Topic starter
08/10/2009 2:25 pm
For the past 60 years, the air horn has virtually replaced the steam whistle on all locomotives. Things may be about to change! This is the first test of my new K5LA chime whistle on a locomotive. I designed it to duplicate the frequencies of a popular air horn on air.
It uses no more CFM than any steam whistle of the same dimensions but uses a mere 35 PSI to achieve full output. This gives a severalfold increase in efficiency and when regulated, greatly increases the full power blowing time on a given size tank. It was built by Mike Daugherty of MD Whistles who arranged this test.
Whistles don't have to be limited to only locomotives. With the passing of the Delta, Mississippi and American Queens on our inland waterways, there are very few whistles left for anyone to hear-just air horns. We can help change that by putting real whistles back on the rivers as well.
10/10/2009 2:58 am
Richard-
Can you make one that has that deep, throaty riverboat sound to also blow on 35 psi?
-Jim Herron
10/10/2009 12:02 pm
Richard: YEAH! Cap'n Walnut
Topic starter
11/10/2009 6:59 pm
Designing your own Steam Whistles
It was asked if it is possible to design a larger, throatier whistle for high output at 35 PSI. The answer is yes. If you would like to design it yourself we help you do just that at steam-whistles : Steam Whistles
12/10/2009 12:06 am
Richard, I'm already a member of that forum but I'm not a machinist nor do I have a sop capable of building the whistles. However, I am a previous customer of MD.
The thing about steamboat whistles like the one on the Belle of louisville is that they can be felt, maybe even shake your bones a little. Must be the vibrations. The BOL actually has a set of three single note whistles that blow together. I have no idea what their dimensions are. The DQ and MQ use three chime Lukenheimers which are much more mellow.
-Jim
12/10/2009 2:00 am
Richard, Jim: Here is the BELLE OF LOU's whistle...Cap'n Walnut