A Summer Day Out on the Strasburg Railroad LAST VIDEO ADDED!

When 475 passes around 1:16, what's up with the bell?  Sounds like a pneumatically actuated bell, although the one on top of the boiler shell appears to have a rope and remain stationary.

I've seen the type of actuated bell where the bell is swung with a pneumatic cylinder, and I've seen bells with a pneumatically actuated striker - but never this combination of apparently pneumatic and manual rope.  How does it work?

Thanks for posting, looks like it was a perfect day for a ride to Paradise!

475 does indeed have a pneumatic ringer with a cord going back to the cab. My best educated guess would be it's there in case the pneumatic ringer fails and the fireman needs to still ring the bell for crossings and such. 

In addition, a quick pull on that cord may sometimes be necessary to start the bell moving, and the air cylinder then keeps it ringing.

Wonderful to see the 475 running!

Thanks for the information. I had a feeling that she was down for inspection. 

At least she'll come out looking brand new!

Indeed! 475 is my favorite engine at the Strasburg Railroad. I really like how she looks now with the head light mounted on the boiler face instead of the top of the boiler like #90. 

I have an itch for N&W as well 

Mike, I am glad that you had a great day at Strasburg with your family. We've been there 3 times over the years and can't wait to go again. And as jdevleerjr said above I strongly recommend the shop tour at noon.  We've done that tour twice (didn't know about it the first time we went). The tour sold out each time, so you might want to sign up for it in advance.  We were fortunate on one of the tours to have it led by someone living the dream: a local guy who grew up in Strasburg, who became a mechanic, and who had been working at the Strasburg shop for something like 5-6 years.  We even saw a "Thomas"  engine who was in for repairs.

Thanks for sharing your pics and video.

90 is not down for her 1472. She is having running gear work done. The plan is to have her done by December, when 89 is due for her 1472.

At least, that's what I was told by Strasburg employees on a Strasburg railroad facebook page.

You're welcome! 

I plan on eventually doing the hostler tour and the shop tour both on the same day to really get a "behind the scenes" look.

It is really nice to see that Strasburg understands railfans and allows them to get a really good look at what steam railroading is all about. 

My wife and I have done the shop tour twice and last year did the hostling and shop tours in the same day. A great look behind the scenes and at all the steps required to get a steam engine ready for the day. A couple of photos from the hostling tour.

Highly recommend both.

Scotie

Great pictures Scotie! 

Here are some more! 

Here are a few shots from:

May 2012

August 2014

July 2015

How long will the 475 be operating?  I might run up there to see it this weekend

I would expect it to be sharing duties this entire summer while #90 is getting worked on, so it should definitely be running if you go this weekend. 

A minor point, but they have a parking lot set up directly in view of the trains. I wonder what it would take to set up a line of trees or foliage that would mature in years to block the cars from the videos.

I sure hope they never do anything like that! 

IMHO, the fact that it is pretty much wide open gives railfans like me plenty of areas to look at! Our parking space was literally 10 feet from the tracks with unobstructed views of the structures around it. 

Part 2 of my Strasburg Railroad series!

Enjoy!

Last video of the series! Enjoy everyone!