OK Guys, it's getting too quiet in here.
For me, and I'd bet you, the sounds of locomotives are a big part of the attraction. I even like the "pisht pisht...." of the air system. (what is that exactly anyway? Air dryer like on a truck?)
Being a new (train) guy, I'll go out on a limb (hardly) and say I like the sound of a 645 E3, just as it powers up from idle under load. Something about that dead slow idle, the blower starting to whine, the metallic "zschringg zschringg..." accompanied by the low, throaty "rooomroooomrooom."
You tell me why it sounds so good!?
The 7FDL's and 710's sound too sewing machine to me. Am I missing something?
I did a search and couldn't find a related thread, even though I know this must have been discussed to death a hundred times. Well, what's the point of a forum if not to BS about your favorite subjects? Beats hearing about Barack & Brittany!
For me, far and away the best sounding, running and most reliable has to me the 16V645E3, of SD40-2 fame. With a tight turbo clutch these just sing smoothly along. Very very enjoyable to just listen to them idle. They also sound great when you start them up on a cold morning. FDL/HDL and the C45ac 12 cyl's (and alco's for that matter) just sound like they are going to rattle themselves apart.
The spitting you hear is the automatic water drains on the air tanks to keep moisture to a minimum.
Older GEs, when they still sounded like something that meant business, were great. Newer ones sometimes sound a little too muffled but sound good when starting to move. For me, a 645 whether it's an SD40 or SD50 or what have you, grinding at full load up a reasonable grade (Cassandra, PA. comes to mind) is something that makes everything worthwhile. The GEs sound good too but I think the EMD wins out. Just my humble opinion. I am not too familiar with others, have seen Alcos but never any under a sufficient enough load to really judge the sound.
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Hands down it is a 12 cylinder 244. Idling, in notch 8 or anywhere between it is a sound to remember.
EMD 16-645E3 turbocharged two-stroker. Because it is a musical engine.
The turbo adds the perfect treble to the engine's bass, and the blower and generator complete the musical midtones to generate a well-rounded song of power.
Tugboat TonyFor me, far and away the best sounding, running and most reliable has to me the 16V645E3, of SD40-2 fame. With a tight turbo clutch these just sing smoothly along. Very very enjoyable to just listen to them idle. They also sound great when you start them up on a cold morning.
I'm with you on this one. They sound very distinctive. Hearing one actually brings back memories of being a kid. We lived a mile from the tracks back then and I just remember hearing that distinctive hum going by in the middle of the night. There's no other locomotive sound out there that is as memorable to me.
I'm fond of normally aspriated 645s. Not sure if I prefer 12 or 16 cylinders. When the UP sends a pair of GP38s on a fairly long train past here, you can hear them barking farther away then the normal SD70s. Dragging a train through the yard with a pair of MP15ACs (12 cylinder) sounds neat too.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
The newer they get, the quieter they get. That can be good or bad, depending on your viewpoint. I like them loud. I like the sound of both the normally aspirated EMD engines and the earlier turbocharged versions. I also liked the loud chopping sound of the engines used in GE U33-Cs when pulling wide open. It almost reminds me of steam locomotives.
Baldwins could sound pretty gutsy when they were working hard. They always sounded kind of ify when they were notching up, kind of like they had a mind of their own and were not sure they were ready to go to work.
Definitely an EMD engine. I don't live too aweful far from the tracks here at the house and hearing either the local shortline's GP38-2 and GP38 lashed up together, or their two GP38AC high noses tied up together, it just all sounds good to me.
Odd and contradictory though it may seem, Alco 539 (S2 switcher) and EMD 16-645. Former because you always know when it's starting to move, both aurally and visually. Latter because it's just so smooth and, as others have noted, nearly musical.
GEs just sound too much like washing machines.
Another vote for the 16-645E3! The four strokes just sound too laid back. The zinging turbo on top of the higher pitched exahaust beat just sounds like a machine that means business, to me. The exhaust silencers on the E3Bs and newer take the edges off. They still sound good, just not quite as good as the E3.
Best is when you have mutiple 904 RPM E3s in the same consist. You get a really cool beat frequencies that wander around in pitch as the various engine speeds vary slightly.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Great replies guys!
