How to Locomotive builders or rebuilders decide where to put the locomotive’s bell?
Why did railroads like the DT&I and CNW use gong type bells instead of regular bells
How did they decide where to put the gong type bells? I’ve seen pictures of them in pretty bizarre places.
Personal preference.
Gong bells sound similar to older crossing bells, as they are pretty much the same thing.
I don’t mind e-bells or gong bells on engines, as long as they work reliably in all weather conditions. Many times the regular bells freeze up in winter. The ones mounted higher up on the body seem to work better on the cold, and don’t vibrate the floor either.
One interesting thing about C&NW’s gongs: they were trainlined. If the engineer rang the gong in the lead unit of a consist of CNW units, all of the gongs would ring. They sounded like old grade crossings, but slower–perhaps 75 rings per minute (a little faster than one per second).
Trainlining the gongs could lead to a problem, though. One time the C&NW leased some Chessie units. Actuating the gong on a CNW unit led to some strange and undesirable effect on the gong-less Chessie unit–dropped its load or something (I can’t remember). Not sure how UP units were affected when CNW units were leading, but this could be what eventually led to the replacement of the gongs with ordinary bells, post-merger (which is why I have a problem with the premise of your question 8).
No doubt just two different brands. Depends on who the railroad does business with. You’ll probably find different brands of lights, crossbucks, and gates on various crossings if you look closely.
