Plastic Pipe Train Whistle for Deeper Tones

A Train Whistle similar to others that are made from wood, but made from plastic tubing to provide deeper tones and easier fabrication. Notes for a Train Whistle: GBDE Alternate: A B D F#

Another very popular American train whistle was, again, a Nathan product. This was a five-note whistle, with a much shorter bell, and therefore, a much higher in pitch. This whistle produced a bright G-major 6th chord (GBDEG) and, again, was heavily imitated, copies being made by many different railroads.

For a reasonable length hand whistle the longest note should be no more than 20cm.

About 1 meter of standard 1/2" plastic piping. Hot glue for glue gun. Fine-tooth hacksaw. Small plastic funnel. A larger bore produces a louder sound, but requires more air volume. An adult hand can grasp no more than a 6cm square block easily. A convenient size is a 4cm block, made up of four separate 2cmx2cm note tubes. A mouthpiece/air distributor to the inlets will make playing the whistle easier. A 2cmx2cm tube will accomodate a 1cm central hole easily without structural problems.

Cut a 1/2” plastic tube into the lengths needed for the desired chord notes. NOTE that the length must be measured from the SLOT in the pipe, not the opening, so you need to add another 2cm to the note length.

Wavelength in cm for the Train Whistle:

G: 21.7

B: 17.2

D: 14.5

E: 12.9

G: 10.9

Cut the slot at a 30’ angle to the pipe to a depth of about 1/4-1/3 of the pipe diameter. Cut the other end perpendicular to the pipe length.

Cut a wooden dowel to fit the pipe bore and trim one side for the air splitter – OR use a small piece of plastic and hot-melt glue to form the air splitter entrance.

You can check the note of the pipe by plugging the exit and and blowing through the pipe using any music tuner to verify the correct note. If it is not correct, you will need to cut a new piece if it is too high, but you can simply insert a plug to the correct depth if a note is too low.

Glue a plug to the end of the pipe when you are happy with the note.

With all four tubes ‘tuned’ I glue them together, taking care to make sure that the vent holes are pointed OUTSIDE. Insufficient air will flow if they are glued towards the interior of the bundle.

Additional filler glue is then added only for cosmetic reasons, and the entire whistle is sanded and deburred for smooth air flow.

A small plastic funnel is cut to fit the entrance holes and glued in place. The entire assembly can then be painted to your preference.