Sometimes customers ask us to do unusual things. One customer, whom we have worked for over 25 years, asked us to restore and relocate an old train bell. This bell belonged to a friend of her father’s. The bell sat on the friends lake front cabin that she used to visit as a child with her father.

We brought it to our workshop and first sandblasted the rust off. We then polished the brass bell and painted the black parts with a couple of fresh coats of paint.

After selecting the site of the bell, we poured a deep concrete column about 24″ square for the bell to sit on. After the concrete set, we applied a stone face on the sides and top and then set the bell on its new pedestal. The bell is bolted in place using very large and long lag bolts that reach down through the stone and into the concrete column.

The bell itself weighs over 300 lbs., and its pedestal sits on the side of a steep hill. It took a lot of muscle to get it down the hill and set into place! And yes, we did it by hand. It turned out beautifully and it still works. Although, I would put in ear plugs before you rang this bell. It’s loud!

Our customer is very happy and she can now sit on her beautiful deck (that we built for her) and see the bell that brings her so many happy childhood memories.