Blog Dog Dan: HAMMIN' IT UP WITH BLOG HOG HAMILTON

I guess I’ll have to be the “whistle blower” of this blog and tell you about steam whistles which originate back to 1832, when a local musical instrument builder was asked to provide a steam-powered whistle, then known as a “steam trumpet.” Whistles were used as a warning signal for people and animals that a train was approaching and for communicating with rail workers. The older steam whistles were attached to a pull cord or lever which different locomotive operators could use to "express" their unique style of blowing the whistle. It was often apparent who was operating the train by the sound of the whistle!

Steam locomotives have different sounds from one another, ranging from a tiny single-note shrieker to the multi-chime whistle. This is still considered the "king of train whistles” and is the most copied train whistle in the

United States

. It was originally developed by Casey Jones, a railroad engineer, but improved upon by Nathan of New York. The most loved of all three-chime train whistles (to the public and railroaders alike) were the deep-chorded "steamboat minor" long-bells. The five-note whistle was also very popular, which even the Chinese copied for their locomotives. Two-note and four-note train whistles never caught on with North American railroads. Some whistles were commercially made, while others were shop-made by the railroads themselves.

A few well-known American railroads were famous for their whistles:

Southern Pacific for their six chimes.
Union Pacific for their "steamboat" chimes.
Reading Railroad for their high-pitched passenger six chimes.
Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad for their five chimes and three chimes.
Baltimore and Ohio for their three chime step-tops and six chimes.
Grand Trunk for their shop-made six chimes.
New York Central for their shop-made six chimes.
Norfolk and Western for their low-pitched, distinctive-sounding “hooter” whistles.

Now, I've lost my "train of thought"!
Oh, don't get all steamed up, at least I have riddle for you:

Q: If an electric train travels 90 miles an hour in a westerly direction and the wind is blowing from the north, in which direction is the smoke blowing?

SCROLL DOWN TO GET THE ANSWER - REMEMBER, I'M PROTECTED BY THE WHISTLEBLOWERS PROTECTION ACT!

A: There is no smoke from an electric train!

Here's another "slice" of humor!