Hundreds of Postbuses honk “Dü-Da-Do” simultaneously to mark the Horn anniversary
Published: Wednesday, Jul 17th 2024, 10:10
Updated At: Wednesday, Jul 17th 2024, 14:40
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Hundreds of Postbuses in mountain regions throughout Switzerland sounded their triad horn ("Dü-Da-Do") simultaneously on Wednesday morning. The drivers were celebrating the post horn, which is one hundred years old this year. Numerous passers-by pulled out their cell phones and captured the action in sound and vision.
Between 9.55 and 10.00 a.m., the Postbuses honked their horns for around thirty seconds each. Up to 700 Postbuses took part in the "Dreiklang im Einklang" campaign, a Postbus spokeswoman told the Keystone-SDA news agency on request.
At various locations, several Postbuses sounded their horns at the same time, for example in Chur GR under the striking glass dome roof at the station, but also in Interlaken-West BE and at the station in Sion.
Many positive reactions were received from passers-by, said the spokeswoman. They had captured the "sound wave through Switzerland" on their cell phones.
A horn for more safety
In Switzerland, a good 700 of the 2,300 Postbuses are equipped with the tri-tone horn in addition to the standard horn. Graubünden has the densest post horn network, followed by Valais and Ticino.
At the beginning of the Postbus service on the Alpine roads, the Post Office was confronted with an increase in the number of body damage accidents due to the growing volume of car traffic. To ensure safety on the mountain roads, Swiss Post introduced the Postbus three-tone horn in 1924.
Today, the drivers issue a warning in accordance with service regulations: The use of the 120 decibel post horn is restricted to "mountain post roads". These roads are marked by a yellow horn on a blue background. The three-tone horn is not used in built-up areas. The day of action on Wednesday was an exception.
Drivers step on a pedal with their left foot, causing air to flow from the compressed air tank to the horn and create the triad. This then sounds from the three bells on the underside of the vehicle.
Triad from Rossini opera
The catchy triad comes from the overture to the opera "William Tell" by the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini. The sound sequence consists of the notes c-sharp-e-a.
Every child can sing the triad, and the drivers sometimes make an exception and sound the horn for special events, wrote Swiss Post. The Dreiklanghorn is a registered trademark.
Because the use of the tri-tone horn is legally defined, only some of the Postbuses are equipped with the post horn. Postbus removes the horns from decommissioned vehicles. A horn is overhauled and tuned every few years so that the original triad sounds pure.
©Keystone/SDA
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