Western Railroad Discussion > New UP ES44AC GEVO's + K5HLL Horn Audio!

(whoops, guess I can't tell a K5HLL from a K5LLA!)

The first 20 of UP's 2009 new order ES44AC's (UP still calls them C45ACCTE's) are out and about all across the system. Seeing there are a total of 125 on order from GE at Erie, PA numbered in the (cleared) UP7345-UP7469 number slot, this leaves 105 units left to be delivered.

Keep in mind these are the funky new 5-chime horn equipped guys with a different sounding K5HLL! I've heard two of them whistle into Oakland over the last few days and they do sound very sweet. We need someone to get some video of them on point and upload the audio/video!

More on these new K5HLL horns at:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1875573
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1878463

~~~

(EDIT) Hey, found a video/audio recording of the first new equipped 2009 GEVO's with this K5HLL horn. Video sot at the GE test track with the BNSF 6601 and UP 7354 taking turns leading/honking (cut and paste link)



Since there are two passing-by CSX trains mixed into the video clip as well as a Xing gates false alarm, the good new GEVO K5LLA horn audio sampling is at 0:29, 0:56 and 1:32.

~~~

UP7346 Empty No Departed Npomona, CA 02/25/09 12:20
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Slcit, UT 02/26/09 13:52

UP7347 Empty No Arrived Kancity, MO 02/24/09 13:16
(UMLER)

UP7348 Empty No Departed Bertram, CA 02/25/09 13:05
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Ictf, CA 02/25/09 21:16

UP7349 Empty No Departed Ogallala, NE 02/25/09 13:35
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Pocatello, ID 02/26/09 14:27

UP7350 Empty No Departed Strawberr, UT 02/25/09 13:43
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Nplaeast, NE 02/26/09 12:15

UP7351 Empty No Unit Placed Dolores, CA 02/24/09 09:51
(UMLER)

UP7352 Empty No Departed Bertram, CA 02/25/09 13:05
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Ictf, CA 02/25/09 21:16

UP7353 Empty No Departed Elkgrove, CA 02/25/09 12:25
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Nplaeast, NE 02/27/09 17:48

UP7354 Empty No Departed Toy, NV 02/25/09 12:35
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Glo3, IL 02/27/09 20:33

UP7355 Empty No Departed Elkgrove, CA 02/25/09 12:25
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Nplaeast, NE 02/27/09 17:48

UP7356 Empty No Departed Bertram, CA 02/25/09 13:05
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Ictf, CA 02/25/09 21:16

UP7357 Empty No Unit Released Dolores, CA 02/24/09 04:46
(UMLER)

UP7358 Empty No Departed Whitesbor, TX 02/25/09 15:09
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Ftworth, TX 02/25/09 18:04

UP7359 Empty No Departed Cactus, CA 02/25/09 12:58
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Wcolton, CA 02/25/09 21:51

UP7360 Empty No Departed Mescal, AZ 02/25/09 11:46
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Englewood, TX 02/27/09 03:08

UP7361 Empty No Departed Elko, NV 02/25/09 12:51
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Marion, AR 02/28/09 08:16

UP7362 Empty No Departed Strawberr, UT 02/25/09 13:43
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Nplaeast, NE 02/26/09 12:15

UP7363 Empty No Departed Jefferson, IA 02/25/09 14:35
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Sstpaul, MN 02/26/09 05:41

UP7364 Empty No Departed Bertram, CA 02/25/09 13:05
(UMLER) Empty No Estimated Time of Arrival at Destination Ictf, CA 02/25/09 21:16

