train bell

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Need help in identifing old cast iron train bell, was my grandfathers, just trying to find history of.
Thanks Tom

2

Hi Tom,
Welcome to the forum. I’m sure you can find the expertise you are looking for on this forum, but you are going to have to provide all the info you can. “old cast iron train bell” is not going to cut it. Can you give us details on where it came from,how big is it,any markings,ect.?

3

…Or better yet, Pictures?

4

The bell is 16" across and the only marking is the one on the top, not sure what it is. I am going to have it sand blasted to remove the old paint and see if there are any other marking. MY grandfather lived in Pittsburg, PA. I think the bell was from that area, not real sure. Here is a link to the pics.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tom_ford735/album?.dir=c1ee&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3A//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tom_ford735/my_photos
Thanks for your help Tom Ford

5

While it may have RR lineage, it certainly looks more like it was a dinner or alarm bell in its last incarnation.

I’d consider chemical stripping before I looked at sandblasting. See if there is a plating facility around that might be able to dip it for you. There may be foundry markings hidden, and the abrasive nature of sandblasting might obscure them if the blaster isn’t careful.

6

God no, dont sand blast it…if you cant get it dipped like Larry sugested, try havig a good auto body shop media blast it with crushed walnuts or plastic pellets, maybe even glass bead blasting…sand blasting cast iron will run the risk of removing any raised casting marks…

Looks like who ever used it last modified the clapper, most, (not all) railroad bells have the clapper inside the bell…but the frame it is riding in looks like something a railroad shop would cobble together…old air line piping rigged into a frame…

You might consider contacting the NHRS in the Pittsburg area to see if they might have a clue as to what class locomotive it came from, if it is indeed a locomotive bell.

Ed

7

thanks for the tips, I have a friend that does platting, will see if he can dip it for me. As for the clapper it was mounted inside, the leather strap broke and i just wire it to the frame so it didnt get lost. As for the frame, I believe that my grandfather built it, and it was screw to a thread post cemented in the ground. Thanks for all your help will post again if I find any markings after dipping the bell
Thanks Again Tom