Question for Rich-NKP 767 (765) Bell

The S2 class engines always had an air actuated ringer.  In the mid to late 50s, many of the S, S1, S2 engines were retrofitted with a simple hanger identical to what the S3 engines were delivered with. 

765 never had a rope to ring the bell. Just the air actuator.

Sidebar story about the bell itself:  in Fort Wayne's Lawton Park for 11 years, it carried its original cast steel bell.  It was the same situation as the 1943 steel pennies- brass was short during the peak of World War II.  During the 765's Second Career from 1979-1993, the 765 carried a brass GG-1 bell belonging to one of our crew members.  For it's Third Career starting in 2005, it began the first several years with its cast steel bell along with the other details from 1944 such as the single beam headlight, the C&O style numerals in the illuminated number boards and the "curve tail R" on the sides of the tender. Now it carries a dual beam headlight, its original Mars light and a brass bell on loan from Wes Camp.  It is a Geisler Engineering Replica that was used on the NKP 759's during it's July 1973 announcement and press trip for the American Freedom Train from Hoboken to Scranton.

I see that the number boards on each side of the headlight are now painted black, which is correct. But the bell should be painted yellow with a red mouth, which would be correct for engines out of Conneaut shop. (I know that it was a "west end" engine, but it would receive major overhauls at Conneaut.)

None of my original pictures show that  the main rod web was painted.

Now for another question...

I remember that NKP west end engines were equipped with automatic train stop, which I THINK was on the third axle of the tender. Did this engine have ATS?

I am glad that the mars light has been reapplied...just as I saw them in service.

Mr. Hudson,

Very astute about the bell.  Yes, it should be yellow-painted steel but we like brass bells.  We have gone a bit "Hollywood".  There are a couple other prototypical details:  In the last year or two of service, NKP started removing the headlight visors. Steam did not last long enough for all to be removed from the fleet.  We are not going to replicate that:  it looked terrible.  We made another change in 2016:  we substituted shiny brass numerals on the front number plate.  Authentic would be painted cast numerals.  Only one person has commented on that so far.......  

NO complaints!

Just wondered how "prototypical" you wanted to be. The good news is that I can now remove the bell rope from my MTH NKP Berks! I did not think to look at the number plate.

Yes, the "West End" Chicago Division berkshires did have the ATS.  There is or was an ATS mounting bracket cast into the buckeye truck frame on the engineer's side, I think.  It could have been cut off when we converted the tender axles from plain to roller bearings.  I'll take a look next time I got to the FWRHS CASAD Shop.  NKP removed the ATS equipment before they put the 765/767 into Lawton Park in 1963.  ATS was still in use on the NKP at that time.