My first horn was a single-bell K horn (#3A), without a manifold. As a railfan, I was looking for a horn to mimic the old single-note honkers, which I later found out this does not do. Still, I had my first diesel air horn - little did I know how addictive that horn would become. A few months later, I found another small single-bell K horn (#1). The origins of these two pieces are unknown. I did a lot of looking on the 'net for other horn information, and eventually ran across Five Chime Consultants, the invaluable horn encyclopedia! Since then, I've been hooked. In 2001, I finally combined my two single K horns on a homemade manifold, and the chord they sound is a fourth interval, similar to a Wabco AA-2. The manifold has a 1/4" NPT connection on the bottom, and this is more than enough for the two horns.

		k13ax_2001_2.jpg	with a better view of the manifold - note the #1 bell is sand cast
		k13ax_011117_1.wav	definitely has the signature K horn warble!

Nathan P12345

My second acquisition was quite a large step forward from a single-bell K horn. I found a Nathan P5 for what I thought was a good price. When I got the horn I took a closer look, and I found that it is a second generation Pat. Pending horn; I had made a much better purchase than I ever thought. Though not an M5, it sounds the same chord, and so reminds me of the old ALCO RS1 that used to run by my house when I was younger. The horn was from a locomotive repair facility in the mid-west, and beyond that I don't know its history.

		p5_020627_3.jpg	the horn has the primer painted over with a deep blue
		p5_011031_2.wav	as blown by myself on Halloween evening

Prime PM920

At this point, I decided to look for horns that had some special meaning to me. Since I'm still young (early 20s), I wasn't around when the world was littered with S3Ls, though I remember them distinctly on the Conrail power that used to roll through town. Though not a Leslie S-3L, it was designed to mimic the Leslie. However, I soon noticed that even though the Prime and Leslie are supposed to sound the same notes, they are different and have their own special tone. I grew to like the PM920 about as much as the P5 for its strange uniqueness and sheer power. This particular PM920 was from the Southern Pacific, I'm told. This horn has since been sold to my father, who also wanted to join in the hobby.

		pm920_2001_1.jpg	the green is rumored by be Southern green, though I'm not certain
		pm920_011117_1.wav	the low bell makes an interesting flip-flop between B and C

Wabco AA-2

By this time, the collecting bug had got me, and I started looking for anything different from what I already had. I wanted to get at least one of each manufacturer, and so started looking for a Wabco and Leslie. In short time, I came across this AA-2. I soon learned that the Wabcos are seriously over engineered, as this small horn weighed in at about the same weight as the Prime 920! Besides being cast iron and weighing a ton, the horn hadn't ever been taken apart that anyone knows of, and it still blows beautifully. This horn was most likely from a NJTransit MU car; it was purchased from one of their repair facilities.

		aa2_2001_1.jpg	here's a good chance to see what the unique diaphragms look like, too
		aa2_010505_1.wav	not bad for a little two-note horn!

Wabco E-2

The local tourist railroad, the Black River and Western, is currently leasing an ex-CNJ GP7 from the URHS. This engine was restored to its original "toothpaste-stripe" CNJ livery, and still retained its original two Leslie A200s. I always liked that geep, and to remind me of it, I eventually found an E-2. I forwent the A200, because every time I found one, it was too expensive for my taste. If I was going to pay that much, I wanted something more special, and so for the price I had turned down for an A200, I searched long and hard and found myself an E-2 in excellent condition with a good diaphragm! My search for the single-note honker that started my collecting was finally over. This particular E-2 was used up in Canada on a switch engine.

		e2_2001_2.jpg	note the teeth around the edge of the back cap used to lock the cap in place
		e2_011031_1.wav	another horn blown on Halloween evening

Nathan M3H

It was just after the 2001 Altoona Horn and Whistle Fair, where my father almost purchased an M3H, that he decided he wanted to join the fun with a horn of his own. He loved the M3H, as he believes it's a great example of what a train horn should be - loud and penetrating, and not a major chord because that would be too pretty! I also think it's that he grew up in north Idaho, and had Canadian power roll through his town several times a day. Whatever the reason, we found an M3H for Dad to call his own. Unbeknownst to him, plans were made to place the horn on one of the local GP9s for Father's Day. Even though it got up three weeks late, the effect was the same! Dad now likes this horn even more - it is his favorite! Most people believe M3Hs were used exclusively in Canada, but this horn tells another story. It was used on the Grand Trunk, here in the US.

		m3h_020627_3.jpg	don't ask me what color this is - I have no clue...
		m3h_011031_1.wav	what an amazing echo across the river!

