Where the Whistle?

One of the health & safety reps at Upminster has been trying to find out what decibel level train whistles are set at. Whilst he's convinced there must be a standard laid down, he's yet to find out what it is and he's been ferreting around for some time.

On that basis, I suspect you may struggle to find an answer to your question.

That being said, I wonder if ease of maintenance is a factor?

In the case of the 72 stock it was definitely done after refurbishment, I think during a programme of engineering modifications around 1999ish. If you look at early photos of refurbished 72 stock you'll see the car numbers were originally perfectly balanced either side of the destination blind, this changed when the whistle was fitted. When I trained on 72 stock the old whistle was still in use as well as the new, we were told this was due to Network Rail certification requirements - I assume this is still the case.

I suspect the general programme of whistle replacement was to do with making it more audible in the open for track workers etc. In a tunnel it's only really used to call attention or as part of certain operational procedures (eg applying the rule), so less important. On a 95 stock you have a soft and loud whistle, the idea is one is used in the tunnel and one in the open. In reality as rather than 'soft/loud' they're really 'loud/very loud' most drivers tend to use the soft one most of the time.

I suspect some digging through paperwork around the time refurbishments were in full swing would likely uncover a bit more info.

Would the whistle not be held to the same standards as a warning horn on mainline trains, in which case (according to Railway Group Standard GM/RT2484 [pg6]) they should be about 100dB.

This is not a new issue. Older stock from the 1920s/30s had whistles relocated from under the chassis to the front of the cars often protected with a shield. Examples I can think of is 1923-34 tube stock, 1935/38 stock, F stock, all types of Q stock and O/P stock.

What about the 38ts? The ones on the Isle seem to have one mounted on the corner column of the cab, which I can't see on pictures of them in service with LU or on the Museum's set. Was this a modification when they crossed the water?

I was mystified by this, but apparently the Class 71s did have whistles, which they kept until withdrawal in 1976. However, ten of them were converted to Class 74s in 1967, and it is presumably these which donated their whistles to the Standard stock as they were fitted with air horns instead
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_74#/media/File:Class_74_74003.jpg

. Only problem - there were 25 driving cabs on the VEC/TIS units, (nineteen DMBS and six DTS), but only twenty on the ten class 71 locos converted. So where did the extra five whsitles come from?

The vehicles used were nineteen DMs, ten DTS, and fourteen trailers, formed into six four-car and six three-car units and one spare DM. Six of the DTS were used as end cars in the three car units, and the other four as normal trailers, with the cabs inoperable. However, all the photos I can find of the 3TIS units show them formed in a 7-car train, with the DTS in the middle of the train, so maybe they never operated with the DTS at the end of a train.

.........so, to get back to the original question, if the class 71s could only provide enough whistles for ten units (twenty cabs), what did the other five cabs get their whistles from.

Sorry for the late reply. I was looking at the museum 38ts and I spotted what I think are two whistles. One is below the solebar, and one on the front of the cab behind a shield. I did not take a picture but found a picture online which I have circled.

Yes I think they are just below cant rail leave by the window.

Is that whistle on the 38ts the same as the 485? Perhaps they were transferred?