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Here are a few of the featured articles planned for the following issue, #123 of Horn & Whistle Magazine
  1. Steam Engine Folks! You're going to love this issue. I've bee busy going around scouting for pumping station engines, and I have found several really impressive installations.
  2. New Contest. The “What the Heck Is It?” Contest in # 122 is probably an easy one especially if you are involved with a certain type of occupation which many of us H&W folks pursue in one way or another. So for issue # 123, I've decided to stray far afield from our usual subjects of interest to see if I can do the impossible; namely, stump the entire H&W readership. It has never happened yet; we've always had at least two correct guesses for every contest so far, but I'm going to do my best to make this next one a real tough one; count on it!
  3. What's the Horn Doctor up to now? This (second of two parts) article shows you how the Horn Doctor completes his restoration of two M3 horns to brand-new condition.
  4. Whistle Engineering: Peter Ommundsen continues his research on all aspects of the steam whistle. For those of you who are contemplating building a real steam whistle, his articles are a definite must-read.
  5. The Siren. We pay lots of attention to steam whistles and air horns in this magazine. But the mechanical siren is also a signal of interest. We're going to look at a couple of different fire engine sirens, including the rare double-tone Federal 70 series, which sounds so bad that it is really great!
  6. Electronic Fog Signals. Interest in this class of signal is quite low, according to our reader survey, although a few of you are interested. Last year I made a number of day trips to different lighthouse locations in Maine. Then I followed that up with some research. The common belief shared by many of us horn and whistle guys is that they are nothing but glorified loudpeakers. Well, there's a lot more to it than that. Hey, let's face it. Electronic signals don't compare with the mighty CC, F and F2T diaphones, but some of them are pretty impressive in their own right. We'll take a brief look at the new voice of the lighthouse and see what these look like and how they work. Some of them are surprisingly powerful.

We also have another look at the Marketplace as well as many other interesting stories and features that relate to our Horn and Whistle hobby.
Here are some of the recent articles which have appeared in the last several issues of Horn & Whistle.
  • One hundred years of Turbine Technology. Horn & Whistle visited a utility power plant which contains both a very early GE vertical turbine and the latest, high pressure modern turbines. Also look at an interesting Corliss engine powered pump at the same facility. H&W # 105)

  • The Fabulous Sanfilippo Collection. This private museum outside of Chicago holds steam engines, a steam locomotive, a fantastic collection of old phonographs, steam whistles, early electrical machinery, and the world's largest theater pipe organ. We take you there in a two-part article.

  • How Does a Railroad Air Horn Work? How do these relatively small signals manage to make so much noise? We look first at a generic air horn and then we examine the Nathan K Airchime in detail to see exactly what's inside and how it works.

  • Where it all Began. Here's a brief look at the mighty pipe organ. It was from the pipe organ that our horns and whistles were developed. Read about the original collection of horns and whistles and see how the industrial revolution influenced pipe organ design, just as the pipe organ influenced the industrial revolution by giving it the steam whistles and air horns that we love.

  • The Railroad Whistle's Companion. Learn about an interesting companion technology to the RR whistle. It was just as important if not even more important to the proper functioning of railroads as the train whistle. Some of the greatest mechanical engineering minds of the 19th century devoted their lives to this specialized technology. Read about it in Horn & Whistle issue #107.

  • Recently, Horn & Whistle discovered a Corliss Engine and the original fire-tube boilers still installed in a municipal water works pumping station. Read about this rare find in H&W # 104.

  • Restoring a Leslie SuperTyfon RR horn. HWEG member Mike Muha takes you through a step by-step restoration of the famous Leslie RR horns and also shows you how the unique Leslie diaphragm system works. H&W # 102)

  • They still make Steam Whistles Today! Horn & Whistle visits the 100 year old factory of the Lunkenheimer Company in Cincinnati, OH. They are still making solid bronze steam whistles today and we'll show you how they do it in this wonderful manufacturing anachronism. And, you'll learn about the interesting market that still exists for steam (and compressed air) whistles.

  • How Sirens Work. This three part series shows you how the major siren types operate and what is inside to make all that noise.
For an interesting look at some unusual and little-known technology, subscribe to Horn & Whistle Magazine, the only print (and now on-line as well) publication dealing with horns, whistles, sirens, foghorns and other high-powered industrial noisemakers as well as other related subjects.
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