Leslie A-125-LP

Around the same time, Dad started doing some research on his own, and found a bronze A-125. Dad too likes the single-note honkers, and has a particular liking to the A-125. The deep honkers aren't as interesting, as he remembers A-125s and S-25s piercing the night air. This horn was received with a cracked diaphragm, but now has a new diaphragm, thanks to Ken Kanne and the Horn Hospital! Ken can manage to create just about anything, it seems. The history of this horn is unknown.

		a125_2001_2.jpg	though not polished yet, it's still a pretty horn
		a125_011215_1.wav	a little windy out, but the sound sure does carry

Leslie S-25 and S-2M

Call me crazy, but I still wanted to find an S-3L to satisfy my desire for my memories of mainline action of the past. Eventually, I ran across an S-25 and an S-2M at the same time, which when combined create a split-manifold S-3L. They aren't really an S-3L, but the tab-back S-25 was just too pretty to pass up. They sound the same as an S-3L, and I like being able to sound them separate or together. Other than they were from NY state, I don't know much about these horns. Judging from the snow cones, the S-2M was most likely from a Septa or NJT Arrow II MU car. (Thanks John!)

		s25_2001_1.jpg	I'm still amazed at how resistant to the elements Leslie's red primer is, even after all these years
		s25_011031_1.wav	quite commanding for a single-note horn
		s2m_2001_2.jpg	it looks to have Amtrak-installed snow cones on it
		s2m_011117_1.wav	it's like one last revival of the NYC E8s

Nathan M3

I don't know what it was, but I had to have an M3 to compete with Dad's M3H. That rich, mellow sound of the Ms just couldn't be topped by any other horn. I ended up purchasing an M3 from Tom Aker, and it's in great shape. I've cleaned it and retuned it to sound closer to the proper A major triad. This scallop-base M3 came from another Grand Trunk locomotive

		m3_2001_2.jpg	the horn is in much need of a cleaning and repainting, though that is original Grand Trunk paint...
		m3_020518_1.wav	blown at Horseshoe curve during the 2002 Altoona Horn and Whistle Fair

Nathan M3

As luck would have it, I ran across a second M3 just after the first. This horn is older than the first M3, and was easier to get, and so I originally thought that I would fix both up and sell one. However, I recently found out that this horn is a very old, August 1950 model, and has several unique characteristics that set it apart from most other M3s. Because of its uniqueness, I've decided to keep both horns. Supposedly, this horn came from a Delaware and Hudson locomotive.

		m3_2001_3.jpg	since this picture was taken, I have since obtained a proper round-base #2 bell
		m3_011117_1.wav	I think it needs some more work, but at least all bells sound

Leslie S-5TR

So far, I have a bunch of single, double, and triple chimes, but only one 5-chime. The S-5T always fascinated me and reminded me of the B&O, but I never thought I'd own one. But I decided that if I didn't look now, I may never find one, and so I ended up getting this S-5T. This S-5T was pieced together, before I purchased it, with the only original parts being the manifold and the 44 and 55 bells. I've since replaced all the round-back power chambers with the correct aluminum tab-back chambers (1966 vintage horn), and have obtained a spare 25 bell. This spare 25 bell was bored out to play a B instead of the factory-tuned of C, making my S-5T sound the intended B major 9th chord, which I prefer to the sound of a standard S-5T.

		brw1853_020715_3.jpg	I was fortunate enough to have my S-5T mounted on Black River's 1853 for 2001's annual mixed freight
		s5t_011031_1.wav	known by many as the king of air horns - listen and decide for yourself!

Wabco E-2

Having one E-2 is nice, but a second E-2 allows to get the one-honker-in-each-direction effect. For this reason, I went out in search of a second E-2, and bought it. This one also has a good diaphragm, and came to me in its original coat of ATSF yellow paint. The horn was one of two mounted on top of ATSF CF7 #2427. Since it's purchase, I have also built a two-horn manifold which I use to mount the pair of Wabcos. It works beautifully, and they are slightly off-pitch, giving the barely-noticeable effect of twin horns I was looking for.

		e2x2_020627_3.jpg	both E-2s mounted on my homemade manifold - Ken Kanne came up with the name "E-2X-2"
		e2_011218_1.wav	listen closely - you can just barely tell that there are two horns here

Hancock 4710

One of my favorite railroad memories was of an ex-PRR doodlebug that used to run the regular passenger runs for the local tourist railroad on slower days. This little car always fascinated me, as there was no engine, but yet it still goes! (When you're young, it doesn't take much.) The doodlebug had an AA-2 on one end of the car, and the other end had what I mistook for a loudspeaker. It sounded like a steam whistle, but the tone never changed, and so I assumed it was some cheap imitation recording. Little did I know at the time, but I was looking at and listening to a Hancock 4700 air whistle. They must have used a solenoid valve that doesn't allow you to quill or play with the sound, because the whistle was always full blast! Though I wasn't able to obtain the whistle off of the doodlebug, I was lucky enough to find this one. It is off a Metro North FL9, and was used as the backup whistle. As such, it has had very little use, and is in excellent shape.

