Graham White Clapper speeds?

[Flat Train]

I know if you put less pressure into a graham white clapper, it goes from the louder tone with the clapper reset sound, to the rapid fire hits with no reset sound. I noticed some clappers that have the clapper reset sound are much slower than others, does anybody know why this happens?

[Railgeek]

Probably a worn out cartridge. As far as I know there is no obvious way to change the speed of them.

[Flat Train]

Ok, Thanks!

[FDDMS-er]

Lots of variables in play: cleanliness, wear, air supply... just one of those can do it and combinations are mind-boggling, especially after the things have been in service.

Take just the small but important orifice plug on the piston. Is it clogged with gunk, clean as a whistle or somewhere in between? Did someone accidentally drop it during servicing and dent the area around the orifice (or did someone deliberately peen it smaller... or conversely, drill it out a bit)? Is the filter screen missing from it? Ringers can show up with the orifice plug missing altogether... and that makes for an interesting experience which also tells you nobody tested it. It doesn't take much to make the airflow just a tad different, and we are talking about only one component of the ringer.

[epederson]

I have two ringers that were both new. One came in a GW box. They ring very similar but I can tell one cycles a little bit faster than the other. I wish I could get one to ring a tad bit slower.

[Flat Train]

I see. Thanks!

[FDDMS-er]

I have two ringers that were both new. One came in a GW box. They ring very similar but I can tell one cycles a little bit faster than the other. I wish I could get one to ring a tad bit slower.

Using a needle valve and/or or a pressure regulator upwind is sort of "cheating" on a modern pneumatic internal ringer. There are ways to sometimes slow them down - or speed them up - a bit without fiddling with the air supply to the ringer itself, but only by a slight amount... beyond which they become unreliable.

Hint #1: when Prime was still a stand-alone, they used to offer orifice plugs with a different sized orifice to get a different cadence.

Hint #2: removing the orifice plug altogether will speed it up and cause it to malfunction.

[epederson]

Good info, thank you.