Marx Bell Crossing Signal No. 418

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Dub

Lionel 3 Rail
This can be an old accessory. They were first made in the Prewar Era. The main purpose here is to show what they are and give some details about them.
The first one vibrates a hammer using a coil with a spring. Powered by AC they can activated by a button or an insulated rail.
This one was dressed up for Xmas display.

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I removed the front which supports the bell unit to the stand. Wiring is simple. One coil wire is connected to an isolated post. The other wire is connected to the frame and ground post. Notice the flexible bar that acts as a spring that repeats the bell
 
TABS These accessories can be fun to repaint for your scheme, but you have to deal with tabs. TABS are held on by two methods, flap over and twisted. They are durable but can fail over time. The go around is having the extra part in hand. Or you just get crafty and solve it.
The picture in the above post shows both. If you notice the bent TABS are doubled up because there are two halves to the posts. These are not so simple to set. The secret is wedging between the TABS then setting them in place.

Below is an example of a single post. The Bell is weighted on one side. This type is mostly twisted. Notice the angled end for additional support.
The end needs to be flat against the base. If not, the whole post will lean forward. Some of these are not flat at all but can be corrected with a cutting wheel (if removed) or just use a small piece of plastic and wedge it in.

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Thin tabs I never bend back to original position but halfway and spring them out.
To initially lift tabs, I use an abused Xacto Knife blade to start the lift. The use a small screwdriver. Finally with clearance I use a small pair of pliers.

A complete view. This bell does not have a hammer but a coil operated clapper.
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This picture has the example of the plastic wedge in place on the backside of the picture.

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Looking at the clapper the most important piece is the spring. It is an easy thing to miss.
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The spring has a 3/16th width and 7/16th height.

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If you have to replace one these dimensions are a start. Just about any soft spring could work.

Added info on the screw a 6-32 about 1/8th inches long, very tiny screw.
 
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I also got a prewar Marx 417. It needs some work.

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This is just an introductory video you may like to watch. I found it to post here.
 




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