Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

I had been wanting one of these mechanical bells for a while, and after Railtrack had posted about his WCH mechanical bell on Facebook, I expressed how I also wanted to get one. Well, lo and behold, there was also a signal maintainer in the group (who lives in Georgia) who happened to have one of these new in the box that he didn't want anymore. $230 and a day later, this arrived in a WCH box on my doorstep!
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
My WCH 0333 Mechanical Bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Tag from my WCH 0333 mechanical bell by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Some bits inside the bell are plastic, such as the terminal block and part of the hammer mechanism, so WCH can make the bells cheaper the manufacture, as WCH is the only manufacturer of them these days (as we all know). All I need is a pair of cables now...

Wow, it looks great brand new!

ZachL wrote:Wow, it looks great brand new!

That's because it's never seen any service. New-old stock equipment is always fun to have.

Do you happen to know when this particular bell was manufactured?

ZachL wrote:Do you happen to know when this particular bell was manufactured?

No, sadly, as there isn't a date in it like my WCH e-bell has.

freebrickproductions wrote:Some bits inside the bell are plastic, such as the terminal block and part of the hammer mechanism, so WCH can make the bells cheaper the manufacture, as WCH is the only manufacturer of them these days (as we all know). All I need is a pair of cables now...

Congratulations on your new bell, it looks great.

$230 is a bargain for a new WCH, I tried to buy one last year from RSI when they were still in business. I was quoted $500 just for the bell and then they wanted more for shipping. Not sure if it was their mark-up or they were trying to charge more because I'm an aussie. I ended up getting a used one from e-bay for a fraction of the price, it was near new but one of the plastic parts had worn out (must have came from a very busy crossing). Luckily I had a replacement part (made of metal) from an older 0333 and now it works really well. I should probably post some pictures one day to show which plastic parts wear out and what to look for when buying a used one (I still have the worn plastic part).

The plastic terminal blocks have been around for a long time, the Federal Signal bells had them. Maybe they used a better quality plastic then, but it really shouldn't make that much difference as they are not moving parts. I really can't understand the logic in making some of the moving parts from plastic, it sounds plain dumb to me. Cost must be the only factor, not quality. I've noticed that on many of the new ones installed in Australia lately they have slowed down the ring rate, probably so the plastic won't wear out so quickly. I've also noticed that the newer bells seem to age quite quickly, after only a year or two out in the weather the gongs will start to rust and they don't look very new any more!

Despite their faults I still really love these bells and the sound they make. I'm just glad that someone is still making mechanical bells, because if they stop we're stuck with e-bells only

Awesome! I saw your videos on it. I didn't realize you just got it.

Speaking of cables, just found those ones I mentioned to you awhile back. Should be able to mail them out within the next few days. They do work.

Nice bell by the way. Looks just like my WCH M-Bell.

LARDLOGO wrote:Speaking of cables, just found those ones I mentioned to you awhile back. Should be able to mail them out within the next few days. They do work.

Nice bell by the way. Looks just like my WCH M-Bell.

Ah, thanks. I'll send you a PM with my address.