Sources / Ideas for Electromechanical Bells

Find a recording of a bell (should be pretty easy), and use one of the many audio modules we've discussed here many times, and you'll have ringing bells.  I"m not sure why they'd need to be electro-mechanical.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Find a recording of a bell (should be pretty easy), and use one of the many audio modules we've discussed here many times, and you'll have ringing bells.  I"m not sure why they'd need to be electro-mechanical.

Hehe...I just prefer electromechanical solutions on my PW layout to all of the circuitry that now is pervasive in the hobby.

If you really wanted to make a project out of it, you could set up a sprung solenoid, a shop counter bell or fire bell, and a timer of some kind.

http://www.islandpondrailroad....trains/nb2/index.htm

This might meet your needs:

The IC controls a regular old school bell

http://www.azatrax.com/bell-strobe-circuit.html

There was a company that made electromechanical doorbells, AF used them before the war on their ringing crossing signals. I think the company was Edward, Edmund something like that.

There was an Edmund Scientific when I was a kid ('50s-'60s), but I haven't heard about them for years? Probably long gone like so many others?

To start things off, to do some "continuous ringing" I bought one of these metal doorbells from Amazon.  It is 4" X 8" so I've mounted it by my transformer and now my son rings it when we pull a train "into the station". It's not too loud - but it's not quiet either. For $12 a good purchase. Works consistently across a wide range of typical AC voltages, too.  Next will be to tackle a bell for a slower ring rate.

For layout size sounds why not consider the mechanisms from the prewar Lionel 69 bell or the 76 ringing bell shack for continuous ringing and the mechanism from the 155 for the slower rate? All of these are on eBay frequently in various conditions where removal of the bell mechanism wouldn't hurt any value.

While not being an electro-mechanical bell, this gentleman makes sound modules that are simple to use.

http://ittproducts.com/hq.html

bigo426 posted:

For layout size sounds why not consider the mechanisms from the prewar Lionel 69 bell or the 76 ringing bell shack for continuous ringing and the mechanism from the 155 for the slower rate? All of these are on eBay frequently in various conditions where removal of the bell mechanism wouldn't hurt any value.

Good question - I started out thinking about doing exactly, but these don't show up on Da Bay too often (e.g., there are only 3 or 4 #155s on there now) and are typically in the $30-$45 each price range.  So I started to explore cheaper solutions.  I can now do the continuous ringing per my post for around $12 each (although the bell is a bit large to incorporate into something on the layout) but it's turning out to be difficult to replicate the #155's "one ring, once a second" action electromechanically.  It seems that the design Lionel implemented on the #155 (with a motor that actuates a hammer periodically) is the easiest way to accomplish same.  Rigging up a geared-down motor and associated hardware is probably more time than is worth - so I may just get one or two #155s (or their Marx equivalents) and be done with it.  But I was hoping someone sold a cost-effective, ready-made solution.

I must admit I also considered for a few minutes buying a SafeTran crossing bell - but then my wife walked into the room and I thought better of it...