Difference in bell sounds?

Funny, all my PS-1 locomotives have the same bell sound, steamer/diesel/gas.  So I have noticed no variety among my locomotives.

The sound of a bell is defined by various components. First, the material of the bell. Bronze bells have a much sweeter ring to them compared to steel bells, which have more of a dull sound. The shape and size of the bell will also affect it's sound.

Then you have the different types of clappers. Some bells have free swinging clappers where, as the bell is swung in the yoke, the clapper will make contact with the bell. With this type of bell the crew could vary the ring cadence and loudness, a bit, by how they pulled on the bell cord. Other bells have air actuated clappers, where the bell is held stationary and an air piston pushes the clapper into the side of the bell.

Here is a very good bell information website.

http://www.bellsandbirmans.com/bells/bellfacts.php

1) There are basically two different types of bell operations; A) a swinging bell as on earlier steam locomotives, and B) a bell with an air operated clapper mounted inside the bell. As information, the SP Daylight steam locomotive does NOT have a swinging bell, but an air operated clapper inside the bell, which tends to give a more steady, faster ringing.

2) Many different materials make up locomotive bells, especially diesel bell, which were changed from brass/bronze castings to steel casting, thus no longer producing that nice "ringing" sound.

Yeah, the swinging bell is essentially more "old-fashioned". The NYC Hudsons, designed

in the 20's and 30's, had swinging bells. The NYC Niagara, a child of the 40's, had a stationary, moving-clapper bell mounted down under the pilot beam. Late steam and early diesel bells were pretty much cut from the same cloth, often. There were, however, some 

early diesel switchers with swinging bells. 

Another issue that tends to get me a bit aggravated is, the manufacturers don't seem to get the correct "bell sound" with the type of bell that the model real should have. Such as the sound of a beautiful steam locomotive "swinging bell", on a model that has an air operated "diesel bell" such as the SP Daylights, and the "Big Three" UP steam locomotives, and the NKP Berkshires, none of which had "swinging bells".

You learn something every day...  Thanks a lot fellas!

I liked the bell sound on my PS-1 Hudson.  It sounded authentic and clear like a swinging bell. When I had it upgraded to PS-2 it ended up with a rapid ding that sounds electronic.

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Dennis

I suppose bells on steam locos varied in tone and loudness just like churchbells do, and at least on very early ones by how the rope to activate them was pulled.  Were later ones controlled by a manual mechanism, too, or by a powered mechanism?

I would assume both horn and bell on modern (real) diesels are electronically synthesized - in which case they no doubt do have a perfectly even cadence and sound synthesized.

Hot Water, how many pitches do they use on new diesels today?  I heard one in the distance while I was out today that sounded like it had maybe four pitches.

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Dennis

Do you mean a bell?  With multiple "pitches"? Every EMD or GE diesel I've heard, for the last 25 years that was ringing the bell, all sounded the same to me.

Where I work we operate an 1873 Mason 0-6-4T, a rebuilt 1868 Manchester 0-4-0 (now 4-4-0) and an 1897 Baldwin 4-4-0 (and occasionally a 1942 GE 45 ton diesel) and all their bells have different sounds to them.  They're all brass bells, but different shapes, sizes and probably differences in the metal all make for unique tones.  The mason has a slightly duller quieter tone to it, where as the Manchester has a louder one.

Mason

Manchester

Baldwin

GE

Don't forget that a lot of diesels are now equipped with "E-Bells".  Essentially a loud speaker playing the sound of a bell instead of an actual bell.  There are fewer moving parts to maintain that way.

When I was recording sounds at the GE Transportation Plant in Erie, PA, several of the locomotives had electronic bells. Either the ES44 or the AC6000, I don't remember which. I do not know if these were representative of what they delivered to  customers, or if their customers replaced the electronic bell with a real one.

We were amused at how "fake" the electronic bells sounded--when they stopped ringing, the sound was abruptly truncated without the naturally occurring tail!

Exactly, plus in severely cold weather, those electronic bells never seemed to work well. nor did the sound cary very far. Of course, I'm remembering those electronic bells from the 1970s.

E Bells are definitely still in use.  Seems to vary by railroad, but they are installed on new locomotives as well as some older ones.

Even the NS F units have E bells

I meant the horn on the diesels.  They have several pitches blowing all at once, like a chord.  How many pitches are they using on some of them now?

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Dennis

Ah, the horn. That is a whole different story since there are many, many, many types of diesel horns available, and it all depends on what each different railroad specifies. Plus I believe there are still two manufacturers of horns, Nathan and Leslie. Another variable would be wear & foreign material in the diaphragms of the different bells of the horn assembly.

Just for some fun, go to santae158 1st reply and run all 4 of his youtube video's at once. Wow thats some bells.

Greg