When purchased, Nereus was outfitted with basic electric powered horns which met USCG requirements but produced only a disappointing soft-spoken toot. Kind of embarrassing, really. I have always been envious of the LOUD airhorns that my brother, Andy (aka Captain Volume), sports on his DeFever M/V and have been on an extended hunt for something that can produce comparable decibels.
At a marine antique sale in the winter of 2025, my brother and I toured 5 large buildings full of antique boats, outboards, cars, and equipment. In the last building we spotted a set of very dirty and forgotten horns under a work bench. Without debate, I knew I would purchase them and see if they could be made operational again.
With a little inspection, three things were immediately obvious. First off, they were covered in decades of dirt and grime, secondly their frame or base was blow torched from where they were originally attached on a locomotive, and lastly, a manufacture’s tag was still affixed to the frame. With a little cleaning, I was able to read it. The horns are Leslie Supertyfon Model S-3J. A little research revealed that S-3J was Leslie’s first three-chime Supertyfon airhorn. They were produced only in 1952 and the horns would play a Major Triad with the notes C#, E and A.
Over the course of the winter, I disassembled and cleaned the horns. I welded new feet to the base, polished and lock-wired the brass diaphragms, re-gasketed all the mating surfaces, and finally primed and painted the horns. To make them work on Nereus, I installed a 120V air compressor, air lines, secondary air flask near the wheel house and a brass-body manual control valve. The whole thing operates with a pull lever located in the overhead of the wheelhouse.
The horns look just right on the front of Nereus and there is no question that we will be heard! Here in New Hamburg, we are still waiting for that elusive engine part, we are quite close to the Amtrak tracks. Those guys blow their horns each time they pass through town. We have resisted temptation to answer back but we could absolutely match them sound for sound!
