Horns

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I grew up within earshot of the high pitched air whistles on the Virginian Ry. EL-3a electric locomotives near Princeton, WV, but I have seen postings about horns on those locomotives, so I decided to see what I could learn about the change from whistles to horns.

Older photographics show a vertical whistle on the EL-3a's cab roof over the engineer's position.  Similarly, a whistle appears in approximately the same position in photographs of N&W electric locomotives.

A search of the NWHS Archives database turned up Virginian AFE (Authority for Expenditure) 6961, dated Jan. 19, 1949, authorizing the application of two, one each end, Leslie-Tyfon horns to six 3-unit electric locomotives.  The "reason and necessity" entered on the AFE was, in part, surprising, "The old whistles works (sic) off 1-1/4" air line and when blown often causes brakes to go into emergency [emphasis mine], also the new whistles [actually horns] are louder in tone and can be heard by crews a much longer distance."  A record sheet with the AFE lists the six locomotives receiving the horns in May 1947 as: 101,102,104, 105, 108, and 109.  No AFE was found for the remaining electric locomotives, but  a published photograph dated Sep. 1947 shows one of the remaining electric locomotives had been equipped by then, so it is a reasonable assumption that all electric locomotives were soon equipped with horns.

The decision to replace the whistles with horns was probably motivated by the Virginian's experience with horns on the EL-2b electric locomotives delivered in early 1948.  Photographs of the EL-2b electric locomotives appear to show one horn mounted on the roof close behind the fireman's position with the horn bell facing forward.  In contrast all photographs of the EL-3a electric locomotives with horns show the horn bell facing rearward [see attachment].  Photographs of the EL-C electric locomotives appear to show one horn with its bell facing forward and another horn with its bell facing rearward.  This begs the question, why were the horns on the EL-3a electric locomotives oriented to send the sound rearward whereas the horns on the EL-2b electric locomotives were oriented to send the sound forward?

Gordon Hamilton
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