Re: Notes for a D&RGW 5 chime?

Ummm. Let me think here... The whistle 484 wore in the mid 1990's was not a D&RGW whistle. It sounded a lot like one, and might have had the same chamber lengths, but it came from a "barrel of whistles" Kyle Rys sent to us from back east. If I recall it was all bronze. That is also the source of that yucky sounding flat top 5-chime 484 wears currently.

The 5-chime that 487 wore was a real odd duck. It is a standard D&RGW-cast 5 chime (6" diameter) on a 5" base. 5" bases were for hooters like 463. It should not work at all, but has always sounded great. I have found another thing that effects the pitch is the valve under the whistle and how much steam it lets through when the valve is wide open. In the 90's it had it's drop valve (built into the base) and it had a great, playable tone. After the drop valves were replaced with separate 2" whistle valves, it got a much higher pitch. 478 carried this whistle in the late 1950's - early 1960's. It's small 5" base is a give-a-way. The recordings I have of it are similar to how it sounded with a separate 2" valve under it, so whatever drop valve was in the base back then had the ability to flow more steam.

BTW there is another 5" based 6" 5-chime on the C&TS property. It was 488 for a long time. It is stamped with a prick punch "169". this one has bronze bell on an iron base.