Leslie S-3J


Horn and photo courtesy Brent Lee. One of the bells could also be reversed to provide good sound volume in both directions. Note the two-piece #277 bell and the bronze power chambers, common only to early Supertyfon production.

Other views (click thumbnail for larger image):
The S-3J was Leslie's first three-chime Supertyfon airhorn. Produced only in 1952, it was a derivative of the five-chime S-5D. Both horns were designed to play the same notes as competing M-series horns from Nathan - the S-5D versus the M5 and the S-3J versus the M3. Leslie soon found its own voice, though, and the S-5D and S-3J were dropped from the catalog in favor of the S-3L and S-5T.

The S-3J also used the early, high profile "J" base (manifold). Other horns also used this base, and their designations have the J in the suffix position, unlike all other Leslie bases whose letters appear in the prefix position.


Factory tuning: A major triad (C#, E, A).

The horn used Supertyfon bells #277, 330, and 440. The numbers refer to the bells' resonant frequencies in hertz. In later Leslie production, bell numbers were truncated to just the first two digits.


Though produced for less than a year, the S-3J found application on several railroads. The L&N, Illinois Central, Frisco, Rutland, and the Vermont Railway are believed to have purchased the horn before production ceased. None are known to still be in use today.


S-3J sound samples (courtesy Brent Lee):

Sample 1...541kB...25 seconds
Sample 2...290kB...13 seconds




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