safetran lineage unlike its predecessors the Type 1 and the Type 2. While the Safetran Type 1 has proven to be a design with one fundamental flaw (it's just too easy to damage) and the Type 2 has been sold off to National Electric Gate, the Type 3 design has remained a mainstay for Safetran and its new owner Siemens.
The Type 3 features a more robust design with an all-metal exterior. But it too seems to fall into the failures after initial production. Though it seems a bit more inconsistent to me where some of these bells still ring to this day, there are many cases of Safetran Type 3's dying out and being replaced by GS Type 2's or 3's. Sometimes with another Safetran Type 3 at the crossing. While it does provide some fun bell combos, it does beg the question whether Siemens has actually made improvements to the original design for a better lasting bell that won't die out due to certain elements.
The majority of these Type 3's are the standard low pitch however, SEPTA seems to be taking an interest in the high tone Type 3's so maybe the presence of high tone E bells in the northeast may grow in the coming years. Only time will tell.
