Definetly not an EMD 645. The 645 is well known for the smooth “whine”.
The DIESEL: sounds like an EMD 567. [;)] The HORN: sounds like same exact 3 chimer that comes on the Broadway Limited E-7.[;)][8)]
The quality of the sound is phenomenal!
I hope you all forgive me for seeming “nit picky” but I hope that this particular 3 chime horn won’t be the only one available in future Broadway or Atlas releases.
Last year I wrote Broadway and let them know that a lot of the prototype E 7s actually had the famous Leslie A200 horn which had a deep, mellow, "honnnnk", like geese. [8D][:D]New York Central, Southern Pacific, & Union Pacific E and F-units had honkers to begin with that were later replaced with newer styled multi chimed horns.
Recently I wrote Broadway and asked them what type of horn sound will the SD40-2
have as horns tend to vary from railroad to railroad even with the same model locomotive. Western roads seem to favor 3 chimers. 5 chimers are very common here on the east coast and Canada. The Nathan K5La is the most commonly used horn by CSX and Amtrak.
I realize that model locomotive manufacturers have to limit some options to keep costs down, but my intention here is to put the thought on the table so it could be considered as more models are produced. For those of us that like horn variety, we could give this input to the manufacturers when they post polls of what we would like in future releases.
For those of you that are intereted in diesel locomotive horn sounds, history, and their differences, just go to your search engine and type 5 Chime Horn Consultants. Good detail and sound samples also. You’ll need Media Player. This is where I learned to identify horn sound
[:)]You may have something there as far as FM (though the FMs diesels had a "throatyrumble" to them. There was an FM switcher at an industrial plant here in Tampa about 15 years back. Though faded, still had the Milwaukee Road colors on her!
Would be nice if it were Alco, but Alco’s had a very distinctive sound. A railfan I know who likes Alcos coins it this way:
To identify An Alco by ear, just listen for something that sounds like a “Harley Davidson on steroids with an upset stomach”
Basically ALCO 251 diesels emitted a quick “Diddy-Bump”, Diddy-Bump", or “Huckety-Buck, Huckety-Buck” rythym, depending on running condition. Very distinctive as I’ve heard Alco’s before in a working rail museum. When Alcos throttle up, they sound [{(-_-)}]LOUD and impressive! I believe it was railroad author Don Ball who said in one of his books that Alcos at full throttle sound like they’re about to fly apart! [:0][:D]
I may be wrong, but as a teenager in the late 70s I used to spend hours watching Seaboard Coast Line GP7s, GE U-Boats, and EMD switchers. GE’s tend to have a deep “chug” from the 4 cycle diesel. The old 567 series engine had a plain, steady rumble to it “da-da-da-da-da” when idling. Go to Broadway LImited’s website and listen to the E7s sound sample.
I’m anxious to see what this unit is and only hope even more are models are quickly forthcoming. Peace!
The most amazing thing about the announcement and the subsequent discussions is the certainty many people have about what they are hearing how much disagreement there is about what the sound represents. It shows just how subjective the sense of sound is. I really doubt that it is going to be another F unit or early Geep for economic reasons, so I predict it will be the SD24 or an FM. In all honesty, it sounds like a diesel but I couldn’t tell you which one. - Nevin
Atlas’s web site let the cat out of the bag Friday afternoon!
Curious though, why Atlas is starting with this unit. Why not something that was more mass-produced, like an early Geep or RS unit? [%-)]
Why not a low-nosed GP9[?][?][?] A large amount of them, built in the 50’s are still soldiering on today with thier original high hoods removed. Atlas could do this up very nicely (alot better than that kluge that Walthers did, UGH![xx(]) . They could use the already existing GP7 chassis as a start.
I guess the whole thing is lost on me. [V]None of the roads I model ever had a TM. I guess I’ll have to wait for Atlas to move on to another engine type.
(Low nose geep 9’s pppppppplllllleeeaaaaasssseeee!!!) [:)][:D][8D][;)][:p][:)][:D][8D][;)][^][^]]