Crossing bell

[Glenn Brooks]

Here is a Craigslist find I am thinking of buying for my RR. What is the simplest method to activate the ringer on something like this?

P.S. Yes! Pictures are good! Here's the picture

[Harold_V]

Here is a Craigslist find

Picture? Link?

H

[Steggy]

Here is a Craigslist find I am thinking of buying for my RR. What is the simplest method to activate the ringer on something like this?

That bell appears to be either a Jenkins Supering single stroke direct current unit or something very similar to the Jenkins product. If so, you ring it by applying a short pulse of direct current to it, which rapidly lifts a plunger that strikes the inside of the gong. The duty cycle would be approximately 25/75, meaning 25 percent on and 75 percent off at a rate of two times per second for grade crossing use.

Ask the seller for model information, especially operating voltage. The seller may have to remove the gong to expose the mechanism and label(s). If it is a single stroke DC bell I may be able to help you with a bell "dinger" module I designed and built for use on large scale locomotives.

[Glenn Brooks]

Thanks Mr. Big!

I emailed the guy. Indeed it is D.C. powered, but he offered no other info. I'll ask again about voltage. I guess my primary interest is mounting it under the hood of a diesel outline switcher I will be rebuilding. Would this be feasible do you think?

Glenn

[southwestern737]

That looks exactly like the bell on my USS crossing signal, if it is just connect 12v DC and it will work, no need for anything else, it uses a spring and contact to make it ring and it is all located inside the bell.
Good luck.
Brent

[Mike Walsh]

Its most likely 12v because railroad systems operate on 12v (except the chargers, at 120v). Most electronic bells you just feed it a constant supply of 12v and it will do its own thing. Safetran, WCH, etc., have internal systems that trigger the gong mechanism on a repeatable basis with a steady supply of 12v.

Mike

[Erskine Tramway]

Hi Glenn.....

Put it in a notch in the nose, like the C&N-W did.

Mike

[Steggy]

Would this be feasible do you think?

It should be, assuming its physical size is workable for you.

That looks exactly like the bell on my USS crossing signal, if it is just connect 12v DC and it will work, no need for anything else, it uses a spring and contact to make it ring and it is all located inside the bell.

No easy way to determine that without removing the gong. The mechanically interrupted ones of the type you describe usually ring too fast to accurately simulate a bell on a typical Diesel locomotive. The ring rate of a locomotive's bell is usually in the range of 1 to 1.5 seconds. Grade crossing bells ring at the approximate rate of twice per second, 0.5 seconds between rings.

Most electronic bells you just feed it a constant supply of 12v and it will do its own thing.

I don't believe that bell is electronic.

[Glenn Brooks]

Is there some way to vary the ring rate of the gong? Make it 1second rather than .05 second? Maybe with some sort of 12 v controller....?

[makinsmoke]

Paging Chuck Hackett.......

[Mike Walsh]

I don't believe that bell is electronic.

So, you expect a crossing tender to hit the gong every 0.5 seconds?

It's a 12v mech.

-Mike

[ccvstmr]

Mike...there's a difference between "electrical", "electro-mechanical" and "electronic". Old time railroad controls were usually anything BUT electronic. Might have had something to do with the caliber of persons expected to service and support such hardware. A true bell tone is one of those sounds most difficult to replicate electronically. Kinda like a ducks "quack".

Find attached a photo of one of BDD's "electronic" control boards for a single stroke bell (Jenkins?) mounted in my Backyard Rails NYC F-7 loco. Repeated single strokes provides the stroke...pause...stroke...pause, etc...on whatever time base is set on the controller.

No sense throwing darts blindly. Until Mr. Brooks can verify the type of bell and the internal workings...it's difficult to provide direction regarding any change to the ring timing. Carl B.