One of my favorite recordings is on Brad Miller's "4449 Pinnacle" CD, where the train leaves Portland Union Station, crosses the Willamette River and proceeds south towards Brooklyn. There's a glorious cacophony of sound, with Doyle blowing nearly continuous grade crossing warnings as the engine passes one city street after another. It's the sound of unrelenting power, as the exhaust and whistle echo back off the nearby buildings.
A few comments:
1) All throughout the Freedom Train tour and even the New Orleans Worlds Fair Daylight (1984), 4449 carried that SP&S whistle. When the SP&S 700 was eventually restored to operation, Doyle thought it appropriate to give that whistle to the 700 crew.
2) Subsequently, a Northern Pacific "Z Class" whistle, owned by Dick Yager, was mounted on 4449, and was used for many years.
3) In 2012, Martin Hansen was able to acquire an original, air operated SP GS Class whistle, and after cleaning up, that is the whistle currently on 4449.
4) For what it's worth, the whistle on 4449, as well as UP 844 & 3985 are supplied with superheated steam. The whistle on N&W J Class locomotives is reportedly supplied with saturated steam.
