The search continues to be fruitless! Still looking for the location of bells of GP9s and SD9s, particularly for early versions under SP ownership. Views of hundreds of photos of western locos have shown no dingers whatsoever to this point. EMD must surekly have installed them. Any leads out there?
I believe you will find them tucked under the frame at whichever end was the front Usually at or behind the end plate. Possibly behind the steps. By the way, sometimes a railroad requested reuse of some parts. The bells on all the PRR E44 electrics came off of traded in engines.
While some locomotives (especially older ones) had bells mounted on the roof or on a nose bracket, most diesels have their bells under the frame around the lead truck area under the engineers side. The underframe bells are suceptable to snow build up, so several more modern locomotives are getting electronic bells (a.k.a. speakers) that play the bell sound. No moving parts to freeze up. Personal opinion is that these digital bells don't sound as good as a real bell.
pajrr While some locomotives (especially older ones) had bells mounted on the roof or on a nose bracket, most diesels have their bells under the frame around the lead truck area under the engineers side. The underframe bells are suceptable to snow build up, so several more modern locomotives are getting electronic bells (a.k.a. speakers) that play the bell sound. No moving parts to freeze up. Personal opinion is that these digital bells don't sound as good as a real bell.
I recall seeing a Milwaukee Road MP-15 back in 1977 that had one of those electronic bells. They are not as new as we might think, and yes, they do sound weird.
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