April 1st Edition of the Kings Port Daily Freeman

KINGS PORT DAILY FREEMAN

April 1, 1970                                                                             Vol. 7  #3

DIESEL HORN TEST GOES AWRY (AP)

The testing of a new, louder, diesel horn, the X8000, had disastrous consequences at West Mill Yard in West Mill, NY today as the much touted “safer horn” knocked over crewmen, structures, and freight cars at the local freight yard.

Responding to recently increased numbers of grade crossing accidents and near misses on the Kings Port Division, the locomotive shop at Williams Yard developed what was supposed to be “the next generation of diesel horns” according to a Penn Central railroad spokesman who asked to remain nameless.

The horn, intended to sound a significantly louder blast to alert drivers of oncoming trains, was constructed at the Williams Yard Locomotive Shop in Kings Port but was tested at West Mill, “because we sure as heck didn’t want to test it here!” added a Williams Yard crewman who also commented under promise of anonymity.

The horn with its 10,000 decibel maximum output was mounted on a Penn Central locomotive and transferred to West Mill Yard for testing today.  Witnesses still capable of hearing testified that the blast was ‘unbelievable” and “apocalyptic”.  “We started looking for the Four Horsemen!”, said one onlooker.

The X8000 Diesel horn tested at West Mill caused devastation.

West Mill Yardmaster Cappy Foster, who was at the scene at the time of testing, was later quoted as saying “WHAT?!...WHAT??!!...WHAT!!??!!” when asked for comment.  The Penn Central Railroad is abandoning the project and simply asks that the public be more mindful at railroad crossings for their own safety.   All victims of the test are expected to recover.