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Ran a couple before work this morning, not because I planned to, but because I was up an hour earlier than I needed to be. When I woke up and checked the clock, I thought it said 6:50, didn't realize until I was getting dressed for work that it must have been 5:50 and my bad eyes didn't see the difference between 5 and 6......

So what better way to kill some time before leaving the house.

Bob

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2023-04-30 21.19.53

Bob, you were up that late: 5:50 AM?

I almost always beat that by at least 1 hour, and in those wee hours of the morning, running trains can be a joy.

This morning it was a pleasure for me to run this recently acquired MTH Proto 3 Baltimore & Ohio F3 A B Units:

I'm in "Royal Blue Heaven."

Arnold

Arnold! Nice B&O F3's! Always a pleasure watching your videos.

So...is it me or do the MTH F3 horns in general sound pitifully anemic (I have a set of MTH Santa F3's that have the same horn). And rest assured Arnold; I'm NOT trying to insulting your beautiful layout.

I lived by a Pennsy route and saw/heard F3's all the time and I don't remember it sounding that way. Can anyone confirm the MTH F3 horn sound is realistic? I've always wondered about that horn.

Last edited by Junior

I think what one thinks of the MTH horns may largely depend on what you compare them to.

For instance, IMO the MTH F3 horns are a lot more realistic and better than the Lionel Postwar diesel horns that sound like a bicycle horn.

On the other hand, some modern Lionel have excellent horns, whistles, bells, and other sounds, some of which are arguably better than MTH. Neil Young may have made that happen for Lionel in the past.


River City railfans got a treat as two heritage units, CSX 911 and MRL 4404 found themselves on an intermodal train with more than meets the eye. As the train was high priority, five flatcars containing the vehicle and beast mode props for the upcoming Transformers movie "Rise of the Beasts" were attached to the front for transport to the next location for filming.

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IMG_1900

Junior, I have found MTH F units to have realistic sounding horns, but I'm no authority on the real locomotives.

Like you, I'm interested in what others say about the MTH horns.

The Nathan P01235 that only went on Amtrak's GE E60's was the most melodious air horn ever, but nothing beats the fat "blaaaat" of the Leslie A-200, standard horn of the PRR, for getting one's attention. This was particularly important for the GG-1 which was nicknamed the "widowmaker" since it was so quiet at speed. MTH's A-200 version seems OK, but I don't think any manufacturer has chosen to reproduce the P01235.

@Ed Samsen posted:

Another horn Lionel missed was the Westinghouse electro-pneuphonic on the Lackawanna MU cars.

I recognize the GG1 horn was a unique sound.   I'm surprised the E60 not having the standard AMTRAK 5 chime.

Indeed. The Amtrak GE E60's were apparently a unique case as the guy at Amtrak who chose the horn bell pitches was a former bandleader, of all things:

http://atsf.railfan.net/airhorns/p01235.html

Some of these E60's went on to later service with the NJT. Frankly, I'd just about kill to get one of these horns and a compressor setup to blow it like those heard in the link above. You wouldn't happen to have a link to the sound of one of those Westinghouse EP horns, would you Ed?

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