DIY PVC air whistle!

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Howdy I stumbled across this idea for a PVC air whistle that sounds like a old time steam whistle!

So I went to HD and bought some 1" pipe in 24 inch length I figure I’ll make a 4 chime whistle with 24", 18", 12", and 6" whistles only problem is I cut the notch in a 24" piece about 2" from the end cut a 2" piece of 1" dowel that had about 7/8-3/4" shaved off one side I then proceeded to cap off the opposite end I then held the open end to the end of my shop vac on the blow setting and then turned it on. Now friends when that whistle commenced to wail it released a screech so piercing my ears still are ringing! So I then shaved an additional 1/8"off the dowel and it lowered it but it’s still too much of a shrieking sound not a whistle!

I was going for a N&W Hooter style tone not as low but close. Has anyone tried this too?

2

Do you have plans, or are you designing as you go? Those chamber lengths sound a bit long, if I recall.

Reason I ask is that my father-in-law gave me some plans some years ago and I just haven’t found the time to start on the project.

Have Fun! Ed

3

I’m kinda designing on the fly but I can’t figure out how to tune it. I’m just building this first one to figure the basic concept of tuning and stuff my goal is to build a 4 chime with 2" pipe to deepen (???) the sound.

I am building the slot style opening whistle not the round 360 degree opening.

4

I’ll have to remember where I put those plans. They showed how to cut the critical dimensions. When finished it looks like this:

When I find it I can send you a copy…

Regards, Ed

5

Thanks Ed!

6

I remember coming across some how to videos on YouTube on how to make these PVC train horns

These ones you would hook up to a valve on your compressor to give it a blast. They were stated to be super loud just like a train horn.

I was super gun-ho to make one of these then it kind of got put on the back burner and I guess I forgot about it.

Track Fiddler

7

The air velocity from the shop vac probably made the whistle produce a second harmonic on the tube. A lower velocity air flow would produce a lower tone.

You can test this with an empty 2 liter soda bottle. Blow gently across the top, and it will produce a low mellow tone (first harmonic). Blowing hard across the top produces a second harmonic, a high pitched, loud whistle.

8

True but I covered the intake of the vac by about 75% and it still was too loud and high.

9

I found this article that has no details but is one of the dome type whisles.

http://nfttu.blogspot.com/2008/02/you-know-how-to-whistle-dont-you-steve.html?m=1

If I double the length and diameter of a set of plans whould it produce a lower note or would it still be the same?