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WARNING:
Collecting locomotive horns can be a fascinating hobby in addition to rail fanning and model railroading,
they should be taken very seriously. Carelessness or misuse of these devices can result in permanent hearing
loss to you, friends or loved ones. Locomotive horns can be extremely loud and hearing protection is mandatory
when in close proximity to a blast. Also, we do not condone mounting one to a personal vehicle or truck. Not
only can this be illegal, it can also cause a serious accident if one is blown on a public highway or through
an intersection where there are no railroad tracks crossing at grade.
MANUFACTURERS:
There are only two manufactures of air horns that are in use on U.S. and Canadian railroad locomotives today.
One manufacturer is Leslie and the other is Nathan/AirChime. Nathan seems to be dominating the market in
Locomotive air horns as the once popular Leslie 3 and 5 chime horns are becoming few and far between.
Nathan has two types of horns in use today. The K series (Kettle drum principle) and the P series.
The older M and H series horns have been phased out of production and are rare to find. The K and P series
horns come arranged in either a 3 or 5 chime assembly. The 3 or 5 chime assembly manifolds can be either a
High mount or a Low mount. Thus a Nathan K5H stands for: K series, 5 chime, High mount. Another letter at
the end of a horn description is sometimes an A. The A stands for "American tuned" not "amtrack".
A BIT OF HISTORY AND KNOWLEDGE:
In 1976 a member of the Chessie System came up with the idea of the K5LA from the Canadian tuned K5L.
They bored out the number 3 and 4 chimes to change the original tuning from A#-(470hz) and C(523hz) to
G#(415hz) and B(494hz) respectively making a 3a and 4a chime. The first batch of K5LA's went on an order
of Chessie System GP40-2's in 1977. Additionally, unlike the M and H series horns, the K and P series were
designed for low maintenance level in a "one size fits all" concept. This means that all the internal parts (diaphragms
and rubber gaskets) of the K series or P series horns are of the same size to its model design.
Over the years aluminum castings have been changed ever so slightly altering the sounds of the horns. K
series horns are die-cast Aluminum and P series horns are sand cast aluminum. The original K5LA's sound
slightly different and higher pitched than ones cast today. The original P series castings say "Pat
Pending" on each chime and manifold. The newer castings say "Pat Pend" It is also common for railroads
to use restrictors at the base of the horns. This controls the amount of airflow to the manifold, which
can alter the sound as well. Directional positioning of the chimes, mounting location of the horn itself
and even a thick coat of paint may all play a factor on the way a horn will sound. The slight differences
or alterations in sounds are hard for the average ear to pick up unless you compare to sound clips of the
same horn model make.
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