		h4710_020627_2.jpg	since the whistle is so small compared with a horn, I tried to make it as flashy as possible
		h4710_030614_2.wav	to sound correctly, the whistle really does need as much volume as possible - enter the locomotive

Leslie S-3K

I can finally rival my dad's M3H (well, almost). Since he got his M3H, I've fallen in love with the minor chord of that horn. And since I hadn't planned on getting another M3, here's the next best thing. (I just can't stand K horns, and so the K3H was not an option!) This was another horn that I've had the privilege to mount on a locomotive in service, and so has a special attachment to me. This S-3K was most likely from the Great Northern.

		s3k_020627_1.jpg	though the paint has been reapplied, it still looks like it's BN heritage
		brw1853_030104_3.wav	at speed mounted on Black River's GP10 #1853

Wabco DD-5

Though not considered a railroad horn by many, the Wabco DD-5 did find its way onto a few small locomotives. My particular horn was sold as a Truck horn, and so I don't know if this one had any railroad applications. I tested it and then took it apart for cleaning. Surprisingly, the sound changed completely after it was cleaned, and I think I liked the pre-clean sound better. The horn now sounds almost identical to a regular chrome 2-note truck horn, though much clearer and less brassy.

		e2x2-dd5-s48_020627.jpg	you can see just how small this horn really is now - that's a Leslie S-48 in the picture as well
		dd5_011225_1.wav	an interesting sound - unfortunately, I haven't been able to reproduce it since I cleaned it

Nathan P1234a5

My search for another five chime horn turned up this all-original P1234a5. It is on the old 3-piece low-profile manifold, and comes with Albany shop installed Amtrak snow cones. I opened her up and found out that all the rubber internals had rotted away, and that the springs holding the nozzles in place were gone. It has turned into a project horn, as it needs a lot more work before it will be operable. It has Amtrak heritage, though I don't know which type of locomotive it was from. It is all second generation except for the #1 bell, which is a third generation "Pat. Pend" bell (though original to this horn). This means it was most likely sold in 1979 or 1980.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos or sound clips of this horn yet

Nathan K5H

The K5LA is too common a horn here, and is just about all I hear on the Class Is. Thank goodness the local shortlines don't use the K5LA! That being said, I still enjoy the sound of a good K5H. Tailoring to the minor chord, this horn has a great "whistle in the night" sound to it, unique from any other horn produced (except maybe the rare Burnette M5H). I've blown the horn factory, and I have also blown it in a modified configuration, swapping the #2 bell for a #3A bell. This produces a very pleasing G# major chord, unlike anything ever sold before. The history of this horn is unknown.

		k5h_020627_2.jpg	it seems paint doesn't stick too well to a bare die-cast surface
		k5h_p3_020518_1.wav	recorded at the 2002 Altoona blow, a P3 tries to compete...

Nathan M5

At long last, after much searching, an M5 finally surfaced. This horn came to the shortline I volunteer at on GP8 #5428, which they purchased from the Everitt Railroad Company. I made a deal and traded a perfectly functioning RS-3LR that we got for free from the Conrail "junk pile". Both were happy - I got an M5, and the railroad got a working, and more reliable, horn. I've since rebuilt this horn, including new diaphragm disks from Bob Packer for the #5 bell - thanks! We blew it for the first time at Oak Ridge 2003, and it was spectacular.

		m5_031231_1.jpg	after being converted to an M5R24
		m5_030614_4.wav	recorded at Steve Forrest's 2003 Oak Ridge blast

Wabco A-6

One horn that I have always admired is Ed's E-2B-1. The low-pitch horns have always been a favorite, and a three chime horn pitched that low is just amazing. Someday, I would like to be able to find my own official E-2B-1, though I kind of doubt that will happen. As a work-around, I've decided to build my own! I got this A-6 as a starting point. Since I already have an E-2, all I need is the second A-6, and a manifold, which I should be able to build myself.

		a6_031231_1.jpg	it's currently mounted along with an E-2 on my E-2X-2 manifold
		n/a	unfortunately, there's no audio clips yet of this horn

Leslie S-5TFRRO

I don't actually own this horn. This horn is on loan, waiting to be restored and returned to service once I have the time. It is a factory S-5TF with the 44 and 55 bells reversed. Currently cached in exhaust, it will be cleaned up, mechanically restored, and eventually returned to service.

		s5t_031231_1.jpg	if you can believe it, there's a pretty coat of green paint under all that exhaust soot
		n/a	unfortunately, there's no audio clips yet of this horn

last updated 02.17.2004