Each time we get a young visitor to the shop I take great delight in showing them the train. That of course means they get to climb into the cab and toot the whistle and ring the bell. I've been closely watching the kids to see how I can make the experience even better. I mounted all of the real operating controls on the right side of the cab. This is where I will sit. The other side is for the kids. Most of the taps (which turn but don't actually do anything are there. Kids instinctively reach for them and adjust them. The whistle cord is in the centre, handy for me and the kids. Back when I first mounted the bell I did it as a fixed mount with the bell pull rope tied to the clanger. It worked fine for me but most kids pull hard on the rope and don't relate it. The result was a dull CLANK - not at all acceptable. The rope was also on my side of the cab. It was time for a fix.
A little quick research on the new gave me the basic design for the bell swing bracket which I modified to weld to the side of the stream dome as the whistle was on top. I built the vector files on my computer and then cut out the pieces on the MultiCam CNC plasma cutter. It took less than two hours to design, fabricate and mount the bracket. It works a whole lot better now and is a whole lot louder. One more piece of the puzzle is in place!
