Train Horns: Train Talk Ep. 5
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of train talk! In this episode, you will learn all about train horns! I'll cover most of the basics including how they work, when they're used, and what their history is. After that, we'll listen to some examples of different train horns. Find out more in this episode of Train Talk! All aboard!
CoasterFan2105 is a channel dedicated to providing you with some of the best videos of trains and railroads on the web. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss weekly uploads every Friday!
CoasterFan2105
CZcams:
/ coasterfan2105
Facebook:
/ coasterfan2105
©2016 Mike Armstrong Video
The loudness depends on how much you open the air valve. I was admonished against opening it up all the way while running a string of cars through Phoenix Arizona. The locomotives I ran had a small lever valve for the horn. The more you open the valve the louder it gets, and the more chimes kick in with a 5 chime. I was running CF7, GP7, GP30, GP35, & GP40 locomotives. Nothing on the horns was ever really maintained, and SP's equipment was much worse.
It's a damn shame that railroads got rid of the manual air metering valves and began replacing them with one-way electric solenoid valves and a small hand-turned valve elsewhere in the cab of newer locos. It makes ZERO sense! 'Ease of maintenance' my ass.
The SP had great horns though.
@@crr311sux5indeed
I have to admit- the K5LA is absolutely beautiful. I just love the way it sounds
Yes so true
I love the sound of Train Horns
Man, me too
Man me tree
Who doesn't ?
Me to.
It's so good I always make similar sound with my mouth.
Me too
I truly hate quiet zones. I love the sound of train horns and it's just flat out dangerous!
You are so cool
The quiet zones must have 4 gates in Olmsted falls Ohio they have 2 witch is illegal
Dude I found a quiet zone in the middle of no where, It angered me so much.
Than blame the state with quiet zones bruh
I truly love horns. But my personal favorite horn is K5LA horn because they are on Amtrak to play happy cheerful chord.
Nothing beats the sound of a steam engine whistle, heard in the far distance on a cold clear Winter's night. Magical.
Rain Coast wow . That would be so nice. In a cabin , fire stove going then .... what you said
K5LA’s are close though!
I've always loved the sound of train horns. I live a good two miles away from where the Pacific Surfliner passes north of my home. Often I'll time an evening walk so I'm outdoors to hear it come through Burbank. But now I understand how that unique sound is created...
The Nathan K5LA will forever be my favorite horn
Eliza.shrek_ogre.rek sæm
Mine as well
Same
Honestly my favorite is the K5HL. It sounds so nice! (It's also one of the most common horns used on the Norfolk Southern line which runs through my city.)
@@SirensOfNC I love the K5HL as well
When I was 18, I worked at a Belt line in Texas. I was a Hostler, and i would bring in trains that out of hours on road crews and leave them at 5 different yards.
I ran MoPac, Mkt, Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, BN, Rock Island units.
With many visits of White KCS Units, Southern Railway High Hoods, and NW and IC G units so I got to hear all the great horns.
YAAAA we got mentioned!!! BC got mentioned! I can’t handle this awesomeness!!!
Yes.
We are now in history.
Is it just me or do people like us have this special attachment to the sound of train horns? Some horn sounds are just so relaxing and they make me feel happy :)
That K3L at 11:11 has a beautiful sound. So eerie and haunting!!!
Sounds like a VIA Rail F40PH
I had no idea that they are supposed to sound nice!
Not many people do!
Perhaps that is why I love the sound. I love music and used to play a couple instruments. I have an ear for it and never realized the chords of the horns. Usually I'm too enthralled and waving at the engineer to think about it really. Thank you!
Doesn't it also depend on what railroad
Leslies aren’t supposed to sound nice. They usually sound loud and depressing. Some of them like the RS3K sound really nice
I actually like the ominous sounding horns followed by that thundering engine.
Is that why can recognize Amtrak locomotives when I'm rail fanning and can't see the train yet?
Yes, it is. Amtrak's horns seem to sound different from the horns of a freight career such as the BNSF Railway, or, in some cases, commuter railroads.
SleepTrain456 from what I believe, Amtrak and coaster are one of very few commuters that utilize the k5la
I live in an area with railroad tracks both to my north and south. The south tracks are used by some of Amtrak's Northeast Regionals, while the north tracks are used by Norfolk Southern freight. I can usually tell the difference between the horns.
The MBTA has some restricted k5las but when they are blown halfway they sound really nice. On full blast they sound absolutely amazing. The horns are from the 90s and 00s. Some trains have k5las from the 2010s (HSP 46s)
They sound like csx horns
This is the video I've been waiting for! Being a visual learner, this video made train horns much easier to understand. Great Job!
Thank you Carlos! That was my goal with these, so I'm glad they've served their purpose!
Great video! Aside from the engine noises, train horns are my favorite aspect of locomotives. This video is one of the reasons I decided to research horns more myself and make my own train horn compilation videos!
I need this. I have almost no knowledge when it comes to trains. GOTTA GO GET MY NOTEPAD!
Edit: It's no surprise that the K5LA is my favorite now.
Possibly my favorite episode of train talk! This video is very informative. My favorite train horns are the Leslie RS3L and the Nathan P3.
Thanks! Glad you like it.
You can hear the whistle blowing, 500 miles.
If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I'm gone.
Ah the nostalgia that can't be duplicated by plane or car.
Many people remember the last image of their loved one in the window of a train.
It's always funny on how commuter agencies specifically NJT don't follow the 1, 2, or 3 blow practice regularly, and seems to lay down as little horn as possible! But you get the occasional nice engineer who happens to spot you and puts on a nice show!
Susquehanna Rail Productions I
Draco677 Excepted for the 2 engineers that me and my friends know. One thing is, they're veteran's.
Metrolink is known for that shit, in fact they are the ones who instilled the quiet zone in my city.
3:42 beautiful! 4449! GS4!
ah yes my old comment from a year ago
5:54 my favorite train horn
I get chills every time I hear one. I am so grateful that somebody decided to make these things sound nice.
My favorite horns are the K5LA and the P3
K5LA and Leslie RS2M
K5LA, Old cast and mixed cast P5
The Leslie RS3K is my favorite, just because it has such a unique sound. Too bad it's so rare, although that's what makes it special.
You should hear the horn on LSI-3009 (at least as of 2018-2020). Truly a funky one.
Absolutely love the Nathan K3L and the K5HL.
same here man
The K3L kinda sounds like a fully wound up air raid siren at times
K5LA: B Major 6th or A Flat Minor 7th
B major 6th
@@jabrown04 they’re the same thing
Oh
Wow the Nathan K3L is beautiful sounds like a symphony in itself and the k5hl I could listen all day excellent video💖🙏🏾
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
A few years ago I moved houses. As a train ‘geek’, I was so excited that I was moving to a house relatively close to a mainline. However, a few weeks in, I noticed I wasn’t hearing horns- at all. That was when I realized I was in a quiet zone 😐😂
to cool hate quite zones keep on hooking
Thanks!
Great series in explaining the different aspects of air horns and the like. If my memory is correct there was also a horn known as the "Hancock Air Whistle" as well. I am not sure how common it actually was in use.
The Hancock air whistle was used most commonly during the mid 1970s - early 1990s on the New York commuter and freight railroads, like the New Haven railroad, Metro-North Commuter, and Brooklyn Western railroad.
@@thealmightydoge5653 *50s-70s on the NHRR
Obscure subject, but really interesting. I love the whistles best, but they've become very rare, it's the horns that have become a huge part of our everyday life, as you well know. I'm curious about how many steam locos were equipped with horns instead of whistles, besides the one that you mentioned? When I was young, around 1957, we lived close to several major rail lines, the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, Southern, and the Florida East Coast. The rail yards as well as the main lines of each were relatively close by. There was a locomotive in particular that had a horn that would have a fraction of a second pause in its sound during the duration of a blast. This gave off a sort of vibrating blast. A very unique sound. Being a child at the time it was not my luck to get to see what type of locomotive had this horn that I would hear almost daily. Would you have any idea? There's a technique in the way that the air is allowed to flow into the horn sound chambers that gives the engineer his, (or her), the ability to give themselves an identity. The air into the horns is not just an on-off affair like an electrical switch, it has the ability to come on softly or forcefully. Steam locomotive whistles are very similar in the variance of the flow of steam. With steam whistles it seams that water vapor saturation of the input steam has an effect on the tonal quality, also. Thanks for the video, I'll be checking out the other episodes. I love your knowledge of this stuff. All of the best.
