Push Button Horns?

[Mookie]

we have an SW10 that tools around the yards here in Lincoln. The old engineer plays that horn like a symphony. It is beautiful.

Mookie

[Anonymous]

It is an electropneumatic valve. Open or shut, you still control the duration. I have seen some units that have a pedal on the floor that will sound the long, long, short, long when depressed. These units still have the button. It is nothing new. Some of our SD40s have the "button."
Ken

[Anonymous]

It is an electropneumatic valve. Open or shut, you still control the duration. I have seen some units that have a pedal on the floor that will sound the long, long, short, long when depressed. These units still have the button. It is nothing new. Some of our SD40s have the "button."
Ken

[Anonymous]

I have been a railfan ever since I was a little kid, I haven't followed the industry happenings lately like I used to but something caught my eye the other day.

I read that new locomotives have airhorn/whistle control in the form of a little button, not the adjustable handle. And therefore engineers cannot control the horn anymore, it's just press the button and it wakes up everyone in a half mile.

Can this possibly be true? I personally cannot believe any locomotive manufacturer would do this. Nothing can send chills down the spine of my back like a good ol SD 40 barreling through an intersection while the engineer extracts colorful tones from the horn. Are engineers confined to just pressing the button now? Jeesh, now listening to whistles in the night is going to be a far more monotinous and boring practice!

I guess my question is if this is true how can train engineers stand for this? I am sure that when you are up in that seat you want control of EVERYTHING, because it's YOUR train, including that horn whose sound itself is almost an american icon; symbol of power, and strength. Since when is it a computer to determine how you should control your horn, and other elements of operation?

[Anonymous]

I have been a railfan ever since I was a little kid, I haven't followed the industry happenings lately like I used to but something caught my eye the other day.

I read that new locomotives have airhorn/whistle control in the form of a little button, not the adjustable handle. And therefore engineers cannot control the horn anymore, it's just press the button and it wakes up everyone in a half mile.

Can this possibly be true? I personally cannot believe any locomotive manufacturer would do this. Nothing can send chills down the spine of my back like a good ol SD 40 barreling through an intersection while the engineer extracts colorful tones from the horn. Are engineers confined to just pressing the button now? Jeesh, now listening to whistles in the night is going to be a far more monotinous and boring practice!

I guess my question is if this is true how can train engineers stand for this? I am sure that when you are up in that seat you want control of EVERYTHING, because it's YOUR train, including that horn whose sound itself is almost an american icon; symbol of power, and strength. Since when is it a computer to determine how you should control your horn, and other elements of operation?