Wabco and Prime
In the business of train horns for the railroad, Leslie and Nathan/AirChime tends to be the well known companies in this field. Even so, they are not the lone manufacturers of air horns. One old company that has been selling different products and unique offerings is Westinghouse Air Brake Company, and they are still in business today. This company, which is also referred to as Wabco has been selling much earlier than Leslie. Even though they are not as big as AirChime or Leslie, Wabco has been consistent in their production line.
Another well known name in the industry of railroad supplies is Prime Manufacturing Corporation. They have started the business in manufacturing horns in the 1970’s. When compared to Leslie’s SuperTyfon, they might look similar initially but they have lots of differences. They have used some features in their horns that made it unique when it is matched up with the SuperTyfon. Prime is one of the large contenders in the business and many of their products are still in service. It is very unfortunate that they discontinued their production of horns in the year 2000.
Hancock
Another company that is well-known in the world of railroads is Hancock. They have also made an effort to create horns for diesel too. They have created a horn for diesels with the goal to resurrect the sound of steam locomotive whistles. Their products also made hits on the market though they are not as competitive as other horn manufacturers. A small number of their horns that they have manufactured are still up and running today!
Others
Aside from Wabco, Prime and Hancock, there were still other manufacturers that have gone into the horn business, though they were not so successful. Strombos and Buell, during the early dieselization days, were rather widespread. It was only the products from Leslie and Wabco that are competing back then. They were inclined to drift towards boat or truck horns and few other devices related to horns however.
Kahlenberg is another one of those competitors. Regrettably, though they publicized horns that are used specifically for railroads, none of their horns were sold. Still, there were other horn producers as well, but sadly, no real stories of success yet.
