Engineer retiring....

[quote="mainline"]How many years did Diesel Dan run on the LIRR? The rousabout Joe saw yesterday was the trainset on today's scoot. Nice to see an engine on the west end instead of these darn control cabs. Caught the party train at AH and Holtsville on its run to KO.[/quote]

Diesel date of hire 7/17/72, qualified 7/29/74 Retired 11/18/05. 33 years.. the end of an era!

Fireman

[quote="Neil Feldman"]Danny ran 664, and other runs on the PJ branch also. The best thing I saw him run was 2 MP15AC's along with 11 cars. 172, and 158 in the summer of 1998 took a massive beating when he ran it. I'll miss him greatly here. I started to know him along through my friend Butch hanging out at Port Jeff many years ago. He is also I believe on one of Walter Berko's videos on the Scoot between Babylon and Patchogue. The voice has his markings all over it as the engineer.[/quote]

My favorite train....Diesel Dan with Push-pull equipment train going west from Hicksville to Jamaica an FA, 6 cars and a geep.......in 13 minutes!!!

Legend has it that Old Man Supper ran a K-4 the same distance in 9 minutes!!!

Back in 1989 when I was a car cleaner in Richmond Hill I would take Dan's 1202 pm train from Speonk on Saturday and Sunday. He would get lunch in Speonk at the Snackshack. His famous line for Tomaine Phil's cooking(owner of the snackshack)The hamburgers suck but the french fries are OK.. Him and Vinnie Alvino were best of friends. They went subway riding one weekend and Vinnie took a whole tape of their adventure from Ditmars Blvd Astoria to Coney Island.
Chris

Thanks for the info fireman. When I saw the train at MP 69 somebody was waving thru the front glass on the firemans side. Hopefully it will show in the photo. I dont think they saw me at Holtsville.

I don't want to turn this into a locomotive horn thread, but we can't help but take notice to the graceful sounds of the horns we've heard over the years!

The Canadian chord that the Nathan K5L plays is actually mandated by the Canadian government. All horns/whistles on trains, steamships and ferries in Canada are required to play a minor chord when sounded. Some vessels in Canada have Nathan Airchimes aboard, mostly 3-chime.

When the horns were swapped out on the 259, a K5L was created which sounded all minor chords. Much more pleasing to the ear than a run of the mill K5LA!

The 266 on the Anniversary trip had a Leslie A-200 horn, which was a common sound on mostly all American locomotives back in the 50's and 60's. It was just one big trumpet which weighs about 60 pounds. Not very melodic, but still a horn nonetheless.

A friend and I swapped out the modified K5LA from NYAR 271 a few months ago and put on an A-200 for the evening (to Fresh Pond and back to Pineaire). I think a few guys on the forum caught us at Farmingdale and have a video. I have some pictures of the horn up on the engine, but I'll have to find them first and then post them. The horn arrangement on 271 is 1,4A,2,4A,1, which plays the same chord as a Nathan K3LA (arranged 2,1,4A in most cases).

A few weeks ago, Barry Johnson caught this DE30 eastbound through Mineola with a Leslie RS-5T 5 chime horn. The sound carried VERY well that night and could be heard from miles away. Here's the video: http://www.trainweb.org/nyar/rs5t.WMV

and here is a website with an explantion of an RS-5T so everyone can see it:

http://www.alaskarails.org/pix/loco-ros ... eslie.html

Here's a sound clip that LIRR7285 got of a DE30 coming through Mineola on another occasion, this time with a Leslie RS-3K 3 chime on Eng #413

http://www.trainweb.org/nyar/RS3K.mp3

On some nights I have even heard the sweet sounds of a Leslie A-200 and a Nathan M-3!

Hope Dan's final trip was a good one!

Joe

Yes, please Joe don't bring up about horns! You know who will start to foam at the mouth. Dan, I second the happy retirement!

Mike

Also, when Danny was on PJ, he also ran train 623 was a scoot to Huntington, but continued on to Richmond Hill as an employee equipment move also, so that can also spell the 6 car train as well.

Joe, I thought I was dreaming the night I heard the A-200....I was half asleep and needed someone to pinch me! I heard the Leslies also. VERY NICE. You are correct about the 271 trumpets now that I think about it. Now heres a question...I know the LIRR swapped 3 chimes out of a standard K5LA to make the horns on the DE/DMs....What are the notes on the keyboard??? Whic trumpets did they swap and what are the new trumpet numbers? Were they made special for LIRR???

The M-3s I havent heard yet....Do you have them all facing forward or is it an M-3 R1 ??? Was the last FA w/M3 R1 the 607? Thats the one I think had it...with a chipped trumpet if my memory serves me.

Thanks Joe!

Fireman

I dont know much about engine horns, but I can tell ya that 271 always sounded louder then the other gp-38's. y the way, that video on firemans web site is nice

I gotta say, I learned quitea bit in this thread!

Damn, its as if Diesel Dan made you guys all horny about trains!

The geeps where first deleivered with 3 chimes as stated, with Leslie RS-3Ls. . .i wonder what caused the switch to nathan?

fireman,

The Nathan M-3 was in a standard configuration with 1, 2 and 4 trumpets forward. That was indeed 607 that had the last M-3 and one of the trumpets was cracked.

The horns that are on most of the DE30's now are Nathan K5LL's which are on a standard 5 chime manifold. Trumpet configuration is 2,1,1L,3,4. It's not a standard railroad horn nowadays and I have yet to find the reason why the LIRR chose a 1L trumpet for the configuration. I'm not sure what chords it plays, but I can find out. Some DE/DM30's have brand new K5LA's while their K5LL's are being reconditioned. Those engines are 409, 504 and 516.

Here are some pictures of a Leslie A-200 on Eng 271:

<img src="http://www.trainweb.org/nyar/a2001.jpg">

<img src="http://www.trainweb.org/nyar/a2002.jpg">

<img src="http://www.trainweb.org/nyar/a2004.jpg">

<img src="http://www.trainweb.org/nyar/a2005.jpg">

Joe

I have asked that question before.."i wonder what caused the switch to nathan?"

I was told that later on, the Nathan K5 was pretty much industry standard on Passenger roads. Space constraints due to location restricted them to locomotives only. Now another person in the MofE told me that the 3-chimer was useless in the snow and with a 5-chimer you had less of a chance of the horn being rendered useless, due to the extra two chimes. Probably it had to do with the preference of the CMO at the time..he may have liked the sound of a 5 over a 3 chime horn..who knows?

Before discussion comes up about the powerpacks..the answer was they didn't care nor pay much attention to them. But as horns were replaced, the K5 was installed.

Nice pictures Joe!

Hmm, it is Nov. 22nd..gee what important day could this be????

Phoenix said:

Damn, its as if Diesel Dan made you guys all horny about trains!

No . . . . . you have to be born this way!

Dave

Good points Form 19. .
Leslies were prone to clogging and freezing in the cold weather. .
The M3 is a really nice horn. . pain in the @$$ to tune tho. .sounds great when its tuned to perfection. .nice and throaty. .