Does anyone know how to create the sound of a crossing signal bell?

Question

What objects when hit together can do this? Can you buy an old one from the railroad?

Answer 1

Visit a local hobby store, usually a bigger one.  They have recordings and replicas that are used on model railroads.

Are you looking for an actual bell?  Try Ebay, they used to have a good selection of crossing bells.

Answer 2

While you're shopping, it may be helpful to know that crossing bells are more often called crossing gongs.

Answer 3

Lots of bells (gongs) will make that kind of sound.  If you want the real magilla, go to eBay or your local major railroad's signal department, sure to have some used.  Unfortunately, SafeTran no longer makes real bells, they make a sound-alike facsimile:

http://www.safetran.com/product/signal.a...  page A-8-1.

Wiring to them is fairly simple if I recall: 2 wires.  Put 12VDC across em, they go "ding ding ding".

Answer 4

The other two answers that have been given for this question are extremely vague, and don't exactly pertain to the question.  I own a crossing bell, and I know how it works.  There is a wire leading from the bottom of the bell into the ground, that is hooked up to a switch.  When the train runs over the switch, which is placed a distance from the crossing, the switch turns the bell on and makes the lights flash and the gate go down.  Electricity runs up the wire into the bell, hits a battery, the battery becomes charged, and a small charge hits a small button on the back of the bell, the button depresses, and a small hammer inside the bell moves up and hits the side, thus making the bell ring repeatedly.   If you would like, I can open my bell up and demonstrate it for you on a YouTube video, or I can send you pictures of the process.  

As for how to obtain one, I went to an old crossing on an abandoned railroad which was being dismantled, and asked the workers if I could take the bell, and they let me.  I know, however that there are a few bells featured on eBay, so I am sure with a little time, you will find one for a couple hundred dollars, as they are not an easy item to come by.  

I hope this has answered both questions for you.  Good luck on your quest for finding a bell.