Roughly ten times per week and for no more than a few minutes total, the pair of Model 15-A "teardrop" bells bonded to the gateless crossings at East Pine Street in Lodi chime rhythmically in a downtempo, low-pitched tone every time the Lodi Flyer makes a run to or from the ADM plant at Franklin. Reveling in the January afternoon sun and showing off its unmistakable lines that resemble a teardrop, the bell on the east side of the tracks anticipates the passage of Traction Company 1501.
Amazingly, just over two dozen functional teardrop bells survive in the Golden State. On top of that, East Pine Street is one of only handful of intersections with at least two teardrop bells at a single crossing. The Model 15-A holds the distinct honor of being the earliest patented railroad crossing bell in the United States. They were mass-produced between the late 1910s and the 1960s, making this particular unit at least fifty years old. Model 15-A's have become harder to pinpoint across America owing to age and faulty operation.
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