I like the P42s’. After hearing that all the way to Denver CO. I’ve learned to love it![:P][:P][:P]
Which ones do you all like?[%-)]
The Nathan M5, with five tuned horns, was expensive to buy and trouble to maintain right, but sounded beautiful when it was tuned properly–absolutely haunting.
The best sounding horn was the Nathan M5.I have heard them on SPs Train Masters.It had an AWESOME sound.[:)]
I like the horns on the new GE’s ( dont like the GE’s lol but the horns are nice)I also like what we have on our SD 40’s at the ICE, and the ones we had on old BN units on the BNSF.
Thanks for the input all![{(-_-)}][:D]
I believe those would be Nathan K5LAs.
I like the K5LAs on NJT, specifically those on the PL42ACs and Multilevels. When the NIMBYs complained about them being too loud, NJT’s MMC restricted them (just asking for trouble). The PL42s and MLs, however, were factory restricted, so they do not sound retarted. Some of them were so screwed up by the MMC, that you can barely hear them. Fortunately, a few have not been restricted, so they are still loud and in tune, such as those on the PL42s and MLs (which are restricted, but still sound fine).
4112 has a Nathan P01235, which was originally on a E60CH. 4112’s K5LA was destroyed after hitting the catenary in Summit, so it was replaced with a leftover P01235. This thing sounds pretty cool, and is either unrestricted, or restricted the proper way, so that it actually sounds NORMAL.
Awesome! Thanks for the info!
The Nathan M5’s and the Nathan P5’s.
The M5’s were throaty, loud and as the Nathan ad once stated “Strident without being offensive”.
The Nathan P5 is the fabled “Swedish Chime” (whatever that was) as noted on the Mobile Fidelity CD “Mr. D’s Machine”. This disc has possibly the finest recording of a Nathan P5 ever made, and was recorded on a cold night many winters ago in the hills above Chatsworth, CA as the speeding westbound Lark approached from Northridge, where the engineer’s excellent whistling is first heard, all the way up into Santa Susana Pass.
Amtrak equipped a couple of F40’s with P5’s, and we always had fun with them on the San Joaquins.
The one on #4449. Not because of the horn but because of what it is on!
I have always appreciated the sounds of railroad whistles, horns and bells…Steam sounds were haunting and diesel sounds were unique to each railroad…Specifically, the Canadian Nationals Air Horns were special, and you knew it was a CN unit without looking[yeah][bow]
But FAST FORWARD TO TODAY… Living just of the Transcon (MP227.01), and with six crossings within slightly more than a mile…The sounds of diesels become more of the individual engineer’s technique…Some folks can dance an sing and some have a tin ear, and no sense of the racket they can create( in spite of what the ‘Rules’ are. In particular, in the pre dawn hours[zzz][sigh], and don’t let them meet. Sometimes a flock of geese can not HONK that much.[2c][%-)]
Ha! Yah! Amen to that!
Thanks all for sharing. I’ve hered a “sick” horn before…[xx(]
It needs a plain old Blaat horn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O08jyhPcKFc
Personally, I only love women.
Anything but those god awful horns on the SD70M-2/ACe
A Nathan P5 on top of a trio of SD40-2s, one of the best sounds in the world…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eptqTii74s&NR=1
True Railfan!!![bow]
I wonder if this is the same guy, who back in the early 1960’s had a set of air horns mounted on his pick-up truck, they were supplied by an air resovoir mounted in the bed. It was the first time I ever saw one of these so equiped vehicles.
He would pull up to some of the crossings areund Durango and blow it for the D&S passengers riding by behind one of their steamers. Quite a suprise for one of the unsuspecting tourists on the train.
Same type of deal down in the Alabama Coal fields; around Jasper and Birmingham, and North Alabama areas. During the 70’s/80’s the Dump Truck drivers would mount the horns on their Coal Trucks…Litterly, would scare the you know what out of motorists not paying attention… At one time I think the HWY Patrol would give the offending truckers a tickety and stern talking to, as well.
Have only seen a few such horns mounted on OTR trucks. Seems some cops trake a pretty dim view of this type of scare activity. So the owners seem to be pretty judicious in the use of their RR Diesel Horns.
The K5LA. Also know as the “Chessie Steam Chime”
Here’s some good old Chessie GP40-2s on a Circus Train:
Here’s a more recent pair of CSX AC4400s screaming by with 130 loaded coal cars:
Here’s somebody who mounted a Chessie K5LA on his Ford truck!
Hancock 4700 Air Whistle
This link has sounds of many airhorns:
I believe that there was an incident in past months with BNSF having an air horn stolen from a few locomotives. What a nut, but I bet he had the coolest horn in town!!![tup]