My Newly Restored Fire Engine Bell

[ERIC6913]

Hello fellow collectors!


This time i have something different to show. This is part of an ongoing project i am working on. This is one piece to the puzzle, lol. This is a 12 inch diameter Fire Engine Bell i had refinished. It had several scratches from years of service, so i had the heavy brass bell polished and rechromed. It looks like new again. This bell will be mounted on the bumper of the life-size fire engine front end replica i am building. I do not know much about this bell manufacturer, Rostand from Milford, CT. If anyone can add any info to this, that would be great! Pictures of these mounted on apparatus would be great as well!








Thanks for looking and stay tuned.........

 

[tsquale]

Wow that chrome looks amazing! Is it expensive to have items rechromed?

 

[JazzDad]

I'm just glad Eric wasn't like that guy on eBay who takes photos of chromed items while in his skivvies.

 

[ful-vue]

I'm thinking it's from these folks:


Rostand Manufacturing Co.


Not the best web site design, so it's hard to find their history page. Here it is:


company


Now in Valley Forge, PA, but they used to be in CT.


I dug up the link from this post over on the American Bell Association's 'Bell Talk' forum:


`Bell Talk` ? View topic - Rostand Manufacturing Company

 

[kitn1mcc]

nice bell

 

[Tristar]

I'm just glad Eric wasn't like that guy on eBay who takes photos of chromed items while in his skivvies.

I've never seen any of the items you speak of, and I pray that I never do!

 

[Skip Goulet]

Super nice bell, Eric! Just don't see that many of them anymore like you used to. When I was a little kid, Midland FD had an old '39 ALF closed-cab engine that had a big black bell behind the grille. And it had a Sterling 20 Sirenlite in the middle of the hood. One of the firemen brought the old truck over to the kindergarten that was next to my grandma's house, and when I saw the truck, outside I went! All the kids, including me, got to go for a ride. The fireman was a friend of my dad's, so I rode up front with him. I got to work the bell while he rolled the siren over. Nothing like a ding-a-ling in the family....huh!

 

[ERIC6913]

Super nice bell, Eric! Just don't see that many of them anymore like you used to. When I was a little kid, Midland FD had an old '39 ALF closed-cab engine that had a big black bell behind the grille. And it had a Sterling 20 Sirenlite in the middle of the hood. One of the firemen brought the old truck over to the kindergarten that was next to my grandma's house, and when I saw the truck, outside I went! All the kids, including me, got to go for a ride. The fireman was a friend of my dad's, so I rode up front with him. I got to work the bell while he rolled the siren over. Nothing like a ding-a-ling in the family....huh!

I still see them occasionally in service here on brand new engines and trucks. I think depts. are going for the nostalgic look.

 

[JennyCop]

Very nice Eric! :thumbsup: I cant wait to see your replica fire engine front end complete! :yes: :yes: