Train horns

[ScottC4746]

I was watching a clip of the Out of Towners from 1970 that featured a NH (New Haven Railroad I think it was), train between Boston South and New York Penn. I noticed the horn on the engine was loud and very low compaired to what we hear now adays being, not quite as loud and higher pitch. Why did things change?

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Firstly, I'm not sure how much store I'd put in the accuracy of a Hollyweird railroad depiction; some realistic, others not so much.

As to why things changed, I'm not sure they did. Horns are not all the same. Some, particularly on older diesels, have only a single "chime" that emits but a single note. Others, like Amtrak's K5LA horns, have multiple chimes that emit a chord composed of the individual notes to which the chimes are tuned (the K5, as the name implies, has 5 chimes). Single chime horns are not all tuned to emit the same note. Freight locomotives almost all have horns that are visible (passenger engines not so much), so you can eaily see how many chimes they have, and therefore how many notes make up the chord you hear when the horn sounds.

Here's a video clip of a first generation diesel, with a single chime horn, as an example:

- The Illinois Railway Museum's Burlington Nebraska Zephyr trainset passes outbound through the village of Tiskilwa, Illinois, during an excursion from Rock Island to Bureau Junction on 7-24-11. Gotta love that single-chime horn (not exactly a K5) and Mars oscillating headlight!! From Whooz' Train Video Asylum.

 

[SubwayNut]

I know that the FRA changed the rules regarding horns at some point. In 2004 I was on a Metro-North fan trip on their last old NY Central era electric equipment at their retirement, the ACMUs, we covered all of there third rail electric territory up to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line, a very rare trip over to Mt. Vernon East and up to North White Plains. I remember asking why the train was't covering all of the third rail territory up to Southeast on the Harlem line and was told that the train horns weren't currently compliant for going over grade crossings, the train could run up there but would have had to slow down (and stop) before every crossing which the Upper Harlem Line has quite a few of. All the other territory we covered on that trip is completely grade separated. (This example shows how a grade crossing anywhere is a bit of a treat to railfan in New York City).

 

[grounded flyboy]

If you get a chance to tour the 40th Anniversary Train that is visiting many stations around the country, it has a very good display and history of the Amtrak horns and some of the reasoning to change the chime from time to time.

 

[AlanB]

(This example shows how a grade crossing anywhere is a bit of a treat to railfan in New York City).

I'm not sure if I'm correct, but I believe that there is still one LIRR train a day that runs on the Lower Montauk branch through Queens each morning. If indeed the 8:11 AM out of Jamaica is still using that line, you'll get plenty of grade crossings. And a ride on the Port Washington Branch still sees a grade crossing in Little Neck, Queens.

Going back a few years, one could ride the L train to the end of the line for a grade crossing.

 

[NE933]

At the Long Islan City yard all LIRR trains going to Hunterspoint Ave. and beyond must cross two roads that are grade crossings. Pretty safe at daytime and easy to get to by walking from 7 train Vernon Blvd station. Some sandwich bodegas that also have sodas and, if you can handle with grace, beer.

 

[railiner]

(This example shows how a grade crossing anywhere is a bit of a treat to railfan in New York City).

I'm not sure if I'm correct, but I believe that there is still one LIRR train a day that runs on the Lower Montauk branch through Queens each morning. If indeed the 8:11 AM out of Jamaica is still using that line, you'll get plenty of grade crossings. And a ride on the Port Washington Branch still sees a grade crossing in Little Neck, Queens.

Going back a few years, one could ride the L train to the end of the line for a grade crossing.

I remember that 'subway' grade crossing on the 'L' Canarsie line....

Nowadays, that would be a way for current miscreants to evade turnstiles, and sneak into the subway system.... hboy:

 

[Henry Kisor]

Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I took a photo of a California Zephyr's P42 horn array from the overhead walkway at Emeryville. Here it is.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

I know that the FRA changed the rules regarding horns at some point. In 2004 I was on a Metro-North fan trip on their last old NY Central era electric equipment at their retirement, the ACMUs, we covered all of there third rail electric territory up to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line, a very rare trip over to Mt. Vernon East and up to North White Plains. I remember asking why the train was't covering all of the third rail territory up to Southeast on the Harlem line and was told that the train horns weren't currently compliant for going over grade crossings, the train could run up there but would have had to slow down (and stop) before every crossing which the Upper Harlem Line has quite a few of. All the other territory we covered on that trip is completely grade separated. (This example shows how a grade crossing anywhere is a bit of a treat to railfan in New York City).

The ACMU restriction north of White Plains was for lack of Ditchlights, not because of Horns, all lead ACMU's had their peanut whistle replaced by Air Horns in late 90's.

as for movie horn, the NYNH&HRR maily used Hancock Air Chime, it sounded like a steam engine whistle, they are no longer compliant for multiple reasons.

 

[trainman74]

I remember that 'subway' grade crossing on the 'L' Canarsie line....

Nowadays, that would be a way for current miscreants to evade turnstiles, and sneak into the subway system.... hboy:

There are several grade crossings on the Chicago 'L' system, and I haven't heard of widespread problems with people using them to trespass onto the property.

 

[AlanB]

At the Long Islan City yard all LIRR trains going to Hunterspoint Ave. and beyond must cross two roads that are grade crossings. Pretty safe at daytime and easy to get to by walking from 7 train Vernon Blvd station. Some sandwich bodegas that also have sodas and, if you can handle with grace, beer.

Darn, I totally forgot about the second grade crossing over Borden Avenue that leads to the Hunterspoint station. The other crossing (11th Street) is technically on the Lower Montauk branch, as the HP leads have merged into the LM by that time.

So riding any train between Jamaica & Long Island City would see one going over 2 grade crossings. Still more on the Lower Montauk, assuming that 8:11 does indeed run that way and that it doesn't just skip Hunterspoint.

 

[Shanghai]

At the Long Islan City yard all LIRR trains going to Hunterspoint Ave. and beyond must cross two roads that are grade crossings. Pretty safe at daytime and easy to get to by walking from 7 train Vernon Blvd station. Some sandwich bodegas that also have sodas and, if you can handle with grace, beer.

Darn, I totally forgot about the second grade crossing over Borden Avenue that leads to the Hunterspoint station. The other crossing (11th Street) is technically on the Lower Montauk branch, as the HP leads have merged into the LM by that time.

Penny wants to know if Alan made a Wrong Turn!!

 

[railiner]

I remember that 'subway' grade crossing on the 'L' Canarsie line....

Nowadays, that would be a way for current miscreants to evade turnstiles, and sneak into the subway system.... hboy:

There are several grade crossings on the Chicago 'L' system, and I haven't heard of widespread problems with people using them to trespass onto the property.

That may well be the case, but that is Chicago, and "dis" is Brooklyn....a whole 'nother world..... :lol:

 

[oldtimer]

I remember that 'subway' grade crossing on the 'L' Canarsie line....

Nowadays, that would be a way for current miscreants to evade turnstiles, and sneak into the subway system.... hboy:

There are several grade crossings on the Chicago 'L' system, and I haven't heard of widespread problems with people using them to trespass onto the property.

That may well be the case, but that is Chicago, and "dis" is Brooklyn....a whole 'nother world..... :lol:

There are several trespassers every year on the street level portions of the CTA. Plenty of them wake up dead!