#4's Whistle

[Hansel Gordon]

Hi,
I was told by other MNG volunteers that #4's whistle was a B&M 5-Chime. However, while we were fireing it up last Friday i climbed on top and counted SIX holes which means it's a Boston & Maine 6-chime!!!

[Bernie Perch]

Hansel,

Thanx for posing these photos.  I am a minor whistle nut and enjoy discussing this subject.  I appreciate you taking the time to go up on #4 to check things out.  The long bell 6 chime is one of the nicest sounding whistles in my opinion.  I own several whistles and when I was an engineer on the WK&S I used to put them on the locomotive and generally blow them too much and was reminded of that several times.  When CNJ 113 is running, I hope to enjoy them again, as there is room for two whistles on her. 

Thanx again,

Bernie

[James Patten]

I think a few people at Edaville at one time were B&M fanatics.  Our #10 came to us with a B&M 5 or 6 chime whistle.  With one pull you could see the boiler pressure drop steadily.

[Bill Piche]

I think part of the reason most (if not all) of the whistles on the ex-Edaville equipment being B&M's were also related to availability an/or personal preference. A lot of the first generation or so employees down at Edaville were ex-B&M or ex-New Haven guys. The block signal system (THE most complicated signal system on a closed-loop tourist railway anywhere!) was put in by a (then) B&M signal technician. Nelson Blount (a steam guy who first opened steamtown at the old B&M Billerica shops) and/or Fred Richardson was (were) probably responsible for all the whistles being what they are.

All of this is purely speculation on my part, but this would explain a lot of the B&M bits making it into the operation here and there.

[Richard "Steam" Symmes]

Boston & Maine whistles definitely predominated at Edaville for many years.  Their sound was unmistakable echoing across the bogs.

We interviewed Fred Richardson a few years before he passed away, but he didn't mention any preference for one railroad's whistles over another.  I recall talking with Nelson Blount prior to his death in 1967, and he was using something other than a B&M whistle on his #15, the ex-Rahway Valley 2-8-0, and his later favorites, the CPR engines had their Canadian whistles with the air valves instead of whistle cords.

Richard

[Bill Piche]

Hmmmmmmmm, maybe I'm thinking too far back, then.

There's just so much history behind every era of Edaville that I DON'T know, it's always refreshing to hear new wrinkles on everything.

Maybe the B&M whistles were George Bartholomew's work?

[Eric Larsen]

"I think part of the reason most (if not all) of the whistles on the ex-Edaville equipment being B&M's were also related to availability an/or personal preference. A lot of the first generation or so employees down at Edaville were ex-B&M or ex-New Haven guys. The block signal system (THE most complicated signal system on a closed-loop tourist railway anywhere!) was put in by a (then) B&M signal technician. Nelson Blount (a steam guy who first opened steamtown at the old B&M Billerica shops) and/or Fred Richardson was (were) probably responsible for all the whistles being what they are.

All of this is purely speculation on my part, but this would explain a lot of the B&M bits making it into the operation here and there. "



I think this is dead on and I was thinking about it last night just before this post was showed up on the forum.  If you are looking for the reason, I think this is it.   Very simple.

[Hansel Gordon]

if WW&F #10 had a B&M Whistle, Does anybody know what happened to it?

[Richard "Steam" Symmes]

#10 (Edaville #5) did not have a B&M whistle all the years it operated at Pleasure Island.  I recorded it at that location, and the sounds are available on a CD which I believe is still available at the WW&F Gift Shop. That disk was produced by the Friends of Pleasure Island.  Whatever it had, is heard on that disk.

Richard

[R.T. Dowling]

I've always loved #4's whistle; had no idea it originally came from the B&M! What kind of locomotive would it have originally been attached to?

#4 whistling for Cutter Street: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFSYP6su4II

[Richard "Steam" Symmes]

The whistle most likely came from a B&M Mogul or Pacific.  When the railroad was scrapping them at their Billerica shops, there were literally piles of bells and whistles, headlights, number plates, etc. lying around. Anyone with any "connections" could have gotten some, probably for a bribe of some sort.  Most of the whistles have B&M cast into the fitting somewhere.

Years ago there was a wonderful sounding steam whistle at the gelatin plant in Stoneham near the old Stoneham Branch next to Route I-93.  It was mounted on the boiler house and was sounded several times a day.  A friend did some research, visited the boiler room and was even allowed to blow the whistle by yanking on a long chain that went up through the roof to the whistle.

Later on, after the whistle was no longer used, we got in touch with the engineer at the plant and he said we could have the whistle if we would preserve it.  At the time, I was the curator of the Walker Transportation Collection, so we assured him the whistle would be well taken care of.  Long story short, we got it and had it cleaned up and placed on display. It looks real good, and I believe has 6 chimes. B&M is cast into the base of it, along with a casting number.  The plant engineer said it had been given to them many years before by a B&M employee. He had told them the whistle came from Boston & Maine 4-8-2 #4108, "Lilly Pons".  We compared the whistle to photos of the 4108 which showed the whistle, and it appears to be a different type. People say the 4100s had "steamboat" type whistles instead of the usual multi-chime variety. So, who knows?  It's a great story. It definitely IS a B&M whistle, but beyond that, we are not sure.  At least it got saved.

Richard