Worst Bell ever.

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

The other day I was riding to Dallas Texas on an RDC of the Trinty Railway Express. Since I was in the first car I could hear the bell very clearly. It sounded terrable. It didn’t ring it Thunked. No ding or clang just Thunk!. It sounded like some one hitting a piece of rail with a hammmer. Today I was again on one of the RDCs and in the last car just so I didn’t have to listen to that bell. So does anyone else have a worst bell nomination?

By the way the seats and ride are in my opinon better then the new Bambardier cars.

2

Well, I would say the worst bell is the one not heard (as in abandond lines)[:(]

3

The worst bell sound is “As the last bell tolls”

4

Unkess the windows were open, you weren’t getting the correct bell sound from the car’s interior. I often have to answer the “what’s that?” question on Metra cab cars when the bell’s ringing (which is a lot!). You don’t get much ringing, but you get all of the mechanical noises.

Small wonder I prefer the CNW’s gongs (you still got the mechanical noises, but they weren’t as annoying).

5

On RDC’s the bell is located in center of car, on some cars underneat but on most RDC’s it hangs between the two stacks in the hump on top of the car.

you don’t really hear the bell sound, but will hear mechanical clanking inside the car.

6

The old W&LE had some steam locos in the 1940’s and 1950’s that were the clankiest[?] I ever heard.Not nice.

7

I’ll second the mechanical noise part - even in a locomotive. If you have a window open, you may get some “bell” sound, but otherwise, it’s just “ca-thunk, ca-thunk.” On long-hood-forward locomotives, it’s a little better.

8

Our city bus line has a bus made up like a trolley car, for use downtown. From the outside, it sounds like a ding-ding trolley bell. From the inside, it sounds like someone using a large, meatal plunger on a steel toilet.[xx(]

9

My vote for a ‘bad bell’ was those electronic affairs the Milwaukee Road was fond of in the late 60’s/early 70’s - sort of a rapid ‘doing-g-g-g’ sound…

Jim

10

The worst bell is the one on a grade crossing, heard by an unlucky motorist who’s stuck on a crossing… [:O]

Seriously, my least favorite are the ones the ring really fast. I like the slower mechanical bells that ding about once a second.

11

The ones on the CN locomotives that hang right up by the windshield . On the CN 5200’s , 5300’s , 2400’s , and the lower 2500’s . Oh and the 9400 and 9500 series . Loud … Bang Bang Bang . It’s a joy listening to those for 8 or 10 hours [(-D]

IF it was up to me there would not even be a bell . The horn should be enough .

12

While the horn may be enough for grade crossings, the bell is used in many instances where the continued use of the horn would be unwarranted. Primarily, the requirement to have the bell ringing when employees are on or about the track. I live near an active switching yard and I had a neighbor asking me, ‘Why to they ring that %*& Bell at 4 AM’. Not knowing the yards specific operations, but knowing our housing location in relation to the physical layout of the yard…the trains ringing the bell are passing the area of the switching lead and expect to find employees on or about the track.

13

On the territory that I run on we go through a town where it is bell only . “Quiet Zone”

It’s also a good thing to ring your bell before you move from a stand still .