Could it be the one in section 6 of this http://www.samhallas.co.uk/repository/documents/plessey_catalogue.pdf
I worked for Plessey in the 80s, but we made Sonar not bells.

Fantastic, @Dave Lowther, that appears to be a newer version of the same bell. The one the TS is working on is 5 times the coil resistance though, which is odd. But, if it is telephone equipment, the expected voltage would be somewhere between 60 and 105V at something between 12 and 20 Hz.

Very nice find.

 

Probably designed to run from the UK telephone line voltage 50V?

 

Probably designed to run from the UK telephone line voltage 50V?

It wold need a higher, not lower voltage since it’s coil is a higher resistance. I don’t think the UK ring voltage is 50V, I think that’s on hook power, like the 48V in the US—but I wouldn’t bet anything important on that. I recall the UK rung being 60+V.

 

When I examined the pictures again it became clear that this bell is an extension telephone ringer, as the mechanics are identical in function to older versions of telephone ringers. So the operating voltage range is 60 to 100 volts at either 20 H or 16 Hz. Aside from that, it is really not that very old. It might be intended for British Telecom application, or in the US, an aftermarket add-on to what had been Bell System use. It would require a series capacitor at some point to avoid triggering the "off-hook" function on a phone system.
It could be used as it stands as an outside ringer in a local-battery hand-cranked phone system though.

 

I believe Mr. Bill has the most likely answer. It was probably an aux ringer for a factory or job site telephone.
Try connecting a light bulb of 100 watts in series to test with line voltage.

 

Try capacitor 0.22μF-1μF in series with bell's coil.

 

Could it be the one in section 6 of this http://www.samhallas.co.uk/repository/documents/plessey_catalogue.pdf

Completely agree. Winner.

ak