Flying Scotsman

I'm sure I've read, I think in Ossie Nock's book, that the A1/A3s were fitted with the LNER group standard whistle so that would be the same as all the LNER locos until Gresley met Captain Howey and decided on a chime for the A4s, P2s and the Hush Hush. The sound I rememeber from 4472 was definitely the same as that for 60163, the K1 and K4. Does anyone know where the current whistle comes from? It certainly needs retuning

 

I went away and had a listen to a number of my DVDs and videos on Scotsman, and, contrary to my memory on the day, I have to agree that Scotsman's current whistle does sound very different to the one carried in 1968 for the non stop run, and probably that carried through preservation too.

I have to also confess to being not musically minded, and my more musically minded sister gave me chapter and verse on the whistle's tone/pitch and similar last night when I initially said "they sound the same to me"

So you have my apologies gentlemen, I put my hands in the air - quite, quite wrong, and the current whistle does seem to be different or lacking somewhere. Curious.

 

Off the top of my head, the P2 hooters were not the same as the A4 ones (and most certainly, not all A4s had the same type of whistle in any event, and also receiving the group standard whistle during the war years did not help). I don't know what the original Hush Hush had but the rebuilt W1 definitely had an A4 type whistle - clearly visible on the locomotive in many photographs.

 

Did DoC have a Canadian type I think?

 

You could be right but until I dig out the relevant RCTS book, I can't say for sure.

 

The original pre war Crosby whistles blew the chord C,F and A flat (2nd inversion of F minor) the British ones, fitted post war, were half a tone higher (2nd inversion of Fsharp minor). The original Crosby's were removed as it was felt they could be confused with an air raid siren. Their fate is unknown but they were not refitted after the war.
4489 carried a five note Canadian Pacific whistle from 1937 until 1949 .
4492 carried a New Zealand Railways whistle which was on from 1939 until withdrawal and that was the only different whistle I can recall hearing on any A4.

 

Perhaps the pea fell onto Riley's workshop floor.

 

Thanks for this. Saves digging through my book shelves.

 

Sort of like this?

 

I reckon they could cut the fuel bill by half if they removed the whistle chain!

 

Don't! You'll be giving Paul Hitch ideas...

Tom
(With apologies...)

 

(Deleted - double post)

 

Some pics of mine from the East Lancs way back on 16th Jan (where's the year gone already ?!): http://daviddepperphotography.zenfolio.com/p180254075#h65172dc8

 

Goodness... Poor neighbours...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I like the comment by the chap who posted that. "Today, I took my MD Whistles Crosby 3 Chime out to the New Hope Valley Railway." Can you imagine the response if some prawn rolled up at an MPD in this country and asked the shed staff if they could bung his whistle on their engine for the day?

 

My guess is that 60103 has a GN-pattern 'pop' whistle, which I believe was different in tone to the LNER standard fitted to later class members.

 

Could be fun though. Use a hooter off a Big Boy, it would sure get you noticed.

 

A few years ago when 44871 came to the SVR to help over the santa season a "spare" hooter was found by the Riley boys and attached to 42968 for the day. Caused a fair bit of confusion when a Stanier hooter announced its approach to Arley when the five was sitting quietly in platform 1!

 

There has been some very detailed and informative discussion on the LNER forum on A4 3-tone whistles.

I gather the 'new' whistle fitted to FS recently is one purchased at auction as apparently the 'original'.

But does it have the original 'sound'?! It is clearly inferior in all respects to the whistle fitted that we all remember from the Pegler and McAlpine period, before a SAR chime whistle was fitted during the Marchington era.

The LBSCR used a high pitched whistle very similar to the standard single note LNER whistle.

Is the current 'new' whistle damaged? Is the 'bell' set correctly to height and concentric with the languid or disc?

It may be the 'original' fitting, but not much use if it is damaged or incorrectly adjusted and produces a non 'original' sound!

I am also aware the NRM have quite a collection of whistles in the reserve collection from which comparisons can be made, as well as those on other preserved single note whistle ex-LNER locos.

cheers,
Julian