[rosalinde]

Here’s a recording of a Nathan 5 chime: http://rizzolilocomotiveworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Nathan-5-Chime.mp3

And here’s a recording of a Nathan 6 chime: http://rizzolilocomotiveworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Nathan-6-Chime.mp3

They’re not MP originals, but considering MP cloned Nathan’s designs, the difference in sound is negligible, if not non-existent.

[rosalinde]

Sorry to bump this thread, but the video in the link has been taken down. Fortunately, the film the video was derived from is still available to view on Youtube (as of posting).

https://youtu.be/bu6W0KoLH5Y?t=169

I’ve downloaded this video, so in the event that it’s also taken down, it can be reuploaded and enjoyed.

[rosalinde]

@Patrick wrote:

Single bell whistle. On the Mopac, only on the oldest engines although I think I saw a 4-8-0 with a short one.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_short_long_whistle.jpg

Three chime whistle. Most had flat tops. These were in favor until around maybe 1910. Steamboat whistles were large, very long 3 chimes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_single_bell_chime_image.jpg

5 chime/6 chime whistle. Began to find favor after 1900. The 6 chime is usually longer to add a deeper note to the 5 chime sound; these are the “moaning” whistles. Many roads used the mellower 6 chimes for passenger engines but the MP put them on everything including switchers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_6_chime_b.jpg

Study prototype photographs. Identify the whistle type and listen to the (admittedly model) whistle sounds on this website:

https://soundtraxx.com/reference/sound-samples/tsunami2-steam-sounds

Match the whistle type to the appropriate sound samples, there will be several. Pay no attention to the road name given, we will never know exactly how MP whistles were tuned. If you have the Tsunami2-2, Pick the one out of the appropriate type selections that you like best. No one will be able to fault you.

I’ve been reliably informed by an avid whistle collector since originally posting that Missouri Pacific’s 5 and 6 chimes were cast by MP shops and were tuned exactly the same as Nathan’s 5 and 6 chime whistles.

[rosalinde]

@mjorstad wrote:

Found some pertinent info for steam whistles fr an early Q&A in The Eagle if this interests anyone. Apparently all heavy passenger and dual-use power-the 6600s, 1150s, 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s-had steamboat chimes. Some of the 6400s got them later on as well. The 2200s had something close to a Baldwin standard chime. No pure freight power (2-8-2s, 2-10-2s, 2-8-4s, 2-8-0s) had steamboat chimes.

I had noticed since originally posting that the long-bell 3 chimes were exclusive to passenger and mixed duty locomotives, but thank you for the confirmation.

I’m pretty sure the whistles on the 2201’s weren’t made by Baldwin. As far as I know, Baldwin only ever made single chime whistles and short-bell flat-top 3 chimes, and the 2201’s wore what look like Hancock’s long-bell step-top 3 chimes. The different sound more than likely has to do with the fact that the whistles on the 2201’s were attached to the superheater. All of Missouri Pacific’s other locomotives had their whistles attached to the steam dome. Superheated steam sounds very different from saturated steam.

I have found a handful of photos of the 5335 MT-73’s wearing 6 chimes, but they’re the only Missouri Pacific locomotives built after the 1910’s or so that wore 6 chimes, from what I can find.

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