K Series

K5 Series

The 5 Chime K horn was first introduced in the late 1950's, but didn't see widespread use until Amtrak adapted it as their standard horn in the late 1970's. Before that, the only railroad the used them regularly was BC Rail in Britsh Columbia, Canada, using the K5L (and K5H), which used K1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 bells on a low profile manifold. K5H's, which came into widespread use in the mid 1980's on new GE locomotives, sounded the same but used high profile manifolds.

In the late 1970's Amtrak wanted a horn with a loud, more musical chord to replace the Nathan P5A's and Leslie SL-4T's currently in use on it's SDP40F, P30CH and brand new F40PH locomotives. Nathan took the K5L and replaced the standard 3 and 4 bells with 3A and 4A bells, making the K5LA. It voiced the notes D#, F#, G#, B, and D#, and is arguably the most musical air horn ever produced. They became the standard horn on Amtrak, Chessie System (and later CSX, which ordered them as K5LAR24's, with the 2 and 4 bells reversed for rearward sound), Norfolk Southern, and several other railroads.

Beginning with the production of new EPA compliant locomotives the SD70ACe and ES44AC, Nathan designed 2 new horns, the K5LLA and the K5HL. The K5LLA uses the 3A and 4A bells, but also uses the 1L bell, which voices a different note than the standard 1 bell. Thus the K5LLA is a dischord, as is the K5HL, which also uses the 1L bell. These horns are standard on all new locomotives built by EMD and GE, with EMD generally using the K5LLA and GE using the K5HL.

For more information, click here. [1]

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