Hey guys, I’m new to the train horn world and I’m trying to put together an on board system. My question, which might be stupid, is can you use a normal air compressor or does it have to be one made for this application?
Hi & welcome to the forum.
Yes it is always a good idea to use the right compressor for the right job.
An old mate of mine used to use tyre inflator compressors, yes they worked ok, but with lots of noise & lengthy refill times, plus he used to go through one every couple of months, they just can’t handle the Duty cycles & heavy demand.:eek:
Ok so one that is used for all purposes like a porter cable or a craftsmen wouldn’t work?
Welcome to the forum!
Some people use home or shop AC powered compressors to fill their tank(s) but if they don’t have on-board air their honks are limited to tank size and air horns are hungry so they might get a few honks. The small oil-less 12V on-board compressors refill the tank so you can honk more and that’s fine for many people. Then there are the eccentric and/or esoteric folks that want air for multiple applications and they want it right away so they get our Oasis compressors.