I have scanned all steam locomotive diagrams as well as other stuff. All sent to Mike to post on this web site, lots and lots of information. I am working on my Official Railway Equipment Registers (ORED) now 1896 to 2011.
As soon as I can unearth it, I can scan it for you. I think you mean the one I drew with all the modern additions. I can also scan a Frisco diagram for you if that is what you want.
I have successfully made my first PVC air whistle (3 chime). I was not concerned about pitch but I am now. I want to make one with the Frisco 1522 sound or as close as a PVC whistle can get for my 4-8-2 bar-e-que grill. How many chimes does the 1522's whistle have and what are their pitches? I have analyzed several YouTube clips of the 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 and, as best I can tell, there are at least 3. I think the lowest pitch when the whistle sounds completely open is around Bb3/B3, there seems to be a middle pitch around D3, and the highest pitch seems to be about F4/F#4. In one clip it sounded like B-D-F# or a B minor chord. In another clip it sounded like Bb-D-F or a Bb major chord. I am not sure if it is just a pitch difference in the clips or if other factors such as temperature, humidity, track speed (wind resistance), barometric pressure, steam characteristics, etc. alter the pitch slightly in any way. Please reply if you have knowledge about the 1522 whistle.
Toward the end of her career 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 was used in freight service. At least one other 4-8-2 1500 Mountain class , SLSF 1503, was converted back to a coal burner and used in freight service. Some 4-6-2s even had doghouses. Tom G.
Regarding the whistle pitch, find a VHS by Pentrex, called "St. Louis Steam Celebration". There are many opportunities to hear the whistle, especially at the scene when the 4-8-4 UP 844 and the 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 are saying "goodbye" at the steam museum. If you arm yourself with an electronic pitch indicator you might be able to zero in on the exact pitches. Good luck.
Not bragging, but being a high school band director, I have a pretty good ear for discerning pitches. So, I decided to attempt to use my training and experience to find the pitches of the 1522's whistle from my 1994 video. [video=youtube;j03m-bYv5fo][/video]22 I recorded the original video directly onto a VHS cassette tape in 1994 with my parents old RCA VHS cassette video camera. 15 years later, in 2009, I finally dubbed the VHS to DVD with my VHS/DVD-RW. Then, I decrypted the DVD in my computer, converted the file to WMV format for YouTube, and uploaded it to YouTube. As long as the pitch did not change through all of those steps, I believe I have determined the 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 played a lovely "B minor" chord. It sounds to me like I heard 3 chimes. Musical notes/pitches: B2, D3, & F#3. The frequencies for each chime sound like 123.47Hz, 146.83Hz, and 185.00Hz. I cannot say I am 100% correct about these being the absolute pitches of the SLSF 1522 in June 1994, but it certainly sounds like it to me. Maybe someone will find this information useful, intriguing, or at the very least, humorous. Here is the chart I used to translate music tones into hertz. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html Brandon
It sounds like you have all the technical skill and hardware needed to find out what you wanted to know. When you get your whistle hooked up and fine-tuned, it would be fun to hear it. I hope you will share a *.wav-file with us, then. Everyone talks about the mournful sound of the steam locomotive. The minor triad here certainly gives that impression. I wonder why tuning was to a minor rather than a major, happier-sounding key. Dissonance seems to be desirable because another thread talks about the 5-tone diesel horns being a B minor 9th chord. ( http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?1627-Replacement-of-the-Wabco-horns-with-Leslies - Post #19) Why does such a sad sound make us all so happy to hear it? George
Excellent work on finding the pitch of the whistle. Perhaps the minor chord was chosen because it might sound more like a warning that a major chord would give. The Frisco steam whistle was often described as having a beautiful baritone sound.
I saw a video of 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 with a CB&Q 5 chime whistle and questioned that decision. I love that deep SLSF 1522 whistle. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The five chimer was off a Burlington mike, and was used on a trip around the old Burlington Route. It was fun to play with. Our whistle could make different sound depending on how we turned the body on the base and which chamber was facing out. We also had an IC whistle on it for a while, which sounded basically the same except it would shriek if you surprised it.
0-6-0 SLSF 3695 is now indoors at the Museum of Transport. This was taken as good news. http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/frisco-3695-pt-2.8331/ On the other hand, 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 was outside along with the Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) 0-8-0. I certainly hope this is temporary, but the opportunity for a 360-degree view in full sun was welcome. I did not ask why it was out there. The Rock Island "office caboose" occupies the indoor space where 4-8-0 SLSF 1522 had been.
Hey Don, Were you able to get different sounds out of the Frisco whistle by controlling the volume of air, or did the full chord play no matter how hard the whistle cord would be pulled? I used to play with the horns on the Frisco units and could change the sound depending on how far I pulled on the handle. I do not think it is possible to do that now with the new diesels. I live close enough to the line down Bowden hill and follow freights up or down the hill in my mind by listening to the crossing being blown by the engineer. Brings back memories, but I am still glad I am retired. Terry
You could quill the 4-8-2 SLSF 1522's whistle. You could also loosen the top nut and turn the whistle body and change the sound by presenting different chambers frontward. The Burlington whistle was fun to play with. We were sitting on display at Galesburg, IL, I was barely pulling on the cord and it was sounding like a calliope. Not loud, just loud enough to hear next to the engine. Everybody thought that was funny. The IC whistle had even more of a minor sound to it, even though it was identical in size, etc., to SLSF 1522's. My Dad was very adept at steam whistles and first generation diesel horns, back when they had a cord.
Terry, All of the modern diesels have a push-button to activate the horn, so it is controlled by a solenoid valve; either open or closed. No way to play the horn.
This weekend the National Museum of Transportation (NMOT) is hosting a "shoot" and several locomotives are out in the open. The event also includes a night time session with special lighting. The 4-8-2 SLSF 1522 is out in the sun and looking a bit tattered.
It really was fun to play with the horn on the units we could. It added a little variety to the sounds. Terry
From Richard Crabtree on the Frisco Rails Across Missouri Facebook group. Some people get to chase the dream and some people get to live the dream Here is one lucky fellow Donald Jon Wirth, who was able to be the Engineer for the "Pride of the Frisco Stables" 4-8-2 Northern Frisco No. 1522. May we all be so lucky to live our dreams!