Disclaimer: I am neither a whistle buff nor a whistle expert, so what follows should be taken as far, far less than 'definitive' regardless of how it is expressed.

In case nobody else answers you: yes, I'd consider $500 a reasonable price for a six-chime Nathan with the actuator still provided.

I repeat, though, that you're not going to get that eBay whistle for '$500'; don't be thinking that just because 'bidding opens at that price' that you'll get it for that if you bid. The reserve has not been met, and on eBay the only way to find out what the reserve is would be to satisfy it. As I said, I suspect the reserve is set artificially high so that the person who actually has the whistle can find out something about the perceived market worth directly, without having to show it to actual named 'experts' or, perhaps, answer those pesky questions about provenance that can come up ... ;-} Note that if eBay pulls the listing (for example, because the payment arrangements grossly violate stated eBay policy) the person will still have achieved at least part of his intended objective, essentially for no more than the cost of the listing, and anonymously...

[Note: cheap, obvious advice follows -- ignore it if you choose]

In the end, the 'greater fool' theory applies here as in so many places. The whistle is worth what it's worth to you. If you want it as an investment, satisfy yourself that you can sell it again, when you want, for as much over what you paid as you want, to 'somebody else'. The difficulty (as so often encountered) is finding the somebody else, in the right timeframe, who wants it so badly he'll pay your price. There is no large, organized market in this, as there is for numismatics or horology, for example. There are certainly Internet 'whistle' groups that can provide you with much of the valuation advice you're wanting -- but do not forget the sense behind that old Internet qualifier YMMV; there are no guarantees that your 'advisor' will pay his price if you can't get your better offer.

[/cheap advice]

I am still waiting for more definitive word, perhaps via Scott Trostel, about the likelihood that this whistle is appropriate for ex-NKP or Lima, or that it did come from 763 at one time. This raises another consideration which I have not seen explicitly discussed (but which probably has been, on RyPN, in the past): aside from the moral considerations of buying and owning railroad items of 'dubious provenance', is there an applicable statute of limitations concerning how long stolen property can be recovered?

Perhaps mistakenly, I get the strong impression that at least one person on here wants that whistle. I'd be very cautious to ensure that if you send the RC guy your cashier's check, you don't wind up having to give your new toy to someone with a better claim on it. Just sayin'.

(I've tried to keep the discussion hypothetical without imposing morality on it, in much the same way as a discussion years ago on the old Trains Magazine forums where somebody wanted to know a 'fair price' for a working FRED that he had 'found at trackside'. I thought then, and still do, that it may be better to give straight advice than just to gasp in horror or throw up the hands (or whatever the electronic equivalent of those things is) and say 'it's stolen, that's wrong, give it back yesterday'. Regardless of the fact that I WOULD in fact advise just that if any person known to me had done such a thing...)

Caveat emptor,
R.M.Ellsworth

Whistles like this, including the valve, usually go for several thousand. Our replica, welded whistle at work was 900$..

Something like this is why whistle collectors, like art or car collectors, tend to do their business in person.

Right off the bat I see three issues with this sale:
1) The alleged provenance to a preserved NKP Berkshire;
2) the repaired fins and two other "mechanical" issues that look "suspect" in the photo;
3) the seller not being "known" in the hobby.

The damaged and repaired fins are not a serious issue, and I could certainly see where and how, for example, a damaged whistle that was left on or traded out by NKP for the 763 before preservation could have been swapped for an identical, intact whistle later and the damaged whistle repaired. Indeed, if done properly, I'd recommend such a repaired whistle for a "public display" or operable locomotive, to reduce the temptation for theft.

But most of the folks who I know that would pay $1-2,000 for such a whistle would be grilling the owner to the third degree about the issues I raised above, or have been dealing with the guy for a few years online, in person, and in correspondence. There's a substantial difference in reputation between a guy on eBay whose main business seems to be selling R/C airplane parts versus--just to make up examples--Jerry Jacobson, Andrew Muller, S. Weaver, or Kelly Lynch offering this whistle for sale.

An issue that does arise with whistles displayed outside on engines that aren't fired up on occasion is that water can get trapped in the internal sections of the valve or manifold, freeze, and cause damage to one or more parts of the whistle. Such freeze damage is most often seen around the languid plate, or the slit that steam blows through to blow across the bell of the whistle.

Brass number plates is what I was referring to as that is what I had interpreted the Ebay item to be.

All CPR steam locomotives had illuminated numberboards, some classes were built in, most were a separate box.

who could tell during scrap time collectors snapping whatever they could off these engines, whether this whistle did come from 763 or not, the good thing is we do and can have replicas, in a way I would rather like 765 use a replica keep the original safe, just like the original Lima plates, I don't recall if 765 lost its originals or not, but I believe still there. Its kept safe and replicas worn on the engine and actually sold off the engine (ran on this trip etc, nifty idea)

I don't seem that worried about this whistle, the important thing we know who what where it is, and hope it goes wherever safe.

Actually, all we know is it's a Nathan six-chime with a Viloco controller valve. There's no proof it came off of NKP 763, or even the NKP at all, and we'll probably not know where it really is or ends up, either.

True. There are a lot of whistles out there that came from 611 & 1218 also. Just about every Hancock "Long Bell" 3 chime and N&W "Hooter"

However, there are several things that make it a credible NKP whistle from the early 40's. I am not saying it does belong to 763, but there has been ample room where a broken whistle could have been traded for the original.

1. It's a flange mount Nathan 6 chime. Correct for a NKP Berkshire.
2. It is set up to lean backwards with a shroud. Correct for a NKP Berkshire.
3. It has a bronze base with cast iron top. Correct for a Berkshire built during WW2. 763 was built during WW2.
4. Mechanical pneumatic actuator is correct for NKP Berkshire.
5. The lever actuator is in the wrong position, but was probably moved to use vertically.
5. When I tried to bolt up the shroud in the 90's, the shroud did not match the whistle (bolting tabs). An original whistle would have bolted up correctly!!

All I am saying, there is evidence that makes this whistle credible or at least a NKP Berk whistle. The seller is offering cash with personal pick-up and that would be the best option.

Glad he made the change, that proves he has reasonably good intentions. If not, he would have said something totally unprovable like "My grandfather's cousin's aunt's husband was the master mechanic at the shops and he personally removed the whistle from 763..."

I can easily see where "A whistle LIKE the one on 763" would get modified to "The whistle from 763" along the line someplace, possibly without any intention of deception.



Some days I wish this place had a "like" button. ;)

I've given trying to help eBay sellers, lest I be the "know it all." The last time I tried, someone ended up paying $5K for a sign from a "milk train car" as the seller insisted it was, rather than the truck it was obviously from. What can you do? Sellers don't always want the truth.

Rob

Often, neither do buyers. And that's why we end up with the small safety valve offered up on eBay that the seller insists is "the whissle off of P.R.R. KayFour-s Fifty-Four Ninety-Five, the Star of the World's Fair in 1940 (see Photos [of the Fair of the Iron Horse] as Proof!)."

My one whistle-collecting friend finally swore off of eBay because, as he put it, "the crease in my desktop from pounding my head became too deep."

The eBay seller is now stating that it's off of NKP 760, not 763.

That makes more sense.

Here is another version of 760s whistle ...nothing fancy like a producers name or remote portion, just a plain cable attachment. 2 1/2" opening on the flange with no internal threads. No patches or repairs and anyone is welcome to "dna" a paint chip. I do not believe the one on ebay is from 760.

about 73 engines left to figger out which it came off of...