I work just north of SP’s old Taylor Yard in Los Angeles, and do not have a window view of the tracks, so basically I have to go outside and run a little to see the trains go by. The reason I ask is because I cannot always leave my desk, or sometimes I just dont feel like going out if its just going to be another set of UP SD70Ms.
Its easy to know when a Metrolink or Amtrak is coming by their distinct horns, but for the freights, I really dont know. I can hear the older/louder EMD engine notes from afar, as well as the signature GE note.
I can tell when its an old SP EMD unit by its horn, but thats pretty rare to see/hear unless its a local switch job.
As far as the rest of the UP units, theres just way too many different tones, old or new units.
My goal would be to know what foreign power (what i’m always excited to see)would sound like but thats kind of difficult finding that out over an internet forum, so basically I’m just looking for any advice that any of you might have to share.
Thanks! [8D]
Seems like you and me are in the minority. I’m a big fan of locomotive horns myself. [;)]Most railfans that I know don’t really seem to pay that much attention to the differences.
Railroads tend to favor certain horns and include this in their motive power purchasing practices. Most horns today are 3 chimers and 5 chimers. The two major horn manufacturers today are Leslie and Nathan.
Appearance-wise: Leslie’s are slender and long while most Nathan’s are short and “stubby” in comparison. Leslie was the dominant manufacturer for years, but Nathan seems to have higher had sales of locomotiove horns since the late 1980s. It’s most popular horn is still K5LA, which you have likely heard on CSX and Amtrak locomotives.
Click on the web links below as you may find them very helpful. The first one gives some very good history and sound samples. The 2nd one has a “Sound Library” where you can click on some sound samples too. Plus there is a video gallery.
You just need to have Media Player or Quick Time. With a dial-up connection some of the samples may take a while to download.
In the distant days of my youth, I could tell various roads by the sound of their horns, South Shore, BRC, IHB and EL E8A’s come to mind immediately. The engines of the various builders also come to mind and my ear used to be sharp enough to tell the difference between an Alco 251 and a GE FDL. It can still be done with horns but engine sounds are getting harder to distinguish.
Diesel loco prime movers are becoming a little harder to tell apart at a distance due to government regulations that have required locomotive manufacturers to make their locomotives run more quietly.
NIce oddity is that GE locos still “Chug”. (Have you heard an Amtrak P42 idling?)[;)]
While we can, it’s possible to enjoy the prime mover sounds of 2nd generation units that are still in service, like SD40-2s, GP40-2s, and GE Dash Sevens. Their ranks are thinning, though. I used to enjoy hearing the old GE U-Boats back in the day. Those puppies were loud at full throttle!
So ironic:
Diesels have become “quieter” while horns have actually become “louder” since the bygone days of the 1970s. Without a choke fitting (like on some CSX units) the Nathan K5LA is reported to be one of the loudest horns on American locomotives ( and to me, melodic).
Many in the the public complain about the high decibels of horns, but the wackos that race trains at grade crossings are helping to make sure that train horns will continue to be loud.
I watch trains alot along the BNSF and I can always tell if its a DASH9,ES44DC,SD70MAC,GP38-2,or SD40-2.
I can tell what an ex BN unit and an ex ATSF unit sounds like.If somebody’s with me I’ll say…“sounds like an ex ATSF DASH9 comin”…then it will come and what do ya know, it was an ex ATSF DASH9.I am almost never wrong with any BNSF horns but as for leasors, I cant usually tell…because they aren’t leading most of the time.
Sometimes a DASH9 will have an SD40-2 horn…both BNSF 4743 and 4780 have SD40-2 soundin’ horns.
wow thanks guys, just the kind of replies i was looking for. i’ll check out those links.
as for the p42’s, yes its pretty neat how they chug pretty loud, even when coasting.
on the way home from work i got to pace northbound with a freight being pulled by 3 triclops sd60’s from up. it blew its horn right in my ear pretty much. ouch, but awesome to hear the roar of their engines as its rare i ever get to pace any northbounds.
I can tell by the horn what it is too. P-40s are easy of course. I can tell certain CN locomotives too. Dash 8-40Ms and ex LMS/IC Dash 8-40Cs have rather unique horns. I can also tell SD80s, CSX AC6000CWs, some CN SD75Is, some BNSF C44-9Ws, newer NS SD70Ms with the flared radiator and a couple of others.
Southern Pacific’s locomotives had a distinctive, and melodic sounding horn. The Utah Railway has a few rebuilt ex-SP GP35s that kept their SP horns. The horns on the new UP SD70ACe locos could wake the dead with their shrill piercing sound!
I love hearing a group of SD70s wind up as they accelerate. Kind of sounds like a muted jet engine. The newer GEs have a sort of “grumbling-rumble” when they’re moving along at slower speeds.
I have heard alot of diffrent horns around my neck of the woods in fact I got stopped by a lone Wisconsin and Southern loco the other day and his horn. had like 3or 4 diffrent sounds to it was loud and then it got quiet again.But anywho even on the Up around here when a train come though and he blows his horn it can sound diffrent from time to time and sometimes it sounds like an amtrak train coming though [:D][:D]
I’ve always noticed that the horn sounds on the railroad companies were different from each other, I’ve always liked the sounds of the horns from BNSF, the railroad company that goes by my town is the Blue Mountain Railroad Company, I notice that they now have other engines from the smaller railroad companies.
Amtrak’s GEs, including P42s and P40s noramlly use the Nathan K5LA. This horn was developed years back and was nicknamed “The Chessie” horn. It’s still very common. Eastern railroads and Amtrak seem to favorite it strongly.
Those horns were developed as part of Chessie System’s Operation
Lifesaver program back in the 1970’s. The idea was to have a horn that sounded a number of pitches from low to high, much like a steam whistle, to allow people to hear the approaching train in different conditions. Back when Chessie was running the 614 in excursion service, those K5LAs could really fool you into believing a steamer was approaching…
The K5LAs were freaking loud too. Combine that with the open exhaust and the turbo/electrical whine on a Chessie GP40-2, it would send shivers down your spine even if you didn’t like trains.
Sitting in the cab listening to all that racket for 8 hours was a different story however…
wow, open exhausts? I was too young and on the other side of the country when the chessie was still around. are there any other locomotives with open exhausts running in decent numbers today?