A "whimsical" tidbit about Postwar (plastic casing) whistles

I'm probably the least musically inclined person on earth, but I really enjoyed reading your narrative.  Thanks for sharing.

= walt

LOL! This is great Greg, you've discovered yet another aspect of our diverse hobby!     TJ

Thank you for what is probably the best post I've read on OGR  in a long time.  I love music and this was so interesting.

John

Thank you Greg that is really interesting. For us BabyBoomers that is a universally beloved sound. They say that in cognitive decline we will still respond to the sound of our name. Perhaps that Lionel whistle would be a close second.

Jay

Thanks Greg for explaining something, I guarantee I would personally never have found out or known.  It was really interesting reading .

Best wishes...Hey...next how about analyzing the F-3 horn from the late 40's?

Don

These tidbits are always interesting. It's a great part of history too because there could be quite a complex story behind it. Or it could be as simple as "yeah it sounds good. Let's use it".

I agree with @Don McErlean. See what else you can find!

Thanks Greg!  I thought this interesting enough that I sent your findings to a well trained music buddy for reaction and comment.  He replies:

"Hearing modern train horns in my head, they DO use the more strident tri-tone. But most older steam models did use the more melodic Perfect 4^th."

@Don McErlean posted:

Thanks Greg for explaining something, I guarantee I would personally never have found out or known.  It was really interesting reading .

Best wishes...Hey...next how about analyzing the F-3 horn from the late 40's?

Don

Lol!  The F-3 horns will be another ball of wax in itself due to the screw in the back of them that adjusts the tension of the vibrating piece.  Instead of getting one note, there would likely be a "range" whether it be a pitch that can be raised or lowered (sharp or flat), or the range of a few notes.  Furthermore, some of these horns were made by Lionel while others were "outsourced" from a different company.  So there may be a discrepancy between manufacturers.

I do want to test out a metal whistle box horn and see if the notes are similar.

Stay tuned (pun intended!). LOL

Greg

According to a couple of different websites I found with a Google search, the New York Central Hudsons and Mohawks so revered by Joshua Lionel Cowen had 6-chime whistles built by Nathan that sounded the notes C#, D#, F, G, A# and C#.  To faithfully reproduce it in the 1930s, the tender would have to be stuffed with a harmonica!

It could be possible....the holes used are not that big.  Perhaps a slightly larger case could fit 4 more channels leading to holes.