Glad to see my "taste in music" is shared.
EMD 710. Just listen to this thing in a PL42AC
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Give me a FDL anyday of the week ESPECIALLY one fresh from getting a train going. When the Air compressers and everything else kicks in those things make more interesting sounds than anything plain vanilla EMD out there.
Especially when they sound like they're falling apart!
Probably a FM Trainmaster. It was way ahead of its time.
The V20 version of the EMD 645, you can hear them coming for miles.....
Randy Vos
"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings
"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV
Thyats a tough to answer question, since each one has such a distinctive "voice". I will say, however, I think the GEVO's sound kinda like vacuum cleaners.
For me it's that 7FDL16 of a Norfolk Southern Dash 9 Grinding out of the Wabash River Vally. Especally near the old Wabash bridge at Attica. It doesen't seem like mutch of a grade but for some of the long heavy low- prioraty trains it can be a struggle. I absolutly love the pulsating vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!! as the locomotive passes by you. I also like the Rrr Rrr Rrr Rrr Rrr sound when theay idle. I could almost fall asleep to the sound of it..
An old engineer once hit a car too hard. Oh well at least there not made of glass. Or tissue paper.?.?!
The road to to success is always under construction. _____________________________________________________________________________ When the going gets tough, the tough use duct tape.
I love the sound of an ALCo 539 switching cars.On the main line,there is nothing like the sound of 20 cylinder 645s dragging a long freight up a steep grade. The sound of SD45s and Tunnel motors hauling the oil cans upgrade at walong(Tehachapi loop) was totally awesome!!
Today I saw a train leaving out of Lloyd Yard north of Houston that had a UP SD70ACe leading, followed by an NS SD-50, and an NS Gevo. All 3 were humming along. 3 very distinct and different sounds. Of the 3, I thought the Gevo sounded like a tin can full of marbles. In my opinion it was easily the worst sounding of the bunch. I'm not sure why GE's sound like they are falling apart? The SD70ACe was the quietest and smoothest sounding. It's note is really dominated by the whine of the turbochargers. It sounds alot like a semi going down the road. Just a whine and a smooth deep yet fairly quiet hum from the engine.
One thing I really thought was interesting was as the power was being applied, you could hear the SD70ACe and SD-50 rev up at nearly the same rate. However the Gevo seemed like it was sleeping. There was a huge delay waiting for it to rev up. It was almost as if it wasn't paying attention. Finally after what seemed like an eternity it got into it too. It was really weird.
fredswainOne thing I really thought was interesting was as the power was being applied, you could hear the SD70ACe and SD-50 rev up at nearly the same rate. However the Gevo seemed like it was sleeping. There was a huge delay waiting for it to rev up. It was almost as if it wasn't paying attention. Finally after what seemed like an eternity it got into it too. It was really weird.
That is why the EMDs are favored for switching, and much other work. Open the throttle, and they actually do something. GEs, not so much.
Older 567 EMD Switchers. I love going down to the Zephyr Pit in Chicago and watching BNSF switch out coaches with their H1 SW1200. It sounds so cool
Hello, The 645 baby. Nothing like it no matter what version you have. The 16 or the 20 cylinder. I've had them both. The 20 cylinder sounds very awesome in Run 8. The GP26's that are on my railroad have the 567 block, but 645 internal componets. The ex-Rio GP30's still have the 567's. One of our units,SW 4227, has the straight 645E3. It has a very distinct sound. I can always tell when it is sitting outside. If you have the 26's in Run 8, there is nothing better in the world. Pulling 44 loads up a 2.3% grade pulling 1450-1500 amps at 10 mph.Now that is railroading.
Dru-CVR-Engineer
I gotta go "way back" on this one, but the sound was so distinctive that it has always stayed in my mind. In 1981 I got to see and photograph the Baldwin DRS-4-4-15s working at Rail To Water Transfer Corp. at 100th Ave. South in Chicago. This was Baldwin's 8 cylinder 608SC prime mover (1500 hp).
It was "en-drrrrrrn-drrrrrn, en-drrrrrn-drrrrrrn,......" ("roll" the "r"s). Amazing.
Bill
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