On the Yard Types thread, Kyle (Godfrey) had in his signature his love of airhorns. I’d like to know more about this. Are airhorns specified by the road or by the locomotive manufacturer?
The railroad specifies what horn it wants on its units.
http://atsf.railfan.net/airhorns/ is a good website that describes vintage airhorns and includes links to the manufacturers.
I love that site - music to the ears![tup]
Try this link: http://trainhorns.net/
Anybody know how much air one of those takes, I have a project in mind…
Adrianspeeder
Adrian my boy for 149.95 you can get a three chime set from Pilot truck stops.All you need is a good compressor and an electric switch to activate them.I know you used to be able to get a compressor that mounted to your motor(this is for large to mid size pick ups not yugos [;)])that would supply a small to medium size tank and would refill as needed.Most truckers(owner ops anyway)are getting train horn fever so to speak and run them direct off air lines.120 to 125 lbs is the max some add a tank that fills like forementioned tank so it doesnt take from main tanks on the tractor.
3 chimes take a lot of air.
I was going to install a tank in my trunk (of my car) and just refill it with air from the gas stations, but apparently even the bigger tanks wouldn’t last to long…
There are pages all over the internet about self instalation of air horns and compressors.
A 3 chime grover would look awsome on the cab of your big truck, adrianspeeder. [:-,][:-,]
I have an old K5LA at home, polished and on a shelf in the basement, ok it’s weathered flat black the way it came off that old Amtrak F40 but you get the point.
Airhorns-I have a 5-Chime set from an old Auto Train unit at my parents house. I aquired them in high school.
I have a project on my mind but i think its illegal to install a train horn on my truck. But i geuss that the state don’t know, won’t hurt them.[:D]
I would mount it under the frame rails for a surprise. If I know the pressure and cubic feet per min required, I can size the tank and compressor appropriately.
Adrianspeeder
You’d think a big railroad like Norfolk Southern would standardize their horns. Not so! Here in Columbus, Georgia, I live a scant two miles from their yard, so I get to hear them blow for crossings and moves all the time. (I must be the only person living here that wishes the horns were louder, not quieter.) The variety ranges from what sounds like “chime” horns to more “normal” sounds. I’ve also noticed some really outstanding whistle handling on the part of some engineers- I guess they don’t have push buttons with programmed whistle signals built in.
I guess that the difference in horns and whistles is because of the strange mix of locomotives that go through town here. Last week I saw a UP locomotive with horns, an NS SD40-2 with a whistle (mounted on top of the cab, or just forward of it) that appeared to be a Conrail refugee, an ex BN leased locomotive (green and white paint but no BN on the side and a weird engine number with letters and number) that had horns, and a CN diesel headed west towards Birmingham, Alabama. They all sounded different.
Speaking of laws, I had to dig out my Alabama pocket book of ticket writing laws to see what they said about horns. (It’s an invaluable reference carried by all cops down here.) Here’s what they say about horns and warning devices:
32-5-213 Horns and Warning Devices
(a) Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with a horn in good working order capable of emitting a sound audible under normal conditions for a distance of not less than 200 feet. It shall be unlawful for any vehicle to be equipped with or for any person to use upon a vehicle any siren or for any person at any time to use a horn otherwise than as a reasonable warning orto make any unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound by means of a horn or other warning device.
I don’t, as a rule, write traffic tickets- there are plenty of local cops (I am a county deputy) who do that and I have better things to do- but
125 would be safe to say.
Yes, as stated ablove, illigal on cars…
Just pop it under the hood, it’s more than loud enough to still be heard. [:D]
Just play around on the internet, there are lots of sites that talk about the air horn installation, they will be happy to give all specifics…
Look it up on google.com
“Air Horn Installation on Trucks”
“Grover Air Horns”
http://www.trainweb.org/mdamtrak199/horns.html
Why put it under the truck? Be bold! Check out the site above. I’ve seen this truck, and heard it.
For the same reason truck drivers place em between the rails.Its harder to confiscate[}:)][}:)][}:)][:-,][:-,] Yes certain state agencies will TAKE them off the trucks if they can.
Very true, you also have to make sure you don’t go around and blow it in the same place all the time, or people will start to complain and the next thing you know you’re being pulled over and you’ve got a fine and they take your horn away.
Try and be curtious and don’t blow it in the residential zones, at least the ones that don’t have rail already.
Reminds me of a story:
Some years ago the morning radio personality on WJR in Detroit had a guest on his show who did sound effects with his mouth. His speciality was railroad stuff, and he was good. His rendition of going between two cars was right on, doors opening and closing, louder track sounds in the vestibule, etc. Pretty amazing.
He related that at one time he and a friend had call to go through one particular small town in the wee hours for several weeks (or months - don’t remember for sure). He had a PA system in his car and took to duplicating the sound of a train passing through each time. According to his account, he just about had the locals down on their hands and knees looking for the tracks.
[(-D]
That was like back in highschool one of my friends had a loud speaker that he installed underneath his hood (you can buy them at Canadian Tire).
So anyway this loud speaker had all kinds of horns and sounds and music, and one of the songs was the ice cream truck song.
So during the summer we would go around with the ice cream man song playing as loud as possible, and all the kids would come running out of their houses, then we would just wave to them and take off…
Thinking about it in retrospect, I suppose it was a rather cruel joke, but we were having a good time. [}:)][:)]
Hugh,
Great site -exactly what I was looking for.
Larry (B.Terry)