I bought an album off Ebay a couple months ago titled "PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD. An Audio Documentary to Steam" by a company called Railbar Productions and one of the tracks has audio of 4-4-2 E6s Atlantic #460. In the track description, it says...

"....This is an "on-train" recording. Listen for the "go ahead" cab signal, the station start, and two grade crossing signals from her famous whistle. ...."

Does anyone know what kind of special whistle this is? Or what makes it so "famous"? It definitely has a distinct sound, and I've heard it on a few other Pennsy locomotives on other albums. Here's a little sample...

http://www.filefactory.com/file/ag35gh3/n/whistle_mp3 (Just click on "Download for Free")

I was just curious and thought I'd ask to see if the PRR Experts on this board had any information on this "famous whistle"..

Thanks guys!

PRR 460 was known as the "Lindy Engine" from its run on June 11, 1927 from DC to NYC with newsreels of Lindbergh's parade in DC, beating the planes by a matter of an hour or so (because they could process the rolls en route). It finished out its days on the Pennsy-Reading Seashore Lines out of Camden, Atlantic City, and Wildwood/Cape May.

I've heard a couple recordings of 460, probably the same ones you have on that Ralbar recording (later re-released on Semaphore, as I recall). Yes, she DID have a different whistle, but exactly what it was or how it was modified, we'd have to get permission to crawl over 460 at the RR Museum of Pa. to inspect the "real thing," assuming that the whistle in the recording somehow managed to stay on the loco in storage at Northumberland and preservation.

Darn it, Alex! LOL, you had filled me in on PRR's whistles in a thread I made a month or so back and I thought for sure you'd be the one to crack the case...

The latest recording was in 1954 of 460 with that whistle....were whistles interchanged frequently enough that it's possible she's got a different one now? And...just curious...what are the chances the RRMoPA would let people inspect the whistle? LOL

RailBar Productions were located in Pottstown, PA. back in the 1960's
The owner was A.Alan Botto and Evadna Brosiua Botto
Their Technical Advisor was George M. Hart.
I couldn't open the audio file so I couldn't hear the sound of the whistle.
C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\whistle-2.mp3 could not be opened, because an unknown error occurred.


Len.

Hmmm, maybe try it again, Len. If it still doesn't work, I could send it to you if you'd like...

You have a PM.

I have A. A. Botto's business card (current) in my drawer. His later record work came out under the Semaphore Records label name. By and large, Botto did not make recordings himself of the older vintage stuff, but relied on others. Without going over to dig out my own copy of the record, I think it's likely the recordings were made by John Prophet of the Buffalo, NY area on ancient wire recorders.

Their Recording Engineer was R. B. Randall , I was talking Mr. Botto on the Bel - Del Photo Freight Special that Pete Lerro did a few years back. Interesting man.

Len.

Thanks for the link. It's been years since I heard that sound. I may have it on one of those old things called LP's, but I'd have to spend a lot to time negotiating with the spiders to get to my turntable.

I believe what we have here is a different SOUNDING whistle, not necessarily a physically different or modified whistle. The sound clip has several variations that may be the same whistle on 460. Keep in mind that it doesn't take much to vary the sound - deposits in the steam ring, whistle chambers, misalignment of the bell with the steam ring, uneven wear on any or all of the whistle's three chambers. There is a recording of an I1 with a passenger whistle that overblows into a ghostly shriek, leading some to argue that it is a good example of the so-called banshee whistle. It isn't, because a close listen clearly indicates that the other two notes are there, but hard to hear. I believe we may have a similar case here. The first sample is really different sounding, I'll have to admit!! However the last clip is about what you can expect from a standard PRR passenger whistle in questionable condition. So the whole clip may be variations on the same theme, all in the key of E6.

Use of the term "famous" is always good to attract attention for marketing purposes, but it may only refer to the different sound.

I thought it sounded like a class K-5 whistle. I have recordings of K-5's and the whistle sounds the same as one of them.

Len.

AFAIK, the K5's were equipped with a standard PRR Passenger whistle just like the K4's. Do you have a recording source that you can link? I have a lot of PRR recordings both LP and CD, but none have a K5 track.

Hi Dave,
I'll see if I can record off the sound from my record. it's an LP 33 speed. It's call Pennsylvania Railroad Steam
Produced by Mobile Fidelity Records
Burbank, CA.

Len.

Botto / Semaphore Records released two albums made at the Cass. I think the first is called Whistles at Cass. It has recordings from the early years of the Cass Scenic Railroad, including engineer Clyde Galford, who was known for his whistle artistry. Galford had worked for the Mower Lumber Company then the CSRR in the 1960s. The second is called Ghost Whistles at Cass. Both albums feature whistles from the collection of the late Richard Carter, and the second one has a track of 10-15 locomotive whistles from different railroads blown one after the other. They sound incredible, I cannot think of a better place to hear whistles than Cass.

They were first available on record, and when I was a kid in the 80's my dad bought me both albums on audio cassette at the Cass Company Store. I still have them, but they're practically worn out from being played so much. I don't know if they're still commercially available, but a few years ago a friend of mine back east acquired these recordings on CD from Mr. Botto himself, I believe.

They're FANTASTIC albums if you like whistles. Great recordings of multiple different railroad whistles all in the same package. Ghost Whistles at Cass includes a Pennsy 3 chime recording, one of the many PRR whistles to pass through Cass over the years.

Yes Len, if you would be so kind as to share some audio of what the whistles sounded like on a K5s, that'd be great! You said it was a 6 chime, right?

Yes, The description on the track One of the K-5, has K-5 at night with her beautiful 6 chime whistle. I'll send it to you via Email. I don't know how to upload sond recordings.

Len.