Off topic rail question

[BinaryMode]

I just have one question I'm sure most rail fans here know the answer to, so because of that I really don't want to join a rail fan forum just to ask this one question.

Question: Is there a standard to how many or how often a train horn is to be used while going through a railroad crossing? Reason I ask is that it seems with every train that goes through town they seem to lay on that sucker, and constantly too! I can be 2 miles away to the East and thus hear the train hit each crossing for about 2 miles or better North and South. Just a constant *HONK, HONK HOOOOONK HONK!!!" (my best train horn sound) I do realize that if something is on the tracks that would merit the need to constantly honk the horn. But this is all the time.

I'm not complaining or anything, and I'm certainty not "one of those people." Just wondering if there's a reason to the constant blasts like that? Off the top of my head this town has at least 5 crossings North and South spaced maybe .5 miles or so. Now I'm curios and will find out latter using acme mapper.

 

[etr37]

Yes - the FRA stipulates "2 longs, 1 short, 1 long until the lead cab occupies the crossing". If there are multiple x-ings within a short distance, you will hear this pattern prolonged for each crossing (unless it is within a "quiet zone")
https://railroads.dot.gov/railroad-...respasser-programs/train-horn-rulequiet-zones

 

[UPCoffeyvilleSubMain2]

The general rule is two LONG then one SHORT then one LONG, the final LONG starting right before the loco enters the crossing and held all the way until the locomotive cab is all the way through.

Sometimes this can be challenging such as when diagonally crossing two streets that intersect , such as 85th ST and Prospect near me.

 

[drdispatch]

You'll see trackside signs like this about 1/4 mile from a crossing:
In places where there are several crossings close together, there will be a second sign underneath the W with the letters "MX", which indicates that the sign protects multiple crossings.

 

[UPCoffeyvilleSubMain2]

Just wondering if there's a reason to the constant blasts like that?

It doesn't happen often around here but I have heard occasional deviations from "long, long, short, long" cadences.

The few times I've been present when it happened, it seemed the engineer was reacting to incursion into the right-of-way by humans or other animal critters, trying to warn them of the approaching train.

But your guess is as good as mine.

 

[slhbeard]

Usually you will see a W with a number beneath below to indicate how many time to blow the horn. I believe if there is an X, then np horn.

 

[phask]

Then there are horn signals for reverse and some other alerts that allude me. Dad was a 40-year Engineer, but it's been too long

 

[burner50]

The few times I've been present when it happened, it seemed the engineer was reacting to incursion into the right-of-way by humans or other animal critters, trying to warn them of the approaching train.

The signal for personnel along the right of way is Long-Short, then followed by short-short until the head end is past.

Then there are horn signals for reverse and some other alerts that allude me. Dad was a 40-year Engineer, but it's been too long

Horn signal for ahead is Long-Long. Horn signal for reverse is short-short-short


At least as far as I remember... But it's been 8 years since I left the railroad.

 

[trentbob]

I was only a railroad engineer for 5 years and that was in the 80s but some things you don't forget. Often engineers will vary from the two long a short and long at crossings, if you've got somebody like a road Foreman who is doing compliance checks you're going to get written up if you don't do it correctly.

Same with the whistle board, we used to just sound the Horn frequently, anytime a train is along the siding whether you see a crew or not you need to sound your horn frequently in case they're on the ground checking the fuse box, brakes or couplers.

Very important to give 2 to go to acknowledge the conductors two hits on the buzzer if you've been sitting for any period of time just to let everybody know you're on move. Also very important to give three shorts when reversing.

I used to run the Northeast Corridor between Trenton and Philly that had a lot of station stops, it was four tracks, if a passenger train was stopped at the platform at a station and you were on the inside tracks you had to sound your horn frequently as you passed through the station, that's one rule that's often broken..

One that you never want to have to do is just laying on the horn while you dump it for trespassers on the tracks who aren't moving off LOL

Great answers on this thread, it's a good question original poster.

 

[wx9svr]

Some places have a sign depicting the 2 long, 1 short, 1 long sequence instead of the "W" sign. Such as:

 

[wa8pyr]

Some places have a sign depicting the 2 long, 1 short, 1 long sequence instead of the "W" sign. Such as:
View attachment 167175

That was mainly the former Southern Railway lines; still some of those out there but NS has been replacing them with the standard W signs over the years.

