I was looking at the top of CNJ 113's bell and there is a series of numbers and a letter stamped on it similar to Baldwin's class numbers but slightly different. Did Alco have a similar system and if so, could someone explain it to us?

Bernie Perch

HI Bernie

The numbers that you see, are more than likely are casting numbers , these numbers were used, for selecting which casting would be selected , to make up the part. I do hope this is of some help, Pat

Bernie -

When my son-in-law was the Pastor at a small church in Kentucky, the bell for the church sat on top of a fabricated metal tower outside of the sancturary itself. I was 99.99% certain that the bell was off of a steam locomotive and one day, I climbed the tower and found the number 1875 stamped in two places atop the bell. I am sure that the bell is off of L&N J-4 class 2-8-2 #1875.

Les

Les, I have heard stories about locomotive bells ending up in churches etc.

Looking at the Erecting Card and other literature pertaining to 6167, (a product of Montreal Locomotive Works, a subsidiary of ALCO) I don't recall ever seeing any sort of class mark, other then the classification that the railway assigned (U-2-e), nor have I found anything on the locomotive itself (only the builder and boiler number stamped on the dome for example).

However, did you write down the number you found stamped on the bell?

This information is stamped on the top of the nub which holds the bell on the bracket and is normally hidden by the washer and nut:

About 1/8" tall-------10 38 E(?)D 128 The E could be something else as it is slightly overstamped with the D.

About 3/8" tall and separately 2, 75, 8

Bernie Perch

Man, that looks like a Baldwin class number. Could you post a picture of the stamping? Most class stampings I've seen use a pretty distinctive font with large serifs. A Baldwin class number of 10 38 D 128 indicates a 4-6-0 (or, possibly a 2-6-2) with 22" cylinders. 128 indicates it was the 128th engine in this class. I don't have a complete list of Baldwin class numbers, but the list I do have shows that 10 38 D 123 was an engine built for the Central of New Jersey Railroad in 1910. This bell likely belonged to this order of engines. I would guess this mystery 4-6-0 was numbered 2758 at some point in her career, and 113 received it as a replacement.
-Stu

Stu,

My first impression when looking at the bell was that it was a Baldwin class number even though CNJ 113 is an Alco.

If this is a Baldwin bell, it would be for a 4-6-0 because a 2-6-2 would have a fraction in the number indicating a trailing truck.

The 2 is nowhere near the 758, so if this is the locomotive number, it would be 758 and the CNJ had a 4-6-0 with the number 758. I don't have the exact records for this locomotive, but based on what records I have for other locomotives on either side of it, it could have these size cylinders and built in that time frame. Is there someone out there who could verify this?

If the class number 128 lines up with CNJ 758, we have our locomotive and 113 has a bell from another locomotive.

Stu, thank you for your information and input.

I don't know how to post photos on this forum.

Bernie

Taking this back to Alco bells, a few years ago I had occasion to stamp a "STOLEN FROM..." legend on the bell on Soo Line 2442, Schenectady, 1911, now on display in the city park in Marshfield, WI. I was kind of surprised to find a number stamped on the bell, visible outside the hanger, that was neither the engine number nor the builder's shop number. It turns out it was the Alco order number. I suspect this may have been standard practice at Alco.