FA-1 - Leslie Supertyfon S5T - Replacement For Wabco E-2 and Nathan Airchime M5 Air Horns

John,

I do not understand what it is that you are looking for.

All Leslie S-5T type horns had the same bells.

The full orifice horn would sound a lot louder or possibly more harsh, but the notes from each bell should be the same as any other horn of this type.

The bells and manifold are the same castings for any variety of S-5T.

The only difference between an S-5T and an S-5T-F is the size of the opening in the internal orifice dowel pins.

 

Thanks, Kevin, for straightening me out on the matter.

I have limited knowledge on the topic and am trying to change that.

I suppose part of the problem is one cannot replicated the sound of air blowing through a metal bell with that of a piano's hammer striking a steel or copper wire.

I went to the horn whistle board site and asked around and was told: "255CPS (between B&C), 311 D#, 370 F#, 440 A, 554 C#.

I have heard many variations where the #25 bell blows lower or more sharp, by handle: José

 

These are a couple of YouTube videos that feature the specific horn I was referring to.

1953 Leslie S-5T-F on the SARM Secret City Scenic



1954 Frisco Leslie SuperTyfon S-5TF Locomotive Air Horn



They seem a bit melancholic, but this is my favorite horn, next to the K5LA, even if it is a Nathan.

 

The length and internal shape of the bell determines what musical note or sound is created in an air horn.

Sloppy casting, machining, assembly or any combination thereof can create a change in the sound created.

Leslie has pretty good quality control, but there is always room for error.

Hence, slight variations can be heard between what should be identical horns.

Variations and wear in the power chamber can change the sound that is heard as well.

 

Gang,

Here is one more example of the Leslie S-5T-F.

This one is a fully restored 1952 S-5T-F from GP7 SLSF 597.

It was recorded as a guest horn aboard a Heart of the Heartlands excursion train in 2003.

Ron

 

Those notes are the B 9th. B major 9 is B, D#, F#, A#, C#.

 

Too bad they did not use B, D#, F#, A, C#, #(D)

 

Both B9 and Bmaj9 sound great.

Does anyone still have the X2200 South issues about horns and chord choice for checking.

It was decades ago when I read it, but the A7 chord stuck in my feeble memory for some reason.

 

I loved the Frisco's whistles.

Going through Van Buren, AR in either direction, once the blowing started, it was essentially continual until they were through town, some 14-15 crossings if I remember correctly.

On some nights, the sound would carry exceptionally well and the reverb effect was superb.

I also loved the "Squawker" whistles, Leslie ST5's that had a higher pitch bell diaphragm that was not quite "right". Maybe the first pull of the whistle rope would give the typical Leslie ST5 sound, then the next pull would cause a note to squawk at a higher pitch than normal. Loved that, too!

Back in the mid-1970s, I was attending evening classes for my ministerial credentials at the Van Buren 1st Assembly Church on Baldwin Avenue. There was a work train working out of Van Buren hauling rip-rap up to dump on the side of The Mountain, then return for another load. A loader was loading from a stock pile there off the Van Buren "middle" track.

Ralph "Mac" McAddams was the engineer. I saw Mac sitting on the middle track as he waited for the loader to refill his half-dozen or so side dumps. "Come on an go with me, Andre!", he hollered down as I strolled up to say my howdy's. "We'll be at it all evening!", he exclaimed.

Oh how I wanted too! However, duty called and I needed to be in class that I was paying dearly for. So, as much as I did not want to, I had no choice but decline Ralph's offer.

A bit later, sitting in classroom, I had clearly heard Mac whistle off. At that time, the 1st Assembly building sat right next to the tracks. If you were in one of the south rooms you could see the tracks! Leaving town, that squawker whistle on the Geep would blare out its warning all through town as he headed out for The Mountain once again.

I wanted to be on that train so bad I could taste it.

You know, that was hard for me to understand at the time. That is, I knew I had railroading in my blood in a bad way, but it was not the time the my life for it to come into play just yet. Of course, living through those years as maturing young man, I did not "get" it.

In fact, I often wondered if God had made a mistake LOL with me, for I knew I was supposed to be a minister, yet the railroading in me ran deep. The pull of both vocations was very, very strong, and at times I felt very stretched from it. It was a bit confusing.

During those times that my ministerial career was in a "low ebb", no work, I would try to hire on with the railroads. There was always something that prevented such, even if they were hiring! Got nailed by ethnic and gender quota at one hiring opportunity! I pretty much gave up on full-time railroading and began to avail myself of part time railroading as available.

It was not until toward the end of my working career, that it seemed God said "Now it's time to railroad. You know, that other side in you I created!".

It was only then that I realized the railroading had not been placed in me as a lifetime vocation, but was placed within me to provide a retirement by using the the last decade+ of my working career to earn a railroad retirement. It was literally by miraculous intervention that at 54 years of age, full time railroading came to me.

This time it was not me trying to make it happen! So, I stepped back from full time ministry, took the railroading opportunity, and finally went full time railroading. Within weeks of making the change I was a Certified Engineer. All my on the job training over the decades, both paid and free, finally paid off!

Thus my full time career began. My employers were quite pleased to learn that I brought almost 30 years of railroading experience to the table in spite of never having worked a day as a full time railroader!

I lived a lifetime in those 12+ years and had many, many opportunities to experience all kinds of railroading via my time with Pioneer, then Watco, and then with the A&M.

Soon after hiring with Watco, upon seeing my abilities, the loan outs began. So, during my Watco years my railroading took me over three states and many, many subdivisions. I did not care for being gone from home for weeks at a time or living out of a motel room. But the experiences were great to live and I would not take anything for them.

However, the A&M was truly the best of the railroads to me. Under Riley McCarrin's (sp?) leadership, it was a great place to work and my hourly wages almost doubled over my years I spent with them.

I will forever miss the types of railroading I was able to be a part of, both part time and full time. I am so thankful I got to live part of what God placed in me from such an early age. Not everyone has that opportunity.

Why did I type all that?

Ah well, guess I thought I needed to.

Andre

Edited: Clean up some grammar and typos.

 

Probably trivia or old news to the seasoned veterans here.

I just learned or was reminded, if I previously knew, that the two longs, a short and a long is Morse code for "Q" short for "quarantine" the crossing.