Railroads have geographically widespread operations, so a lot of employees work out of sight of top management. So every so often something gets done that top management was … never actually asked to approve.
My ***GUESS*** would be a scenario something like this. Some time, shortly after the 1969 merger, the C-425 was being shopped (maybe very minor shopping) at some location where there was a spare Hancock whistle (perhaps from a scrapped unit?) in a pile of we-don't-have-an-obvious-use-for-these-but-haven't-gotten-around-to-calling-the-scrap-dealer stuff. And some ex-New Haven employee (perhaps resenting his new x-PRR boss, or maybe just nostalgic) said "That's a NEW HAVEN unit, it OUGHT to have a Hancock whistle," and a half hour later the job was done.
And, since it WORKED adequately, (and top management never wanted to devote MUCH time effort and money to repairing Alcos), nobody ever bothered switching back!
…As I said, it's a ***GUESS***, but not one that seems too implausible to me. If it's true, there was probably never any documentation…
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George Elwood's "Fallen Flags" rail image site has four photos of C-425 in its New Haven section… all (or at least all showing the front clearly enough) with non-Hancock air horns. So apparently the New Haven had stopped specifying Hancock whistles by the time the C-425 were ordered. So at least PART of my scenario seems to be true: this was a "field modification."
My ***GUESS*** would be a scenario something like this. Some time, shortly after the 1969 merger, the C-425 was being shopped (maybe very minor shopping) at some location where there was a spare Hancock whistle (perhaps from a scrapped unit?) in a pile of we-don't-have-an-obvious-use-for-these-but-haven't-gotten-around-to-calling-the-scrap-dealer stuff. And some ex-New Haven employee (perhaps resenting his new x-PRR boss, or maybe just nostalgic) said "That's a NEW HAVEN unit, it OUGHT to have a Hancock whistle," and a half hour later the job was done.
And, since it WORKED adequately, (and top management never wanted to devote MUCH time effort and money to repairing Alcos), nobody ever bothered switching back!
…As I said, it's a ***GUESS***, but not one that seems too implausible to me. If it's true, there was probably never any documentation…
---
George Elwood's "Fallen Flags" rail image site has four photos of C-425 in its New Haven section… all (or at least all showing the front clearly enough) with non-Hancock air horns. So apparently the New Haven had stopped specifying Hancock whistles by the time the C-425 were ordered. So at least PART of my scenario seems to be true: this was a "field modification."
