When History Speaks: The Whistle at Saugus Train Station

A local theater teacher who also happens to be a carpenter just created what might turn into the most popular item in the Saugus Train Station Museum.

The museum has a 1629 Mogul steam locomotive on the siding, and a whistle inside the station that is just like the one that came off the engine, but nobody knew what it sounded like. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a push button device that could play a recording of the whistle?

Michael Owston has years of experience designing sound effects for the stage, and a side gig of making barn doors. He met with project manager Leon Worden to find out what he needed and a short time later, brought his creation to the museum to try it out.

“It takes more than photographs and static artifacts to bring the train station to life,” Worden explained.

“Leon and I spoke about the project, and he said he had the sound he wanted on a flash drive.” Owston said. “I took it to a sound engineer in my family and told him what I was working on and he said it wouldn’t work because the sound would be equivalent to a cell phone.”

The sound engineer took the project on and worked his magic.

What came together was the perfect solution to the silent whistle situation. Owston built the box around the sound unit and a speaker and wiring. “People who know me know I have a thing about not seeing the cords,” he admitted. The result is beautiful. It may be just a whistle, but it makes a giant difference in allowing someone to understand railroading.

This might not be the last the Society sees of Owston.

“Leon wants to do a morse code thing, so people can tap messages in code that’s over 100 years old,” he said. “I’m happy to help.”

To learn more about local history, visit our website at www.scvhs.org.

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