Just bought a like new K5LL from Jetmann, and my wife should be getting it sometime late next week or early the week after … I’m so stoked!!!
Time for me to start getting the rest of the kit together. Now I just need to explain the XD3000 …
Kris
Those are really nice looking horns. Bet they will wake the neighbors!!
sweet… 
Those are sexy!
But whats the differance between a k5la and a k5ll?
a 1L bell… A K5LA has bells 1,2,3a,4a,5. A K5LLA has bells 1L,1,2,3a,4a (usually, sometimes different bells)
Tuned for Canadian trains. I wanted a different sound … I just had to be different.
Kris
Very Nice Marine. Jet, I think Marine just left a puddle. LOL
Can’t wait to see more pics.
I’m a fan of the Canadian tunes myself.
I had those horns on my truck for A short while, They have A very Majestic LOW note. Bell #s are K1L,1,2,3,4 canadian tune. No A’s on 3 and 4. they sound awesome.
LOL LOL He’ll like those bad boys…:D:D:D:D:D Here are the pics just before I boxed em
haha nice horns there bro
That’s not Canadian tuned… Almost every train around here now has a K5HL which has the same bells just on a High manifold. I’ve thrown out any Canadian designations on K5s with 1Ls as they seem to be more abundant here than in Canada. As a matter of fact, 1L bells were first made to be used in the United States.
It is Canadian tuned.Most of the Freight trains around here {Ca} use A K5LLA, Bell #s 1L,1,2,3a4a designated as American tuned. This K5LL which BTW I purchased from Manitoba Canada came from A commuter train. LIRR uses them also.(LONG Island Rail Road}.I am only refering To the (3a,4a,Higher note), Bells Vs (3,4,Lower note)> that are {called} Canadian tune.I am not refering to the K1L Bell as those are used on both American and Canadian. And yes, They are showing up more and more on UP and american trains.
But you called the whole horn Canadian tuned and it isn’t. K5HLs are the same horns and were made to be used in the US. GEVOs were the first horns to come with K5HLs right here in the US. They use 1l,1,2,3,4 too.
Just to back up my argument so it doesn’t look like I’m spouting off nonsense, got this off of five chime consultant’s website which says:
The US Code of Federal Regulations has long specified a minimum decibel requirement for the “audible warning device” on railroad locomotives: 96dB(A) at 100 feet forward of the locomotive in its direction of travel (49CFR229.129). Effective December 18, 2004, the regulation also began to specify a maximum volume of 110dB(A) at 100 feet. Contemporaneously, and apparently in response to this regulation, AirChime began producing 5-chime K horns for US locomotives that made use of the low-pitched 1L bell, which plays C (261Hz).
LOL I was just reading that at time of your posting. Matt, I was always told when speaking to the guys in the business,(NO Names} Please specify to us if they are the 3a 4a American tune or are they Canadian tune with the #3and 4 when speaking of the 5 chime horns. That is what I am refering too as Canadian tune.Many different configurations of horns now are used for whatever reason by different RR. Not disputing your comments and not speaking of the 1L bell or different manifolds
Oh okay lol. I just wanted to make sure the info I’ve read is accurate.
If anybody else here knows for sure, please let us know.
On another note, that website DOESN’T say that the first K5HLs were in the US. I suppose they could have been in Canada first. Who knows, all the different horn configurations these days for K horns are getting confusing lol
Read this page http://atsf.railfan.net/airhorns/k5h.html
The K's were sold exclusively in Canada until the mid-1970's, when the K5's chord was modified to produce the K5LA for Amtrak. The optional "L" manifold was introduced at the same time, and horns with the older, high-profile manifold were redesignated K5H. I copied this from the link above Good History !Here this should help. All the information you want. And as the site that Matt pposted. That is also a very good site. This is From Chris Moyers Website he is a fellow collector.
I knew alll that and I know the K5 with 1,2,3,4,5 is Canadian tuned but I’m wondering if the K5 with the 1L bell was made just for the US. That’s what I got from 5 chime consultant’s website.
Matt post the question over on H&W or Dougs site. There someone will be able to give an answer. A few of those guys are friends with Deane he is the one mentioned in the info on Chris’s website that I posted. He was tight with Bob Swanson.