Maintaining and Cleaning your Train Horn

By Yves B. Geller

If your train's horn needs to be cleaned, you'll need to take it apart. Different types of train horns require different skills to clean them, so don't do this unless you absolutely know what you're doing. It's necessary to clean your horn because as it gets older, things may happen that can compromise diaphragm pressure. This can cause your horn to stop working. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is to take the horn apart and see if the diaphragm is still intact. It can become dirty or worn, which will mean the train horn won't work as well. Many people now replace the original parts with stainless steel, because stainless steel is a lot easier to keep up and keep clean.

The next thing you should check out is the diaphragm housing, as this can cause a great deal of leaking to occur, which will influence the horn's sound. If this area has chunks out of it, you will have a major problem and it might need to be replaced. Try cleaning it first, however, because dirt can cause this component to become uneven, which will greatly influence the sound.

The O-ring is another area to check out, because having it not properly sealed can cause air to escape. It's very easy to fix, though. Just put a little grease on the ring and to make it give an airtight seal so that your horn once again works properly. In most cases, you shouldn't need to replace the ring; you should just need to reseal it. Many people mistakenly replace the ring when all they need to do is reseal it.

You will also want to take a look at the inner ring of the horn, as the inner ring is very likely to get run down a lot faster than the outer ones. Once there is a change in pressure, the actual horn might end up bent, so this is something that you will want to keep an eye on. Many people will simply file the ring down because that will allow you to avoid replacing it. Once again, make sure that this area is clean because once dirt gets into these areas, things get worn down rather quickly.

Keeping your train horn clean will usually help you out a great deal because you can prevent many of these maintenance problems from occurring in the first place. It is a major mistake to ignore these simple things because it is much easier to simply take the horn apart and clean it once in a while than it is to replace all of these parts. Remember that many train horns are even easier to take apart, as it depends on the make and model of the horn. These horns can definitely be a lot of fun, so learn as much as you can about them and your horns will create enjoyment for you for years. - 21392

About the Author:

Yves B. Geller penned this article. He is primarily a car hobbyist but he carries out his love for cars through vehicle customization. He believes it's alright to use a train horn so long as it is used responsibly. It's actually pretty easy to install an air horn to your car, truck or boat.