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Glossary of Whistle Terms
Acorn The decorative finial on top of the whistle. Some actually resemble an acorn from and oak tree.
Air Whistle Whistle designed to be blown on air.
Arch The shape of the opening to one of the chambers of a chime steam whistle.
Balanced Whistle Valve- A type of whistle valve that required very little force to open as the result of pressure being equalized on both sides of the valve disc.
Bell - The cylindrical resonating chamber on a steam whistle.
Boiler Device that generates steam from water. May be coal, oil or wood or gas fired.
Bowl - The chamber of a steam whistle that collects steam and distributes it uniformly to the steam slot.
Cap The top plate of a steam whistle bell.
Center Post -
Chime This refers to a chord or combination on notes in a whistle.
Clarion whistle - A small gong type of air whistle used on interurban commuter trains.
Compound Valve See Balanced Whistle Valve.
Dome-top Refers to the shape of the top of a steam whistle. Dome shaped whistles were popularized by Lunkenheimer and Powell but were also made by some other manufacturers including American Steam Gauge and Valve Co.
Exhaust Whistle Novelty type whistle hooked to the exhaust system of an automobile.
Explosion Whistle - Novelty whistle hooked to the spark plug hole of an automotive gasoline engine. Whistle blow when the exploding gases are discharges through the whistle when valve is activated.
Finial Decorative top nut on a whistle. Also called an Acorn or Acorn Nut.
Fire Alarm Specific type of whistle with a variable pitch. Used as a fire signal because of its unique sound. Also called a Mockingbird or Wildcat whistle.
Flange Mount Method of attaching a whistle to its steam supply typically used in marine applications. The inlet of the whistle had a flange that mated to an identical r flange on the steam pipe. The two were connected with bolts
Fulcrum The part of the whistle that acted as a pivot or attachment for the lever. Also called Lever hanger or Yoke.
Gong A type of whistle that had two or more whistles on the same axis using the same steam supply. Gongs were either horizontal or vertical.
Horizontal Valve A type of whistle valve in which the valve seat and disc are mounted at right angles to the axis of the whistle inlet.
Horizontal Whistle See gong.
Inlet Part of the whistle or whistle valve where steam enters.
Jam Nut Nut used to lock the center post or center stud against the languid plate in a plain bell whistle.
Languid Plate The circular disc that covers the center of the bowl. The steam slot is formed by the open area between the inside edge of the bowl and the languid or spreader plate.
Lever Actuating rod that actually opens the valve by mechanical linkage to the valve disc.
Lip The lower edge of the whistle bell upon which the jet of steam or air strikes.
Lip Height The distance between the steam slot and the lower edge of the whistle bell.
Longbell Whistle A steam whistle that is longer that a standard bell whistle usually having a 3:1 or 4:1 length to diameter ratio.
Manifold Device made of a single cast iron or brass part or made up from pipefittings that connect several whistles to a common steam source allowing all of the whistles to be blown at the same time with a single valve.
Mockingbird A specialized whistle that contains a spring operated disc that moves up and down in the whistle bell effective changing the length of the whistle and also the sound. The term was adopted by the Lunkenheimer Co to describe their whistles.
NPT National Pipe Thread.
Organ Pipe Whistle A non-adjustable plain bell whistles that uses the bell of the whistle to support itself rather that being supported on a center stud. Organ pipe whistles usually had two square or triangular openings or mouths.
Peanut Whistle A small dome topped whistle used in the cabs of locomotives as warning devices.
Pivot Pin -
Plain Whistle - A Single note whistle, also plain bell whistle.
Resonance Vibration of air molecules at a specific frequency.
Resonator The bell of a whistle.
Single Chime Whistle Plain bell or common whistle sounding a single note.
Spreader Plate - Same as Languid plate.
Spider A three or four-armed spreader device mounted on the center post of long bell whistles used to maintain alignment of the bell over the steam slot.
Spring
Steam Slot The open area between the inside edge of the bowl and the languid or spreader plate.
Steptop- Name given to the shape of the top of a multichime locomotive whistles as they resemble a spiral staircase in configuration.
Top Plate Same as top cap. The top of the bell of the whistle.
Trombone Whistle Trade name for a long bell air whistle manufactured by Westinghouse and used on interurban commuter trains.
Valve Device used to control steam or air flow to the whistles.
Valve Access Nut Square or hex nut on the side of the valve that allows access to the valve for repair or maintenance.
Valve Cap See Valve Access Nut
Valve Stem Part of the valve that is actuated by the lever and transmits force to and lifts the valve disc off its seat.
Vane See Web.
Vertical Valve Type of whistle valve in which the valve seat and disc are on the same axis as the inlet to the whistle.
Web The dividers between the chambers of a single bell chime whistle. Also called the vane.
WIV Whistle constructed with integral valve.
WOV Whistle constructed without integral valve.
Yoke See Fulcrum
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