Thanks, William. While I'm not sure specifically what horns you heard or which steam locomotives they might have been on, I do know that a number of steam locomotives on various railroads across the country used single chime (and in some cases, 2 or 3 chime) air horns as well as whistles. I have searched around on a few sites and come up empty handed so far. If I find out anything, I'll try to let you know.
Thanks for your reply. The particular horn with the vibrating sound being emitted, was most assuredly a diesel locomotive as all of the railroads had been dieselized in my area in 1957. I know that this is an obscure subject, so info is hard to come by. Your efforts on the subject go beyond anything I have ever seen.
While this answer is a bit late here are some steam locomotives I know off the top of my head that have a air horn.
The Milwaukee 261
Southern Pacific 4449 Daylight
The Southern Pacific AC series from The AC7 - AC-12 Cab Forward
And the lowa QJ Sister Locomotives.
I think (while not completely sure) the old Southern Pacific Sunbeam that ran in Texas from 1925 to 1957 had a locomotive that had a horn too.
I live in UP territory and I hate the K5LLA or whatever it's called.
The American horns on trains sound great you can't make a mistake when you here one coming I wish we had them here in England ours are very boring I like the bells as well ( good video) thanks
Thanks Bruce! It is a shame that the UK doesn't adopt these horns as well. They really have a nice sound.
I like the Leslie RS5T
My all time favorite air horn would have to be the Nathan P01235.
Those are great. My friend has one of those in his collection. Maybe I should've included a clip of that too!
Wow! Really cool and informative! Since I am older, my favorites are still the Leslie A200, the Leslie S3L and the RS3L and the P3. it's what I grew up hearing. Get to hear an S3L occasionally and it perks me right up! I saw a video somewhere of the SP Daylight coming around the curve and coming at fast speed to a crossing. When the locomotive got closer, instead of hearing a steam whistle, what should sound off but a Leslie A200!! I about fell out of may chair laughing but very much enjoying the sound! One other of the many things that change the sound of a train horn is the Doppler Effect. When a train is coming toward you and the horn is sounded, the sound wave frequency change pitch to something sharper than the original note to our ears, the opposite happens when the train is going away from you and the pitch becomes flat to our ears. For whatever horn one enjoys, that is an added bonus to hear your favorite horn in different pitches! Pretty cool! Anyway, I realize this post is a couple of years old but thanks for it!
When heard at a low volume, (from far away) Train horns sound quite beautiful.
I'm just here for the Southwest 737 at 2:12
Jk I'm here for the whole video
Train sound of train horns, up lifts my spirit n carries my heart n mind away to where it may go. It's but a moment of peaceful thought , as I hear but faintly the last whistle blow away into the distance.
This video is fantastic and is educations, your great with trains
I think my favorite train horns are the K5LA, the K5HL and the RS5T. Those sound really cool.
When I went to a train station they only sounded the horn when it was approaching not before it moves
Different crews and railroads do things slightly differently sometimes.
my son loves trains hes 4 ☺ very happy i got to show him this video about the horn
turns out horns are going away in my town even though it has a unique atmosphere with all the buildings creating an amazing echo!:(:(
In case anyone was wondering, "a piece of property out in the middle of nowhere" is located roughly here: 49°05'33.5"N 124°14'22.1"W. I don't know the exact location, it was dismantled and moved to the BC Forestry Museum in the early 90s, but I know it was roughly west of the lake at the above coordinates.
i like the Nathan K3L Train horn
11:11 this. horn. is. AMAZING! Absolute S tier horn
I like the muffled Nathan K5LA, but the K3L is a close second
Love 'em! Many years ago I bought an air chime truck horn kit for my car. Kit included twin horns, vac um operated compressor and a small reservoir. Not nearly as loud as a train horn but had a lot of fun with it. Keep 'me coming Mike. Thanks!
