Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

ZachL wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Interesting! I wonder what material could be wearing out then on newer models to start that symptom up sooner.

Probably the plastic materials for the hammer mechanisms.

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Not my old WCH bell.

Railtrack wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Not my old WCH bell.

Yours was probably well maintained.

ZachL wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Interesting! I wonder what material could be wearing out then on newer models to start that symptom up sooner.

I have a theory about the newer WCH bells with the plastic parts (just a theory, I'm no expert). The part that connects the armature to the hammer mechanism is made of plastic and therefore is lighter than the previous metal version, but the hammer itself is still made from metal. The extra weight in the metal part probably acted as a counterweight against the hammer, but now that it's plastic the magnets would have to do more of the work. The plastic also wears out because it is rubbing against metal pivots at either end.

Hope I didn't put you guys to sleep with that lol. I know with the older bells the contact can become dirty and pitted which can effect the operaton of the bell.

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ZachL wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Interesting! I wonder what material could be wearing out then on newer models to start that symptom up sooner.

I have a theory about the newer WCH bells with the plastic parts (just a theory, I'm no expert). The part that connects the armature to the hammer mechanism is made of plastic and therefore is lighter than the previous metal version, but the hammer itself is still made from metal. The extra weight in the metal part probably acted as a counterweight against the hammer, but now that it's plastic the magnets would have to do more of the work. The plastic also wears out because it is rubbing against metal pivots at either end.

Hope I didn't put you guys to sleep with that lol. I know with the older bells the contact can become dirty and pitted which can effect the operaton of the bell.

And because of all of that is probably why most railroads started preferring e-bells over mechanical's.

cabman701 wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ZachL wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Interesting! I wonder what material could be wearing out then on newer models to start that symptom up sooner.

I have a theory about the newer WCH bells with the plastic parts (just a theory, I'm no expert). The part that connects the armature to the hammer mechanism is made of plastic and therefore is lighter than the previous metal version, but the hammer itself is still made from metal. The extra weight in the metal part probably acted as a counterweight against the hammer, but now that it's plastic the magnets would have to do more of the work. The plastic also wears out because it is rubbing against metal pivots at either end.

Hope I didn't put you guys to sleep with that lol. I know with the older bells the contact can become dirty and pitted which can effect the operaton of the bell.

And because of all of that is probably why most railroads started preferring e-bells over mechanical's.

This bell, in a crossing I've recorded, is off beat, a little bit.

Railtrack wrote:

cabman701 wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ZachL wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Interesting! I wonder what material could be wearing out then on newer models to start that symptom up sooner.

I have a theory about the newer WCH bells with the plastic parts (just a theory, I'm no expert). The part that connects the armature to the hammer mechanism is made of plastic and therefore is lighter than the previous metal version, but the hammer itself is still made from metal. The extra weight in the metal part probably acted as a counterweight against the hammer, but now that it's plastic the magnets would have to do more of the work. The plastic also wears out because it is rubbing against metal pivots at either end.

Hope I didn't put you guys to sleep with that lol. I know with the older bells the contact can become dirty and pitted which can effect the operaton of the bell.

And because of all of that is probably why most railroads started preferring e-bells over mechanical's.

This bell, in a crossing I've recorded, is off beat, a little bit.

I'm kind of having a hard time telling if that actually might be because of your camera's microphone.

ToledoRailfan wrote:

Railtrack wrote:

cabman701 wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ZachL wrote:

freebrickproductions wrote:

ZachL wrote:Do older WCH bells do this, or just the newer ones?

Both it seems. For the older ones, it's typically due to age.

Interesting! I wonder what material could be wearing out then on newer models to start that symptom up sooner.

I have a theory about the newer WCH bells with the plastic parts (just a theory, I'm no expert). The part that connects the armature to the hammer mechanism is made of plastic and therefore is lighter than the previous metal version, but the hammer itself is still made from metal. The extra weight in the metal part probably acted as a counterweight against the hammer, but now that it's plastic the magnets would have to do more of the work. The plastic also wears out because it is rubbing against metal pivots at either end.

Hope I didn't put you guys to sleep with that lol. I know with the older bells the contact can become dirty and pitted which can effect the operaton of the bell.

And because of all of that is probably why most railroads started preferring e-bells over mechanical's.

This bell, in a crossing I've recorded, is off beat, a little bit.

I'm kind of having a hard time telling if that actually might be because of your camera's microphone.

No, I was listening to the bell and it was off beat

I don't hear anything off-beat there, either...

ZachL wrote:I don't hear anything off-beat there, either...

Just a little bit