Re: Whistles? Im confused

Steam whistles started out as warning devices and also were used for signaling. In an earlier era, there wasn't the background noise there is today and folks were out in the open, either walking or riding horses or riding on wagons. A high pitched screamer was the norm. Look at photos up to 1890 and most locomtives have fairly short single note whistles.

Later multiple note whistles wre developed, with three chime flat top whistles dating from the 1880's. Many of these whistles sounded pleasing musical chords, although some were made deliberately discordant to get your attention. Crosby, Lunkenheimer and Powell produced three chime railroad whistles and later Nathan, Star and Hancock did as well.

Around 1910 Star developed a step top five chime whistle and this and later versions by Nathan, Prime, LMF and others became widely used. Some make a pleasing sound, many are discordant. As automobiles came into wider use, grade crossing safety became a great concern. Fast moving passenger trains began to be equiped with longer, deeper noted whistles. Many were six chime, but perhaps the most famous of all are the deep Hancock 3 chimes used on N&W J's and currently carried by the 4449 Daylight. As noted above, deeper sounds carry further as they are not as directional. Freight engines often continued to be equipped with five chime whistles. I wonder if this was so railroad crews could tell what was coming by the different sound for a passenger?

The non directional nature of deep sounds may be why the Southern Railway and the N&W used long bell single note whistles, known as "hooters" on their freight engines. The sound from these whistles will carry around sharp curves in the mountains and hopefully will alert oncoming coal truck drivers to the pesence of a train!

The many different styles of whistles and the sounds they make have made them very collectible.

Michael Allen