Greetings, I own an antique locomotive bell and I think some members of the organization would be interesting in this collectors item. My father and I received the bell from our family, however, we have ran out of storage and can no longer keep it. The bell is 16" inches in diameter and in good condition. It is brass with an iron housing/base. The bell rings perfectly and rotates smoothly back and forth. It's from locomotive 1014 Baldwin and we have supporting documention dated from 1952 when the bell was gifted to our family from Clark Hungerford. We were hoping to get $1,800 obo for the bell ,however, we cannot have it delivered very far due to the weight. Therefore, the price is negotiable if it can be picked up. Kind Regards, William Thomas Charlotte, NC 704-620-3055
Understand you have made a deal with my friend in Tennessee to sell him the bell. Before we drive to Charlotte, from one Frisco guy to another (my father and grandfather were both "Frisco folks") is there anything at all the matter with this bell? Any dents or cracks that have been re-welded? I am asking because a while back we went to Chicago to look at a UP bell only to find that it had had a crack repaired, and not very well at that. Thanks for your help, and looking forward to some good North Carolina barbecue. Greg Stout Cape Girardeau, MO
Hi Mr Stout, I wouldn't consider myself an expert in these type of antiques, but it appears it is in great shape. The brass bell has no evidence of any type of repair work or damage. The bell surface is very smooth with no dents. The bell housing made of iron appears to have a few chips in the black paint around the top, but should be fine with a little touch up paint. We can take some close up pictures if you prefer? We definitely want to make sure you guys are comfortable buying it before making the trip. However, I don't think you'll be disappointed. You can also contact my father for questions 704-572-1326. He is more familiar with the history of the bell. Hope to see y'all soon!! Kind Regards
Here is the bell mentioned in the first post. My friend Mike (left) bought it, and we drove from Nashville, where he lives, to Charlotte to retrieve it. It too a lift like the ones used to work on cars to get it out of his truck and then a bucket on a big garden tractor to move it to where it was finally going. It came off Frisco 4-6-2 #1014 and came with a letter from Clark Hungerford documenting is authenticity. Boy, it is LOUD! GS
Was it common for the railroad's herald to be embossed on to the bell? I would have supposed that the manufacturer's logo would be stamped there?? Tom G.
Tom, The Frisco applied the coonskin to the bell after it was removed from the locomotive. Greg, Did the seller have a back story as to why the Frisco gave the bell to his relative. ?
I recall a conversation with "Mr. Frisco" Lee Buffington. He said the Frisco gave away so many steam engine bells, that the more bells they donated (to churches, schools etc.), the more requests they got. He said that the Frisco wound up having to buy some bells to fulfill all the requests. Tom G.
Would the value of this bell be in any way diminished if my friend were to have the yoke stripped and repainted? It has many layers of black paint and it is peeling quite noticeably. GS
GS, I don't think it would hurt the value at all, it would still be a very easy sell, for more than was paid. As a matter of fact, I would pay 2500 for one like the above bell if it was closer to my home......Tulsa
