While you can kind of pooh-pooh this neighbors thing, beware.

When I was doing the study of the CMRR a few years back and did a survey, I was absolutely astounded at the 'local' responses complaining about the steam engine smoke in downtown Kingston. Whaaaa? It wasn't just one or two people, and it was rather consistent, and it was becoming an 'issue'. Just made no sense to me. Railroad dismissed it.

Ah, but when it came time to hang onto the line to reconnect to CSX, the interviews with the trail contingent faction finally explained it. 'that awful smoke'.... What smoke, the steam engine ran up at Phonecia.... 'no, the other steam engine in Kingston...'. And the new mayor was one of the loud voices.

OMG. The Alco RS1. At the shops, at startup, belching on turbo acceleration. Drifting over the town from the Cornell St. yard given the prevailing wind.... Like it or not, that single factor seemed to cause a lot of local grief, however undeserved or irrational. Forehead slap.

Now the tracks are pulled through Kingston, it's a trail, yard gone. And to their credit, the railroad is a lot more careful with enjoying the 'legacy' of a very rare RS1 and its 'features'.

So no matter how irrational the reaction, don't just dismiss it, even when it's painfully obvious. It really can bite you. At least Strasburg is a common-carrier and can use that railroad defense, but it's still not something to be laughed about.

I believe that SRC still has the flat top (factory) three chime whistle in the earlier photo, and the blueprint for it is in #90's blueprint book. I was told that its chambers match the dimensions of a PRR passenger whistle. Unfortunately, its female base pipe thread is split lengthwise due to overtightening, poor casting or both, so it had never blown during my time there.

"Please explain how a passenger whistle on a freight "hogger" is "proper." >;-)"

Simple: 2124 had been reassigned as a passenger engine and needed a passenger chime.

When 2100 joined 2124 in Ramble service, she kept her freight whistle as a contrast on doubleheaders. When 2124 was retired, 2100 got a passenger whistle and 2102 kept her freight whistle. For one Ramble 2100 had Baldwin 60000's whistle.

As to CF&I/SRC 4, I rode behind the engine when she had a passenger chime. There was one spot where the SRC engine would blow a long grade crossing with a barn across the valley echoing. 4 blew a vigorous Morse Q with the chime, the barn replied, then 4 had to get up steam to pull the train!

Phil Mulligan

Ahh, the old Lancaster Oxford and Southern ghost whistle trick! Do they still stop and do that?

Wesley

Hello,

Of course my preference and consist vote is for the Reading 6 chime, which the 90 has carried. Attention getter but very tasteful. Also gives you a subconscious message to “stand back, I am coming your way….quickly!” I definitely got this sense in observing the 02 at the BM&R in the old days, coming south from Hamburg, at speed.

A few choice clips of a Rdg 6-chime…..

The O2 amid the present rebuild…..listen for the trail off at the end…..oh yes!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-UppuqmHK5I

Valley echo….be patient with the wind noise
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-f83QjljmKQ

And of course the R&N 425 sporting the 6-chime making its best attempt to sound like a dragon breaking out of its lair! , really straining against the chains later in the clip and letting you know about it! :-D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_9mDp-LBlY

Regards,

Randy

The 425 reminds me of a smaller 1522. Beautiful bark and sure footed.
My vote is for the PRR K4 whistle, they were very melodious.
The Banshee at the Strasburg is rather annoying, at least to me.

Depending on the whistle. #1223's was (it was so sweet in person, it could practically put you to sleep), but #7002's was harsh by comparison. That is the whistle currently in SRC inventory, loaned to #7002 during her operation at SRC. The display whistle that #7002 came with and has now, has some sort of defect, making it screech rather than blow. No wonder PRR stuck it on a engine that was going to be on display only.

Well, if we’re offering up alternatives, I’ve got a KCS three chime that sounds nice and I’ll be there with my family next month.

I hope I can hear a Kansas City Southern 3 chime blown off a moderate size steam locomotive one day. The only steam locomotive I have heard use one is Lehigh Valley Coal Co. 0-6-0T #126, and it sounded a little strange with her. I'd like to hear what that would sound like off a locomotive like Great Western #90, Southern #630, Reading #2102, Valley Railroad #40, Wilmington & Western #58, or another engine around that size. I'm curious how the sound would differ on one of them compared to #126.

I'm partial to long bell three chimes.

Here's what is advertised as a Lehigh Valley on W&W 98.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvif6SoDqXo

There was a similarly mournful 3 chime on Western Maryland Scenic at one point.

Of course, being the descendent of a CNJ employee and having been a student at the high school-and a member of his HS model railroad club-of the man who brought the CNJ whistle to life again was a teacher-my personal favorite:

Start at about 27:15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2E-1mZw-eo

Yeah. That was my whistle. It’s a short bell three chime. I’d like to hear it on something bigger too. One day maybe.

If the pressure is the same, the only real difference should be the temperature of the steam, which affects saturation and density of the steam. In other words, saturated otr superheated steam. Aside from that, assuming you're not dealing with additional valves between the steam supply and the whistle, the difference is merely psychological.

Or mechanical. Whistles can be out of adjustment quite easily. It's like blowing amusical instrument, not a police whistle.
I remember seeing an occasion when a loco was steamed up for the first time in decades, and the "original" whistle--unrepaired or unadjusted for thirty years on display--made pathetic squawks. It took four swaps, and some "fiddling," with supposedly "authentic" whistles the loco class carried in its day to find one that could effectively whistle.