Bells on locos?

a general question to you all please.why do US locos have bells, seems only US locos use them, is it a carry over from the steam days?
thanks in advance if can help with question.mark

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RE: Bells on locos?, jbt1024, Aug-07-04, 08:34 PM, (1) RE: Bells on locos?, ATSF107, Aug-07-04, 09:54 PM, (2) RE: Bells on locos?, cn_bayview, Aug-07-04, 10:38 PM, (3) RE: Bells on locos?, jumboman44211, Aug-08-04, 06:47 AM, (4) RE: Bells on locos?, ASR_Q301, Aug-08-04, 07:47 AM, (5) RE: Bells on locos?, Jonatan, Aug-08-04, 01:35 PM, (6) RE: Bells on locos?, Grimace780, Aug-08-04, 02:02 PM, (7) RE: Bells on locos?, thenudehamster, Aug-08-04, 04:35 PM, (8) RE: Bells on locos?, chucksc, Aug-08-04, 04:49 PM, (9) RE: Bells on locos?, JohnDWW, Aug-08-04, 05:13 PM, (10) RE: Bells on locos?, CPTrainman63R, Aug-10-04, 08:37 PM, (11) RE: Bells on locos?, kylestabell, Aug-20-04, 02:15 PM, (12)

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Safety matter, when you hit the horn it automaticly comes onSteam engines, that is also why they had themThanks,
Jonathan T.

JBT #55
River District MP. 242
Arkansas Railfannin
I'm FWLS Bench warmer

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LAST EDITED ON Aug-07-04 AT 09:54 PM (EST)

Yea, and I think in the U.S. cattle was also a large problem. So instead of scaring them AND getting lunch, they decided to just scare them, so they added the bell, I guess.

Zach Lybrand
President and Founder of the Fort Worth Locomotive Shops
modeler and cab and sounds person!!! PM me if you want to apply!
ATSF 107 http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=48426

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It's pretty much a safety precaution. It gives people a warning of a trains approach without blowing the horn in their face.
Also provides an alternative to blowing the horn in a town, mind you the bell can't be heard over load music and other load noises, but its better then nothing I suppose!Rob

TH&B Van #68
www.greatlakesrail.com

Check out my train photos!http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=472

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Believe it or not....but some locos in Australia have them also. The "NR" class of Pacific National...(formally National Rail) have them fitted, but in some states of Australia, they are not used..instead we have a blaring great horn to contend with !!
The big GE's had them fitted,as I believe,because some members of the employee cab committee wanted them on. Personally, I like 'em!
Cheers

44211
AUSTRALIA

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Yeah...When I was over in Melbourne back in 1997...I saw brand-new NR1 shunting around Dynon Yard with the bell ringing. I had no idea!! A lot of drivers here use the bell when switching/shunting on the "NR Class"...some use it for show when they see a group of Railfans up the track with video cameras!! I like the idea of bells on locomotives! There was a RUMOUR the N Class were getting them...but this turned out to be not true.>Mike Forster<
Perth, Western Australiapacificnational_nr103@hotmail.com
http://www.trainweb.org/aussiepix

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I think it's a great show when in old movies the train steams up past you with the bell ringing and whistle blowing.I like to see when it swings so much it almost swings a 360, now that is nifty!/JonatanSteam rules!

Train gifs from Dans Railroad Gif RoundhouseNever trust computers. If you do, they will betray you.I'm the steam freak, ph34r me!!

My E-mail jonatan.gronoset@telia.com

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Canadian locos have bells as well. I used to work for Northwood Pulp and Timber in Prince George, British Columbia. Northwood owns and operates Canada's third largest industrial railroad. When the locos were being used, the bell was usually going. Especially in areas close to the mill that had high pedestrian and vehicle traffic.(Though when I was sitting at my desk I could often feel the floor vibrating before I could hear the bell.)Cheers,
Gary Cameron
Grande Prairie "The last civilized stop before Alaska," AB
Canada

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I'm an import from the UK, so this is a guess based on movies and my experience of living and working near the MBTA (Boston's "T"). I'm also likely to start an argument so, my apologies in advance for that.It seems to me that initially the bell was sounded on approach to a station (should I say 'depot'??) and preparatory to departure; every commuter train I saw on the "T" did this, but the M-o-W trains didn't - they just whistled at some crossings - sometimes . I would guess because there was no such thing as a PA system to make announcements, they needed some way of telling people that the train was stopping, or about to move. The bell wouldn't be confused with a warning whistle. I'm guessing that the bell on modern locos is the result of a holdover of this practice, much like the long drawnout whistle at a crossing; I mean, is that really necessary at 2 in the morning in the middle of a city environment with fully barriered crossings? My assumption is that the automatic bell is just another labour-saving device.

Barry
Certified Old Fart
=========================
Any opinion expressed above is hereby warranted to be worth exactly what you paid for it.

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IIRC the actual original purpose for the bell is a safety device to warn people nearby that heavy machinery is in motion or about to be in motion. This is similar to the warning devices on Shipyard cranes, Heavy lifts at steel mills, the beepers on trucks (when they backup)... Also Gun turrets on war ships have warning bells when they are training (moving to point at a target for you land lubbers ) The idea is that the operator cannot always see every inch of the machine and there might be people close enough to get hurt if the machine starts moving with no notice.... Hence the Bell is sounded just before the train starts moving... On some locomotives that were especially quiet like the Bipolars the Bell would automatically ring constantly when it was in motion... Cranes do that also....
The ringing when the horn sounds and all the rest came later....Chuck Schneider
Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and (Virtual) CEO

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We occassionly go to the BNSF Yard in Bakersfield,CA and watch what is going on. Bakersfield is a crew change stop for BNSF. When they are coming into the yard and stop at the office they are using their bells and turn off as soon as they are stopped. A new crew comes out and when they are ready they turn on their lights and start the bell ringing. After they are moving and near the yard limits the bell is turned off. When I was younger and lived in a small town in Southern Calif, we had a steam train come into town. They usally blew their wistle in crossing the streets in town. When they started to switch cars into and out of sidings they would use their bell. They were crossing streets in the industrial and commercial areas. John Dunbar

Senior Activity Developer
3DTS
john@3dtrainstuff.com

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like the msts locos bells were to be turned on aproaching any road crossing, passing another train, station, gathering of people, or working crews, and not turned off until away from the danger. as a lot of towns and cities do not alow blowing the wistle within the city limits the use of the bell is required until the loco has passed the crossing.CPTrainman63R
Rick

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Before I got MSTS I thought ALL trains had bells on the engine some where, like say when I was young and watched Thomas the Tank engine I thought the reason why I couldn't see the bell was because it was in about the same place as those on American diesels, not that there was in fact no bell at all...

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