 

[AK9R]

There are stretches of street running in my area. Elwood, Indiana, and Warsaw, Indiana, come to mind. In Elwood, the street running is about 4 blocks long (675 feet) with 5 cross streets. Sometimes it seems like the engineer just lays onto the horn as the train approaches the street running and doesn't let up until the head end train is through the area.

 

[BinaryMode]

Thanks for the answers. Very informative. I of course will now listen and see if I hear that horn cadence. LOL!

Usually you will see a W with a number beneath below to indicate how many time to blow the horn. I believe if there is an X, then np horn.

np?

And I'm assuming the W means whistle? And this tells the engineer when to honk the horn.

Off the top of my head this town has at least 5 crossings North and South spaced maybe .5 miles or so. Now I'm curios and will find out latter using acme mapper.

Did the research. This town has 11 crossings North and South. The average mean distance between each is .470 miles or 2481' (feet).

Then there is a railroad going from West to East through town that has 10 crossings. With a mean average between crossings of .438 miles or 2312' (feet).

So that's a lot of long, short and long, long honks. Especially since these tracks are right in the middle of town.

From Wikipedia:

The city was officially founded in 1877[12] along the newly constructed line of the Colorado Central Railroad, near its crossing of the Big Thompson River. It was named in honor of William A.H. Loveland,[11] the president of the Colorado Central Railroad.

1876 was when Colorado was founded. So this town was founded one year latter.

The Colorado Central Railroad was a U.S. railroad company that operated in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming in the late 19th century. It was founded in the Colorado Territory in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush to ship gold from the mountains. It expanded from its Golden–Denver line to form a crucial link connecting Colorado with the transcontinental railroad and the national rail network. The history of the railroad throughout the 1870s was driven at times by a fierce struggle between local interests, led by W.A.H. Loveland, and outside investors of the Union Pacific Railroad led at times by Jay Gould. The early struggle of the company to build its lines was a major part of the early competition between Denver and Golden for supremacy as the principal metropolis of Colorado.

Also found this very interesting as it relates to scanners/public safety.

As Mayor of Golden (1874–75), Loveland ordered the Golden firefighters to the aid of Central City, Colorado when it was stricken by fire in 1874. Considered the first mutual aid call in Colorado history, the Golden firemen, arriving by the railroad, succeeded in saving the upper part of the city.

William A. H. Loveland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Golay]

Yes - the FRA stipulates "2 longs, 1 short, 1 long until the lead cab occupies the crossing". If there are multiple x-ings within a short distance, you will hear this pattern prolonged for each crossing (unless it is within a "quiet zone")
https://railroads.dot.gov/railroad-...respasser-programs/train-horn-rulequiet-zones

Interesting. I always thought a train had to blow it's horn when crossing a track.
I sometimes watch railroad livecams on YouTube.
LaGrange Kentucky has a track going through the middle of town. I think there's four crossings. They do not touch the horn all through downtown. The bell is going but no horn. They only get a train about maybe every 8 to 10 hours. Here's a link to the livecam. You can back it up to catch a past train:

 

[AK9R]

I always thought a train had to blow it's horn when crossing a track.

Except in jurisdictions where the local lawmakers have mandated "quiet zones". In these quiet zones, train crews are prohibited from using the whistle/horn except in emergencies.

 

[drdispatch]

Except in jurisdictions where the local lawmakers have mandated "quiet zones". In these quiet zones, train crews are prohibited from using the whistle/horn except in emergencies.

There are a couple of those in our area. At those crossings, on the "Railroad Crossing Ahead" signs (round yellow sign, black "X", & the letters "RR") There is a small sign below stating "NO TRAIN HORN".

 

[UPCoffeyvilleSubMain2]

This is probably off-topic but this morning I let my dog out to unload while a train was going by and they did that thing when going into a siding or sitting in the siding when another train is present, they will start trading short blasts back and forth, like the stationary shorts then the incoming shorts, taking turns. Makes me laugh whenever they do it and I hear it.

 

[ENGINEERCARL1]

I was enjoying a cab ride in Cumberland, Maryland several years ago, and when it was my turn at the throttle the engineer told me the story about the origination of the whistle at crossings.

According to him, it goes all the way back to England and and the alerting of townspeople of the approach of the Queen. In some versions of Morse Code, the pattern for "Q" is the same...dah dah dit dah.

His story, I'm just relating it.

EC