Train horns (as used on real trains apparently)

An old interstater mate acquired a whistle from a NSW steam loco. He had a mate at Eveleigh workshops. Hooked it into his Mercedes prime mover air supply with a lanyard valve. His favourite trick was when going through a town early am that no longer had a railway line to give the traditional loco whistles. I wonder how many people sat up suddenly in bed startled by the ghost train.

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

An old interstater mate acquired a whistle from a NSW steam loco. He had a mate at Eveleigh workshops. Hooked it into his Mercedes prime mover air supply with a lanyard valve. His favourite trick was when going through a town early am that no longer had a railway line to give the traditional loco whistles. I wonder how many people sat up suddenly in bed startled by the ghost train.

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A neat trick in principle but steam gives a varying tone with the volume of condensate in the steam. When our local woollen mill was still going 20 years ago they had a steam whistle for the workers. After it closed down some worthy tried it on compressed air for some town anniversary and all it said was BAAAA

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Originally Posted by bee utey

A neat trick in principle but steam gives a varying tone with the volume of condensate in the steam. When our local woollen mill was still going 20 years ago they had a steam whistle for the workers. After it closed down some worthy tried it on compressed air for some town anniversary and all it said was BAAAA

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There must be whistles and whistles because this one worked just like a train.

You can blow a train whistle with a lungful of air if you know how and its not too big a whistle. Steam does give a much nicer sound though. You need an initial high pressure and volume to get it to resonate. Maybe the woollen mill's whistle was cracked when it was removed?

Ever since I saw this clip I have wanted to get on a mountain out the back of Mount Hotham & let rip with this


[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiWNw0A1Ijg"]YouTube- Bigger than a Train Horn![/nomedia]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

An old interstater mate acquired a whistle from a NSW steam loco. He had a mate at Eveleigh workshops. Hooked it into his Mercedes prime mover air supply with a lanyard valve. His favourite trick was when going through a town early am that no longer had a railway line to give the traditional loco whistles. I wonder how many people sat up suddenly in bed startled by the ghost train.

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Spoke to him last night. He still has the whistle. He took it off the Benz when he traded it on a Scania to run Brisbane-Darwin for Brambles. The whistle went on the Scania and was kept when he left road transport about 1982 and bought a pub. Now long retired. He said he did a better installation on the Scania using a much bigger air line. He said it works better with high flow. The Scania had a much greater capacity compressor than the old Benz with its air/hydraulic brakes.

Some people must be addicted to these things:o
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KKaj26Lsw&feature=channel"]YouTube- Way bigger than a train horn[/nomedia]

Oooh - I have horn envy :(