Highest Rated Train Horn Kits | ||
---|---|---|
HornBlasters Conductor's Special 540 | 5/5 | |
Viking Horns 101C3 | 4.8/5 | |
HornBlasters Outlaw 127 | 4.7/5 |
Overall Rating | 3/5 |
The deep thunderous train air horns on diesel locomotives are a distinct and thrilling sound for anyone who has been near an intersection as train passes. Although the train horn is used for railway warning purposes, its distinctive sound can be adopted by big rigs, trucks, and anyone who wants to call attention to their passing. Train horns generate their sound by passing compressed air through a supply line into a power chamber. The power chamber directs the compressed air through a diaphram into a horn. Big rigs can use compressed air from their brakes to blast out the sound at 150 dB of loudness.
Horn kits have been available since about 1954 when big rigs began adopting them to capture attention on the roads. Now, any vehicle with a 12V power source can mount a train air horn accessory with kits sized for trucks, pickups, SUVs, cars, and motorcycles.
The Wolo Siberian Express Pro Train Horn kit is intended for the semi-truck market and includes horn kit, compressor, and electric solenoid. Employing the latest technology, three reinforced ABS plastic trumpets tuned to 307/347/440 Hz produce an impresseive 152 decibels of sound at 1 meter and 90/110 psi. The ABS construction significantly reduces the weight, making installation easier, reducing vibration, and eliminating the need for additional support brackets for the horn assembly when driving over rough roads. The trumpets sport an attractive black semigloss finish, while a chrome horn finish is also available as Wolo model 850-858. The heavy-duty steel horn mounting base is painted silver to prevent rusting.
An on-board air system with a 2.5 gallon 12 V compressor and a built-in 12 V electric solenoid provides a large volume of high-pressure air for the Wolo 847-858 Siberian Express Pro to generate its diesel locamotive blast. The heavy-duty 12 V motor is precisely balanced and 4 heavy rubber bushings mount into the compressor base plate to virtually eliminate vibration. An extended length high-pressure hose of stainless steel connects the compressor to the metal air storage tank to allow surface mounting the compressor. The tank comes with a built-in pressure switch, pressure relief value, pressure gauge, manual water drain, and brass fittings. The Wolo Siberian Express Pro kit comes complete with everything needed for installation including mounting hardware, 10 feet of flexible high-pressure hose, 20 feet of coiled filler hose, and quality brass fittings.
Installation of the Wolo Siberian Horn Pro on your vehicle will take about 2 hours. When mounting the horn, use a solid metal surface such as the vehicle frame or chassis to help prevent excessive vibration. The horn should not be mounted on either the fender wall or any flexible material. Since the sound should be carried straight ahead, the front of the horn should be unobstructed.
To connect the air tank to the horn’s electric solenoid valve, cut the 1/4″ plastic hose to size, place the brass nut onto the hose, push the hose onto the tank’s male fitting and tighten the nut taking care not to over tighten. Connect the other end of the plastic hose to the vehicle’s on-board air tank. Make sure that the on-board air system has no pressure when you connect the hose to the tank. IMPORTANT: Never install the horn to an air tank that controls the air brakes or any other critical vehicle operating system.
To connect the electric valve wiring, connect one wire from the electric valve to the positive battery terminal and protect this circuit with a three-amp fuse. Connect the other wire of the electric solenoid valve to the horn switch. Connect the other terminal of the horn switch to ground, any metal body bolt that is free of paint or rust.