The picture below is not mine.
What is this I hear about an expeiremental sieren horn? When was this used, and does anyone have a sound clip of it.
UP 6918
…What the heck can all that be about…?
Now that looks weird!
I hope this doesn’t sound like Europeon train horns. Those things give off an awful shriek!!
Could be a good idea to put at grade crossings. It may lead to a large reduction in grade crossing accidents between train & vehicle. People may complain about the noise but is a life worth more then some noise for a few seconds? We just had one where I live & the tractor trailer driver did not make it.
Oh…
Here comes another (GEVO)!
6900 series - aren’t those the Centennials?
I’ll bet it’s an electronic horn. The air operated horns are a maintenance pain-in-the-neck and you never really know if you’re in compliance with the 96dB at 100’ rule. RRs would like to find something more reliable.
Hey guys,
On www.railpictures.net There is a picture of Amtrak F40 # 393 in the “Cabbage” paint scheme. It has one of those weird devices on the cab roof.
I’d hate to see the old K5LA horn go. It’s loud but, IMHO, melodic.
I dunno - I think that thing on top of 393 is an air conditioner. Something I notice about the Centennial is the piping coming up in front of the windshield area. Would love to see another view (side, back, you name it…)
Looks like a “centenial” in Las Vegas yard. Both are long gone.
Yep, that is a 6900 series DDA40X Centrnial unit and some of them temporarily were equipped with what are essentially “air raid sirens” that would sound just as a siren sounds. Problem was that they annoyed the citizens of the towns they went through a whole lot and eventually they were removed and conventional horns installed…THEY REALLY DID GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION AT GRADE CROSSINGS THOUGH, A WHOLE LOT!
A similar experiment was done on the NYC with their FL9 units that ran (some still do) on the Harlem Divisioin line. They had an electronic unit that sounded reeally wierd and I remember hearing it through my bedroom window at night when I was growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s as my home was about two miles from the Bronxville, NY station.
Eolafan, you’re from my neck of the woods! [;)] You’re referring to the New Haven’s (later Penn Central) FL9s that had the old "Hancock" whistles. The whistle resembled a PA Speaker. It was actually supposed to resemble the sound of a steam locomotive whistle. Actually did a decent job.[^] I remember hearing them as a kid in the Bronx back in the 60s and early 70s. Seaboard Railroad also used Hancocks on a number of their E7s
If you watch the 1979 movie “Superman” with Chris Reeve (r.i.p) you’ll see an FL9 in action with the whistle blowing. Should be on DVD or VHS at any retail store.
Government regulations actually banned the Hancocks from locomotives because they werent’ “loud enough” for the new FRA standards. As you know people have been going “lawsuit happy” with grade crossing accidents.
Thanks for the heads up on the sirens. Like I printed earlier, there’s a picture of an Amtrak unit with something similar on the roof. Tree68 thinks it may be
The RS3 used by the Adirondack Scenic has a Hancock on it. Catches your ear, since you aren’t expecting it…
The San Jose(CA) light rail system uses Hancock air whistles on its cars.They really do sound like a steam whistle[:)].
So does the North Shore Scenic Railroad. The Hancocks are more mellow and easier on the ears. Got to love it.
Mundeline Illinois, their is an automated horn system. People got sick of it, but it wasn’t even that loud.
Does that horn have sort of a light, soft sound as a horn?
The sirens were put on some of the UP 6900’s after a rash of fatalities to mow workers struck by fast moving freight trains on adjoining mainlines in double track territories. The UP was trying to find a way to alert workers on noisey equipment without having to slow down the trains approaching on adjacent tracks. The sirens were not to be used in municipal areas. They were removed after a short trial. Imagine the sound inside the cab.
No joke…
Alan
Thanks for the info, but does anyone have a sound clip of this?