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Presently train whistles operate on compressed air, and thus, like the steam Calliope , the steam whistles on trains are now mostly a thing of the past. The older steam whistles were almost always actuated with a pull cord (or sometimes a lever) that permitted proportional (tracker) action, so that some form of "expression" could be put into the sound. Many train operators would have their own style of blowing the whistle, and it was often apparent who was operating the locomotive by the sound. Modern locomotives, however, often use a pushbutton switch, which takes away the fine control over the way the whistle is sounded. The train whistle is categorized (see for example the music dictionary ) as an aerophone, and in particular, a woodwind instrument, (even though most steam whistles were made of metals like copper, and modern ones are also usually made of metals). Because trains generally have extremely high mass and relatively low braking friction, they are inherently difficult to stop at normal speeds. Since train whistles are extremely inexpensive to institute compared to other more effective warning devices, the use of loud and distinct train whistles have become the preferred safety fallback for railroad operators. HISTORY OF TRAIN WHISTLES John Holliday describes the history of train whistles as originating in 1832, by way of a stationmaster at the Leicester and Swanington Railway opening, that the trains should have an audible signaling device. A local musical instrument builder was commissioned to provide a steam-powered whistle, then known as a "steam trumpet". Other designs had the steam whistling through a circular (radially symetric) Fipple . On the dangers of using truck horns instead of the standard whistle The article describes also a train-bus collision arising from a train that used truck horns instead of the standard whistle. Although the bus driver heard the horn, he thought it was a truck rather than a train. Original diesel locomotives did not have whistles, but were equipped with truck horns. POLYPHONY OF TRAIN WHISTLES American train whistles usually had either three or four frequencies that are sounded together, at the same time, to form a chord. As compared with automobile horns, for example, which form a major third, usually with the notes "F" and "A", the train whistle usually forms a non-major chord which is full of Dissonance , allowing it to have a distinct, frightening, and serious sound, rather than a happy one. Among the most common musical chords on trains today in North America is the Airchime version of D#, F#, G#, B, D#, which is a G# minor 7th in the 2nd inversion. (G#m7/D#) Here's a soundclip of this familiar chord: Airchime K-5la (Horns Inc.) A train whistle is usually low in pitch, compared to similar mobile signaling devices on cars, trucks, bicycles, etc. The low pitch helps us mentally connect with the fact that the sound's source is large in size and weight. It is not uncommon for the sound of a train's Horn to Resonate for miles; yet operators of the vehicles still have a difficult time hearing the warning signal due to the vehicle's Soundproofing and ambient noise within the cab (such as engine, road, radio, and conversation noises). The need to blare a train's horn excessively loud to be heard by the driver of a vehicle approaching a Grade Crossing has become a major disadvantage to the use of horns as a safety device and has caused much controversy to those living within earshot of the train's horn. It has been documented that a train's air horn has been measured at a higher Decibel levels within the homes of nearby residents than within the cab of a vehicle sitting at the grade crossing. Given the tonal design of the train's air horn, the loudness, the frequency of trains passing through given community, the number of grade crossings in proximity, and the time of day (night) of occurrence, the use of train horns can have a serious detrimental effect on the Quality Of Life of community residents in a given area despite the marginal gain in safety that sounding the horn provides to motorists. HISTORY OF THE DOPPLER EFFECT It is train whistles that led to the discovery of the Doppler Effect . At the time, trains were one of the few objects that would move quickly while playing a constant (though not single-note) sound. WHISTLE CODE Train whistles are used to communicate to other railroad workers on a train or to railroad workers in the yard. Different combinations of long and short whistles each have their own meaning. They are used to pass instructions, as a safety signal, and to warn of impending movements of a train. Despite the advent of modern radio communication, most of these whistle signals are still used today:
Other whistle code Not all railroads use the exact same whistle signals or assign the same meanings. Some railroads will use their own variations of the above. A few of the signals are obsolete because the workers they were used to communicate with (such as flagman) are now obsolete. In Norway , for example, the following whistle signals are used:
In Finland , the following are some of the signals used:
TRAIN WHISTLES IN FOLK CULTURE The well-known song "Five Hundred Miles" makes frequent reference to the sound of the train whistle, as being audible over a great distance. Excerpt: If you miss the train I'm on, You will know that I am gone. You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles, A hundred miles, two hundred miles, three hundred miles, four hundred miles, You can hear the whistle blow five hundred miles. The melancholy nature of train whistles In popular and folk culture, train whistles are often associated with loneliness or hard luck, because of the association of trains with transients and Hobo s who often wait outside the train station and run and jump on to ride the railcars as they just begin moving out of the station. The book "Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow" is an example. Furthermore, minor chords (like that of a train whistle) are said to have a melancholy sound. Additionally, steam whistles (the traditional sounding mechanism of train whistles) tend to waver in pitch, and thus make more of a crying or wailing sound, that further adds to the lonesome nature of the whistle. Even the modern compressed-air whistle wavers in pitch much more than does a car horn, and the sound of the whistle is more "throaty" and windy (more like a pan flute or calliope) than other signalling devices like automobile horns. Lastly, train stations were (and, to some degree still are) associated with the departure of loved ones, and the sadness of saying goodbye. To the extent that the sound of a train whistle is unique, and somewhat symbolic of long distance travel, it has come to contextualize itself as mournful and melancholy. EXTERNAL LINKS External links to sites explaining how to build or purchase train whistles
External links to sites pertaining to train whistles in folk culture |
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