Love The K5LA.
me too
And me
Me too.
Me 4 ... and the K5H, and K3L
All great horns!
I dislike quiet zones because I love Train Horns! I can agree that the K5LA Is a beautiful and a amazing horn, but if I had to go with my favorite, It would have to be the K5LLA because how low pitch it is, and its so soothing. They are great on ACe's like with Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and a few CSX units as well!
The nathen k5hl is my favorite and the k3l. My favorite Leslie horn is the rs5t
I always liked the Nathan P3 for one main reason: Southern Pacific.
Me too
The Nathan K5LA with the fouled 4A sounds like the AEM-7's air horn
Maybe it is! ;)
CoasterFan2105 heh
Perhaps their 4A trumpet is fouled.
The Nathan k5hl horn sounds like a BNSF train coming through Riverside, California.
will there also be a train talk on steam locomotive whistles?
It's a good possibility!
CoasterFan2105 where's the emd train talk
AwesomeDesertTortoises there is no stupid emd train talk
Thats a great idea! I need to learn my whistles as I have learned my horns!
Bruce Tharpe Whistles are no different...
THANKS TO YOU YOUNG MAN FOR SUCH A STORY AS THIS THEY SAY you learn something new everyday. AND THIS BEING OCT 20, 2022 I learned A GREAT DEAL. ROBBIE PHILADELPHIA PA FISHTOWN
Very well done video. Thanks. and I love the beautiful sounding horns of all of them, but I own a K5LA, sounds great .
When I heard you say ‘Happy cheerful sound’ what you were talking about that was the reason why I got interested in trains
This horn is my is my favorite too
9:07 It sounds like a steam locomotive.
A good episode of train talk could be about diffrent steam whistles on steam locomotives
Hoping to do that this year!
Omg my RS3L and K5LLA and K5LA at 0:26 beautiful sounding horns especially my RS3L!!!1
So great!!
I need one for my old truck. Where can I get one ?
Golden Rails Multimedia I love the K5LA the horn is clear and sharp
Wonderful video! Recently, I was camping at O'Dell Lake in central Oregon. Much to my surprise, there are UPSP tracks up the mountains out of Eugene that follow the edge of the lake. There are no requirements for horns in this mountain area, but I believe that one particular engineer knows that he had something special. One night, after passing the campground area, when he was in the clear, he gave one gentle blast of his horn. It must have been in perfect tune like an orchestra, and he knew it! That BEAUTIFUL chord was launched from the horns and carried itself out through the mountain passes and valleys, and just lofted off into infinity! It was such a beautiful sound, just that one blast, it immediately put a smile on my face as I made myself comfortable in my sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep with the last sound I heard being so absolutely amazing! When the horns are in harmony, it is a truly unique sound!! Thanks for teaching me something about these fantastic air horns!
Very welcome, Steve! Thanks for the comment and neat story!
11:39 Beautiful K5HL
11:40 left me speechless! That k5hl is amazing!
9:53 Virtual Railfan grab bag intro
11:11 I love the beautiful sound of the Nathan K3L!!!!
How come some of these horns have their bells facing different directions?
Some railroads have various "bell reversals" in case the locomotive is traveling in reverse.
Liked this! Leslie RS3L is my favorite but rs5t is nice too. Thats because I grew up hearing them on conrail freights in the Northeast. Miss Rs3L's in the distance.
I never used to like the leslies. They always sounded harsh to me. But they've really gown on me in the last year or so. I particularly like the RS5T's. They're really great horns. Thanks for the comment!
No prob man! Keep up the good work!
Mike, just to let you know that the crossing whistle sequence is actually the letter
"Q" ( - - . -) in Morse Code.
Thanks for the video!
Kurt - Amateur Radio Callsign KA7ZDD
For me the sound of train whistles is pleasing to my ears
Is it possible to buy train horns, or find them in scrap someplace? would be cool to have a few and let them sound in the night. thanks for posting
Yes, you can find and purchase them from certain scrapyards if you know where to look. The easiest place to find them is Ebay, although they are usually more expensive.
