Looking at condition and "buy it now" price of 849, is this a "multipower" Chinese whistle?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2260657518&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

> Looking at condition and "buy it
> now" price of 849, is this a
> "multipower" Chinese whistle?

Must be the heat....



EBAY 5 CHIME
Re:superheater62@yahoo.com

To answer your question, yes, it most assuredly is one of the Chinese knockoffs. The new lever and fulcrum are the giveaway.

Now, they work, and they're a decent substitute for more valuable whistles, and the guy did some finishing machining, but........

LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

> Looking at condition and "buy it
> now" price of 849, is this a
> "multipower" Chinese whistle?
It's a standard Chinese QJ whistle that has had a fulcum and brass lever added, since the Chinese whistles are air operated. It has also been bored out from the smaller Chinese metric pipe size (around 1 3/4") and tapped for 2" threads. It is a cast iron copy of the Star Brass five chime. Properly tuned, they sound like a CPR 5 chime, sort of high pitched but nice. Most of the time they sound terrible on Chinese engines.

"Rare Item" puts these up on eBay every month or so. You can decide if it is worth it or not. If you happen to be in China, you can pick them up cheap at the Daban locomotive shops, but you will still need to convert it to US threads and fabricate a fulcrum and lever. Plus the airfare will run you about $800, but you'll get to see working steam if you go! ;-)

trainrider47@aol.com

I have one of these, and it has been used on the little SHAY at R&T a few times. It has a nice sound and works well on our 100+ psi.
BUT,
beware that these whistles do not have standard American pipe thread, but some other (metric or British) thread. An adaptor was used to make it compatible with our boiler.
I bought mine almost 10 years ago, maybe they are now offered with American thread.
Just FYI.
Steve

Steve,

Was it your whistle that had the crooked bell? I know Dennis H. was telling me that someone got a Multipower whistle and when it came the bell was crooked in relation to the bowl (it was significantly tilted to one side), and all sorts of things were screwed up on it.

Dave

> I have one of these, and it has been used on
> the little SHAY at R&T a few times. It
> has a nice sound and works well on our 100+
> psi.
> BUT,
> beware that these whistles do not have
> standard American pipe thread, but some
> other (metric or British) thread. An adaptor
> was used to make it compatible with our
> boiler.
> I bought mine almost 10 years ago, maybe
> they are now offered with American thread.
> Just FYI.
> Steve


The Wilmington and Western Railroad
Steamtrain84@aol.com

Dave,

I picked up one of the QJ whistles in China. The languid plate is cast as part of the bell on these whistles, unlike on a Nathan where it is a separate plate. Mine is warped, with a 1/4" rise above the lip of the bowl on two sides. I plan to just machine it off someday and make up a disc languid plate.

There are huge parting seams visible on the outside of the bell as well. I've seen some in service in China that look great, others that look like mine. I've heard some that sound great and many that are only sounding on a couple of chimes. I haven't seen any that look crooked, but that could explain some of the bad sounding whistles I've heard.

Quality on these Chinese whistles is pretty iffy! Since the man that is selling them on eBay always uses the same photo, I don't know if the one that he is selling is as nice as the one shown or not. If it is, he's picked good ones and done some clean up machining on them.

The seller says it is 2" NPT. There is plenty of extra metal to allow the smaller Chinese opening to be bored out. When the Chinese copied the Star Brass whistle, they copied the exterior dimensions and the Star had 2" threads. I've put my Chinese whistle next to my Star and every part is copied directly, just in iron instead of brass.

Michael

trainrider47@aol.com

Dave,
I am pretty sure it was Dennis' whistle. I was all polywampus and when put on the engine would only sound on a couple chambers. Don't know if it ever got sorted out or not.

captbuck@comcast.net

Sounds Wondeful....ha!

I think I'll hold out for a nice 3 chime Crosby or Lunk, or Hancock, or something along those lines..

If anyone has any they want to sell.....

Dave H.

> Dave,
> I am pretty sure it was Dennis' whistle. I
> was all polywampus and when put on the
> engine would only sound on a couple
> chambers. Don't know if it ever got sorted
> out or not.


The Wilmington and Western Steam Railroad
SteamTrain84@aol.com