Recently I purchased a Crane 125 steam engine whistle and wanted to find out more information about it. I also want to use it at a model train club.

Can someone guide to where I can find out information on the whistle (type of engine it was used on, how old it is, etc) and what air pressure is recommended for this whistle? Any maintenance needed.

Thanks
rad400

You could use this on most any type of steam engine. That includes locomotives and stationary engines.

What is the diameter of the bell? This is how most whistles are sized. Also, what is the inlet pipe diameter?

Crane specialized in valves along with whistles, gauges and such.

usually when I see a number like 100, 125, 150 etc. cast into a valve or pipe fitting it means that is the safe working working pressure for that part not the model number.
Mike

The bell has a diameter of 2" and is 4 " long. The inlet to the whistle takes a 3/4" pipe.

I have tried applying 100lb air pressure to the whistle, but the sound seemed weak.

Also wanted to know if the whistle can be taken apart to service and the best way to take it apart?

Thanks,
rad400

Sure, the valve can be disassembled and lapped, and the bell can be adjusted. The valve lever can even be hung down, if required.

It's too small to have been used on a steam locomotive, but could have been used on a steam tractor or even a small steam-powered boat. I'd date it around the 1880s- - 1890s based on the "fanciness" of the finial.

Assuming everything is clean and not partially clogged the reason it would sound weak is that you do not have enough volume of air (CFM) going through the whistle. Whistles are hungry sound makers, the line from the tank to the whistle needs to be 3/4" or larger, if you run it through a 3/8" shop hose you are starving it. That is why you only see horns and tiny high pitched whistles on modern trains and trolleys.

Sound will be higher than if it was run on steam as speed of sound in saturated steam is slower than air. So if you have enough CFM to feed the valve, you could be over blowing it and getting into the ultra-sonic pitch range (too high pitched to hear), if dogs howl, cower and run when you toot the whistle, you know why.

Take care,
Rich C.

Thanks for the replys. So from what I am gathering from the responses, feeding this whistle with a 30gal air compressor @ 100-120lb of pressure, through a typical air compressor hose is not going to work well. Any way to adjust the whistle to accommodate a smaller diameter air intake @ 100-120lb pressure?

It was also indicated that the bell could be adjusted, how would you do this?

Sorry for all the questions, but there is not a lot of information on the web for this item.

Thanks,
rad400

Hi RAD 400
If you can find the book The Engine's Moan American Steam whistles, by Edward A. Fagen.
There is a 4-page article in book about the Crane Company, about the whistles and other products they produced.

These require a fairly hefty amount of volume along with the appropriate pressure. We are talking about Ingersol Rand rotary compressor territory here

Not quite.

A smaller whistle like this will sound at high pressure and adequate volume, but not for long. I could blow it for a couple seconds hooked up to a 7-gallon air tank with big enough pipes/hoses. (You want FAR larger air hoses than you use to fill your car's tires with.)

One has to remember that any steam boiler, even on a fireless cooker, is a big bottle of compressed liquid water vapor, ready to flash into steam at the slightest reduction in pressure. Thus, there was always enough volume on hand, and only the piping and valves restricted flow. Not the case with air.

Another issue is that air does not have the density of steam, and thus it won't sound quite the same as on steam.

The size of the pipe from the tank to the whistle needs to be the size of pipe that the whistle is made to screw onto. Wear ear plugs!!! find an old air tank and use that as a reservoir to attach the whistle to, feed that tank from your air compressor with your small line. You'll only get a few seconds with each refill of the reservoir. I had to do this to blow one I have.