# Antique Railroad Locomotive Bell



## weppler1978 (Nov 13, 2012)

Hello
I recently listed an antique railroad bell, very large brass or bronze one on eBay for sale. I was wondering if anyone might be able to tell me specifically what train it would have been on or if there is a way for me to tell? I have had a few requests asking this and am not sure how to tell or offer more info. Any help is appreciated very much guys.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...0882762572

Thanks!
Traci
Chesleys of Florida
http://www.chesleysofflorida.com/


----------



## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

I,am not sure but i think what you have is a church bell. Because of the size and the tone when you rang it. That being said it is still a great bell and worth the bid price.


----------



## aopagary (Jun 30, 2008)

it's really not that large for a steam locomotive. a few 1:8 scale bells i see have a 2" flared bell (16 inches in 1:1). i will take a little exception on the date, though. this was likely off a larger locomotive and nothing that size was probably built until at least the 1920's or so. it might be close to impossible, however, to trace the heritage unless there is a cast in w/o number. even in the early 20th century, parts were parts, and i doubt if very many railroads or even locomotive manufacturers cast their own bells when companies could supply those off the shelf.


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I cannot tell if the wood portion is original with the bell, (which would make it a church, school or fire bell, normally mounted in a bellfry) or a locomotive/engine bell remounted on the wood by someone. 

Most early Engine/locomotive bells either were swung from a harp with a crank arm or the clapper was pulled with a rope. That one is kind of big to be swung via a crank arm on a locomotive. 

The lack of a specific place to hook a rope to the clapper and from the view up inside the bell, it appears to be equiped with an auto-ringer (air operated plunger that swings the clapper). I don't know when those came into use. but I suspect later than 1900. You might do some web reseach on that to get a better estimate of the age. 

Present price of scrap brass ranges from $0.75 to $2.80 per pound, depending on the specific alloy and source. That bell is probably up in the upper range of those prices just for the scrap. I would guess at least $400 in brass (probably more), so the price, as a unique and relative rare RR item, should exceed that value. But without provanance not much more than that. It is possible that there are numbers stamped in the bell stem (the upper part hidden in the wood now), possibly around the side of the stem or on the end, but even if there is, I doubt you will find anything that will tell you anything of value; it'll just be a few meaningless digits. 

I know that in today's antiques market (as defined by "Antiques Road Show" on PBS), it is said that the patina should be preserved, but I prefer a shiny gold-brass color so I'd be torn about cleaning the daylights out of it or leaving the patina alone! 

I have two somewhat smaller bells, one brass and one cast iron. The brass one is kept clean and shiny and the cast iron one was painted gold a long time ago by someone else and I have not altered it. Both are from Diesel Locomotives and are about 1-ft across the mouth and 1-ft tall and sound great! I am working toward making one of them work for my front doorbell! (hee hee hee!).


----------



## Ray Cadd (Dec 30, 2008)

I agree with Pete, the bell you have does not follow the 'normal' profile of the steam locomotive bells that I have seen. Locomotive bells normally have a slightly 'sharper' profile, in the curves, and a heavier bottom lip. Of course, there may be exceptions. Either way, without a mark of some sort, it's virtually impossible to positively identify it.


----------



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

It could well be a locomotive bell. a locomotive bell will be attached to its yoke by a single threaded bolt or stud. it looks as if there is a bolt though running up to the top of the wood peices you have however there also appears to be a bolt running perpendicular to it which I do not understand. 

If that bell was from a steam locomotive, even the newest one left out side since it was obtained from the scrapped engine would tend to look old like that. I would not trust the date, infact I would expect an old bell from that time to be fancier. 

I cannot see wear from the bell being rung many thousands of times as a loco bell would have been.


----------



## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Not sure if it is a locomotive bell or not, but the size is right!
some info on locomotive bells: Locomotive bells

that page says loco bells would often have stampings on the top..
this one does not appear to have any..
but thats not necessarily an automatic way to prove or disprove if its a loco bell..
I would say its more likely to *not* be a locomotive bell, but im not an expert..

Scot


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

At least 3 of the photos of the bell are upside-down (note the upside-down dog in the background of one of them!), yet the clapper is sticking straight up in the mouth of the bell. This indicates to me the clapper is suspended in a ringer mechanism.

Did clock and carrillion bells have air operated ringers? I would suppose some did, so that is not necessarily a clue as to the use of the bell as RR or non-RR, but I still think the air ringer puts the date as newer than the late 1800's, but I cannot find yet when the air ringer was invented.

See: 

http://www.bellsandbirmans.com/bells/bellfacts.php

for more info about air ringers.

The ringer in this particular bell appears to be of the horizontal type, like the EMD #8132199 or EMD #8095858. The clapper would hang in the center of the bell if it were the latter and just off center if the former. A vertical ringer would put the clapper a bit further off center. With no automatic ringer (bell designed to swing), the clapper would hang in the exact center.


----------

