Mike,
I have had the pleasure of listening to many Q steam whistles in
regular service as well as on fan trips, and they sounded distinctive
and wonderful. However, placing a whistle on a different locomotive
doesn't always sound the same. Steam pressure plays an important roll.
Q's northerns, hudsons and M4's all operated at 250 psi, I believe. I
don't recall what Frisco's 1522's operating steam pressure was. I do
recall that there is a recording of a Q whistle applied to SP 4449
which did not sound good because the SP engine's steam pressure is 300
psi. The CD's jacket cover notes that problem.
BTW, someone else mentioned that there are CD recordings of actual Q
engines, mostly on fantrips. Be careful with these as foreign whistles
were often placed on Q engines in fantrip service. Illini RR Club's
president, the late Maury Klebolt, enjoyed experimenting and change.
There is a great recording of O-5 #5632 leaving Burlington, Iowa,
westbound on the CD "Sunday Only". However, the whistle is not a Q
whistle on that trip. I think it was an IC whistle, but I am not sure.
It had a "banshee" sound to me.
Bill Barber
On Wednesday, February 25, 2004, at 04:53 PM, CBQ@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 02:57:06 EST
> From: atsf3460@aol.com
> Subject: Re: Sound decoder
>
> I'm really curious as to what decoder other people will recommend.
> Here's my
> choice and I'll explain why for what it's worth. The only time I've
> ever
> heard a real "Q" whistle was one time when #1522 ran up to Galesburg
> for Railroad
> Days and had a "Q"whistle mounted instead of the usual booming Frisco
> steamboat whistle (think Julia Belle Swain! .. Peoria reference).
> Anway, this thing
> screeched like crazy. Based on that I'd choose the Santa Fe #3751 with
> passenger whistle if they offer it. It's a higher pitched whistle and
> is a chime
> whistle. If you've seen MILW #261 at times, I believe, it's run with
> a Santa Fe
> whistle because the crew felt the original whistle was just too awful
> sounding!
>
> I think the last time we discussed sound decoders the Rio Grande 2-8-2
> was
> also recommended (I think more on the merits of the whistle than the
> engine
> sound).
>
> Mike Martin / Peoria Heights, IL
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