Steam Whistle Valve

Anonymous-0 · Mar 14, 2009

Recently I got two BIG Steam whistles, they are 8 inch in diameter and about 3 feet tall, Question is, neither has a valve, is a Gate or Ball type valve the best to feed the 2 inch pipe inlets?

Anonymous-0 · Mar 14, 2009

I forgot to include in my original post that I will be using 150 pound Air Pressure. Also the Whistles will be used to keep my neighbor's mind right.

ScottyHOMeY · Mar 14, 2009

Good question?

I've heard that steam whistles don't sound the same when fed with air. Still loud, but not the same sound.

That aside, I'm gonna guess that it's a ball valve. Only because I've never seen a gate valve that operated off a lever instead of a thread, and every steam whistle (locomotives to boiler plants) I've ever seen was operated with a lever... Not sayin' that there might not be such a beast out there . . .

ScottyHOMeY · Mar 14, 2009

A whistle to go with his tin-foil hat??

Anonymous-0 · Mar 14, 2009

I think most steam whistle valves are poppet valves typically operated by a bell crank and a pull chain. Look at 4625K64 at McMaster-Carr. I can't post a link but its mcmaster dot com

Gerald J.

fixerupper · Mar 14, 2009

Wish I could hear them. They sound huge! How big is the air tank. A two inch pipe will drain a regular compressor in a couple of seconds. WHOOOooooo---...?

JMOR · Mar 14, 2009

(quoted from post at 15:48:57 03/14/09) I think most steam whistle valves are poppet valves typically operated by a bell crank and a pull chain. Look at 4625K64 at McMaster-Carr. I can't post a link but its mcmaster dot com

Gerald J.

Gerald described the poppet valve as in the one I have. It is only 1 inch inlet & it is difficult to feed it enough compressed air.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 14, 2009

The air tank that I have is 150 gallons. It does have a two inch pipe outlet, I have used it with another whistle that has it"s own built in valve. I realize that a steam whistle don"t sound the same as it would with steam, air I got , Steam I no got. I gonna get me a 2'' Ball Valve.

fixerupper · Mar 14, 2009

Gold Leaf, the rason I mentioned the air supply is I'm involved with the very same thing only on a much smaller scale. The project I've been building in the shop right now includes a train horn kit the owner wanted me to put on. It's a kit with a 12V compressor and a 2 1/2 gallon tank. Also, we has a smaller steam whistle with a 3/4 pipe inlet, that I hooked up to the system. The train horn sounds great, I can feel the vibves in my chest shen I blow it in the shop. The steam whistle drains the tank in three seconds flat. One short burst and the compressor has to run a couple of munutes to keep up. How many miles away can your whistles be heard? Jim

ScottyHOMeY · Mar 14, 2009

I'd suspect that ball valve would be easier to regulate than a poppet, and you might be able to nurse a little longer blast before your air gives out.

I once listened to a transcription of some old wire recordings made by a fella that lived near a railroad crossing back before diesels knocked the steamers off the rails. Interesting how you could distinguish the different engineers from their touch on the quill when they sounded the --.----- for the crossing.

NEsota · Mar 14, 2009

Fixerupper, For a long time I have been thinking of a train whistle used with a 12V compressor. Please tell me anything you can about what kind of valve to use.

fixerupper · Mar 14, 2009

He got this kit from a company in California called Viair. There's a cute little 2 1/2 gallon tank, pressure switch, gauge, drain valve, 12" externally steel braided hose, small rubber hose with some fittings,12 volt compressor that looks like the compressor used with a foam marker for a field sprayer,12Volt relay and thirty amp breaker along with some 10 ga wire, for the compressor, and two horns. Each horn has it's own 12V solenoid air valve. You furnish the push button switch.

The name on the solenoid air valves is Yankee. The inlet is 1/8" npt inlet and 1/4"npt outlet. I Googled Yankee and came up with Automatic valve Corp. Maybe someone else on the forum could help here.
I don't know where he found the whistle. It's rebuilt, not new, but it has it's own valve you hook a chain or rope to. I ran a 1/2" id plastic air line to it and it seems to toot pretty good. That's about all I know. Hope it helps. Jim

Anonymous-0 · Mar 14, 2009

Mr Fixerupper, in answer to your question as How far can the whistle be heard?. The 4 inch my 12 inch one that I have hooked to my air tank now was heard two miles away by my son while he was laying on the ground greasing his combine. I heard one of my newly aquired 8inch by 36 inch whistles blow before I became it's owner and saw cows on a hill 3/4 mile away go beserk at it"s noise.

buickddeere · Mar 15, 2009

Air has a lower density than steam. And steam varies if it's dry or wet.
A steam valve on air will be "off key".

Steam Whistle Valve

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