Steam & Excursion > Great Nothern Steam Locomotive Whistle

I have a chance to purchase the whistle pictured in this thread. it is listed as a Great northern 7-chime whistle. 24" tall, 6-1/2" diameter and 2-1/2" threads. It is obvious the pipes are steel as seen by the welds.

Anyone know if the GN made shop built pipe whistles? Anyone know what this "may" sound like? No sound recording was available, just the pictures and description.

If I get it, I hope it is worth it..

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Yes, that is a genuine shop built GN whistle. The others that I've seen were all 6-chimes and they sound horrible. Judging by the lengths of the tubes, that one will sound no better. If you buy it, buy it for the collectability not for the sound.

Also, on the one I have, the inlet threads are BPT 11-tpi, not 11-1/2 tpi so you will need an adapter, unless you're putting on a GN engine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/17 22:15 by crackerjackhoghead.

Sound horrible as far as too high of a pitch or just a bad combo of notes?

1003-2719-1385-engr Wrote:
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> Sound horrible as far as too high of a pitch or
> just a bad combo of notes?


Bad combination of notes. It's not a chord, just noise. Generally, the high and low note are the same note an octave apart which would mean that the short chamber should be about half the length of the long one and, well, you can see how far apart the high and low is on this.

Strange looking whistle

There is a clip on that one video streaming site of Mt. Rainier Scenic #5, during its trip to Wenatchee. They took the whistle off that GN consolidation there and used it. Not sure if it's this same type, but it is just awful sounding.

Posted from Android

Do you know the link to that video? The owner has no recording, and since I actually work on steam and not just a collector, I am somewhat hesitant on getting something that I can not first hear. The welds on that look like awful also. Would the GN shop actually do welds like that?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/17 14:23 by 1003-2719-1385-engr.

1003-2719-1385-engr Wrote:
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> Do you know the link to that video? The owner has
> no recording, and since I actually work on steam
> and not just a collector, I am somewhat hesitant
> on getting something that I can not first hear.
> The welds on that look like awful also. Would the
> GN shop actually do welds like that?


Go to THAT site, type in MRSR 5 Wenatchee, and click on the first one--something about MRSR 5 on the Burlington Northern. Go to 7:30 and you'll hear the whistle in question. The 5's regular whistle was MUCH nicer.

Looks like the bottom line is don't waste your money on it from what everyone is posting on here.

I've heard worse. In fact, that discordant shriek is interesting in its own way.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Yes, as crackerjack confirmed, that's a GN shop-made boiler tube whistle. I used to own a 7-chime just like that. Never blew it, but it was unique from my other whistles in how it looked, so I liked displaying it at home. It's probably on a GN bronze bowl.

Posted from iPhone

If any of you guys are in the Los Angeles area this coming weekend, The Los Angeles Live Steamers in Griffith Park is having their annual Spring Meet.
They can probably blow your whistle on our 100+ horsepower Steam Plant.
Bring your own conversion adapters.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

I went to that site and listened to the whistle. I'd say the sound was unique.
Almost all other steam locomotive whistles I have heard. Have a pleasant
"melodious" sound to them. Whether they be 3, 5 or 7 chimed whistles.

Another Great Northern, but this one has a more conventional 5 chime cast iron bell. Bowl looks to be the same, and uses the same style under pull lever. The bowl is hand stamped 1619, which would have been a 2-6-2.

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