UP7365 Empty No Arrived Ictf, CA 02/24/09 14:53
(UMLER)


~~~

OK, I watched the Youtube vid, but for some reason, I'm not impressed. To me, and this is just my opinion, the horn sounds like crap! Then again I'm not a horn junkie so I can't hear a true M5 in my head to compare the two.

Mr. MRL - just me?

You sure that's a K5LLA? I can't see the horn very well in the video, but GEVO's have typically had the K5HL instead. It uses the high profile manifold and a few different horn bells compared to the K5LLA, which is what the 70ACe's have. The K5HL tends to have more of a minor key sound ("Canadian tuning"), which I think my ears detect in the audio. The horns in that clip sound a little like "bad" M5's, ones where the high notes have gone silent and the low notes are a little off. It's not a terrible sound - better than a K3LA by a longshot - but I think I prefer the original run of the K5HL to these. This is what some fairly decent M5's sound like:

http://atsf.railfan.net/airhorns/m5_27otr.wav
http://atsf.railfan.net/airhorns/m5_20wp.wav

They don't sound too similar to me. The M5 is a little more crisp whereas the K5 sounds like a sardine can.

samreeves Wrote:

> They don't sound too similar to me. The M5 is a
> little more crisp whereas the K5 sounds like a
> sardine can.

Crisp versus muffled is partly a matter of placement. The horn way back in the middle of the hood on the GEVO is going to sound less crisp and brassy than a horn perched front and center above the headlight as those M5's were.

So I want to know if this is the new standard horn that GE will be putting on all new locos or is it specific to UP?

I have been impressed with the sound of these new horns, they do sound a lot like the fabled M5.

I hope this is a horn that will find it way into other parts of the country?

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You sure that's a K5LLA? I can't see the horn
> very well in the video, but GEVO's have typically
> had the K5HL instead. It uses the high profile
> manifold and a few different horn bells compared
> to the K5LLA, which is what the 70ACe's have.

Search for UP 7365 at locophotos.com and you can see a roof photo showing the K5HL on the top.

Midwest

From ear I dunno what the bells are - just forwarded what FiveChime and others noted. Guess I was a little confused about and got my K5HLL and K5LLA horns mixed up.

That being said, they sound a lot better in person (not crap), especially from a distance.

~~~

espeeboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> (whoops, guess I can't tell a K5HLL from a
> K5LLA!)
>
> The first 20 of UP's 2009 new order ES44AC's (UP
> still calls them C45ACCTE's) are out and about all
> across the system. Seeing there are a total of 125
> on order from GE at Erie, PA numbered in the
> (cleared) UP7345-UP7469 number slot, this leaves
> 105 units left to be delivered.
>
> Keep in mind these are the funky new 5-chime horn
> equipped guys with a different sounding K5HLL!
> I've heard two of them whistle into Oakland over
> the last few days and they do sound very sweet. We
> need someone to get some video of them on point
> and upload the audio/video!
>
> More on these new K5HLL horns at:
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1
> 875573
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1
> 878463
>
> ~~~
>
> (EDIT) Hey, found a video/audio recording of the
> first new equipped 2009 GEVO's with this K5HLL
> horn. Video sot at the GE test track with the BNSF
> 6601 and UP 7354 taking turns leading/honking (cut
> and paste link)
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3S7ZULdFT0&fmt=6
>
> Since there are two passing-by CSX trains mixed
> into the video clip as well as a Xing gates false
> alarm, the good new GEVO K5LLA horn audio sampling
> is at 0:29, 0:56 and 1:32.

So the new ones sound even more different than the K5HLL on the 7700 and 7800 series UP GEVO's?

To me, K5LLA sounds like trumpets, K5HL Freedom Horns (ooops, French Horns), and K5HLL, angrier French Horns. I'm tempted to chase one of these new GEVO's just for the curiosity, then recorded it on video. Can't be in an open, flat area, the sound doesn't reverberate as the above YouTube video shows. Hoping to catch it in Feather River Canyon, where I heard the Nathan M5 on the 6936 echo wonderfully.

The CSX ES44AC's in the 900-949 series have this horn also...

JRF

As posted earlier,

The new K5HL "Gevo" horns have the new (by a year or so)
Diecast #1L bell which voices a little different (nicer) than the older 2 piece Sandcast 1L.

Its also rumored that Airchime is now checking each bell
to make sure they are on key.

Some or most of the older K5HLs do have bells that are off key.
Thats why they sound so discordant.

I've heard (at trackside) a couple of the newer
Gevo horns and to me, they sound great!

P5r24