Hornblasters sells the K5LA
I wanna make my own
Before ever seeing this video I always thought each train just had a different horn on it I thought it was so cool to learn the physics and everything else about how train horns work. They are a great device.
can you do a railroad crossing episode
My favorite horn is early K5HL!
that K3L sounded good!
id like a Nathan K3L on my f250. >:)
Yep
MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!!
I want a K5LA :D
Do a train talk episode next time about steam whistles and how they get there sound.
Ok, I will!
yhm
y
The sound possibiltiea are endless. Thanks for posting your videos. Much appreciated! Stay safe, and don't be lax or stupid. We have to save each other, no matter how long it takes!!!
We need a emd episode and a qz episode
Coming!
14:32 I love the K5LA
This was super cool!
Thank you, Sara!
CoasterFan2105 You're welcome!
Thanks for the information on air horns! I have a better understanding about the differences
between Nathan and Leslie horns. I also know a little more about how they work. As a side note,
I sometimes hear non railfans refer to air horns as "whistles".
The horn at 1:59 is nice what is it?
That is a Leslie RS3K.
OmegaBread Raifanning o
CoasterFan2105 I love train horns. They make me WHOOP and cheer. And I always say, BLOW THAT HORN, BLOW IT BABY!!! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.
OmegaBread Railfanning Leslie rs5t probably
Leslie RS3K
Now that K5LA at 12:29 sounds like the voice AEM-7 #910.
Maybe it is! :)
Very well done video. Thanks.
That narrow font K5HL at 11:39 is beautiful! I’d really like to know how I could possibly get one of those horns. And are there any runbys of that horn on CZcams?
I have a question, Mike. Where would I be able to find a 1990's CSX K5LA horn to purchase? Or even build myself?
Best bet would be looking on Ebay or the horn and whistle discussion board.
Hornblasters sells the K5LA horns also with a kit which has an air compressor, air tank, valves, hoses etc. I have one installed on my 96 GMC 2500 pickup. ;-)
Keith Lacey awesome!
Now I'm on the hunt for the ideal sound heard on this video for my trucks. Thanks
You also should have brought up the N3, H5, and H6 since they were the first of Mr. Swanson's horns to be made!
For a future episode!
R&N RailProductions and the k5hl and k5lla
Very informative. Music to the ears for me. I love train horns.
My favorite horn is the K5LLA
11:47 That sounds beautiful!
You forgot the N series which is extremely rare.
Will Horowitz I've never heard of the N series, really cool info. The more you know. There is also the rare Nathan C series too.
Please create an episode of the Diesel Internal Combustion Engines used in locomotives, their cylinders, their size, their sound, their fuel, air intake, cooling & exhaust systems.
America train horns will always be better in my opinion
The more musical, the better. I always liked that specific piercing timbre that sure horns have as they approach and pass. There's a video of a p135r24, it's my favorite. Basically 9:19.
first people complained about leslies loudness, so they got k horns to be more musical, then people complain about horn noise and demand silence so now horns are no longet used in most cities including my own, san diego. And with more developers deciding to build urban lofts and condos near train tracks this new crowd moves in and complains about noise, choosing to be ignorant to thr purpose of the horn. its a shame. soon locomotuves will start being manufactured without train horns, or worse.... electronic horns
The railroad is an ever changing place. Thanks for the comment!
Yeah that doesn't seem right. People question why cars are always hit by trains, but if I owned a train company, I wouldn't care about the people living near the tracks. I would just want to watch out for people.
There's a railroad crossing about 5 miles away from my house, and I'll often hear train horns off in the distance late at night as I drift off to sleep; it's very comforting.
My ears are bleeding
same
AmtrakFan90220 use a bandaid
Yes.
Only depends on the train horn
I’m sorry if this disturbed you greatly. I meant from a distance, a train horn can sound pleasant. Also I’m still new to the railroad community, so please have patience.
Your example of the Nathan K3L sounds really ghostly. Gives me the chills. Great vid by the way.