Whistle Categories > Bell Whistles
Where did bell whistles originate?
The beginnings of bell whistles are placed circa midcentury of the 1800s, more specifically about 1865. Although three countries produced them, bell whistles appear to have originated in the UK, records and whistles indicating that they were designed by Richard Porteous. They burst on the scene in the 1860s, made a very short run and then disappeared.
Remarkably only a few other manufacturers picked up on the design, the majority being manufactured by J. Stevens. The USA produced only one known, as well as possibly France. One other maker experimented with them, but never put them into production, which was J. Hudson also from the UK, Birmingham. G & J.W. Hawksley also made at least one of nickel silver as compared with brass.
How are bell whistles identified?
Bell whistles are easily identifiedas being small imitations of steam whistles, bell shaped. Each is separable into several parts that can be disassembled and reassembled again. Most have ivory mouthpieces that screw on, but two are known to have horn or wood mouthpieces. The window edge is circumferential, that is, encircles the whole whistle body rather than a single or two windows.
They are medium to large and very heavy, bulky even, but of very high quality. This necessarily would have taken a lot of work. Some have stamps on them, revealing these were made specifically for a railway company.
Why were they made?
Perhaps mainly designed for the railway, remarkably they also took into account hunting for use with dogs. Being bulky left them at a disadvantage and their lifespan was rather short in production. The fact that they were high quality whistles may also have led to their demise because of materials and labor.
Whatever the case, bell whistles are highly sought after because of their unique design, high quality and vintage, as well as being railway issues.
Spotlight Articles of Interest:
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