Train Whistle Code.

[swag]

For well over half of my wasted life, I have lived within earshot of trainyards, and my family involvement with the railroads is deep and wide.

But until recently, at which point I was finally goaded to attention by a three-year old train enthusiast and my transportation engineer of a wife, I have never given a thought to the code of the train whistles. But now I pay attention.

A brief introduction to Train Whistle Code is below, via Wikipedia. And a note from this room that the locomotive engineers have a broad range of tempos and intonations when playing these notes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Train_whistle%22

Whistle code

Train whistles are used to communicate to other railroad workers on a train or to railroad workers in the yard. Different combinations of long and short whistles each have their own meaning. They are used to pass instructions, as a safety signal, and to warn of impending movements of a train. Despite the advent of modern radio communication, most of these whistle signals are still used today:

One short: Stop or stopping; apply the brakes
One long: Approaching railroad station or junction (if moving), or apply air brakes and equalize pressure (if standing)
Two short: A general answer signal or acknowledgement; identical to the "roger" or "10-4" radio terms
One short, one long: Inspect the train
One long, one short: Visibility obscured
Two long: Train is about to proceed forward; release the brakes
One long, two short: Additional section follows signaling train
Two long, one short or two short, one long: Train is approaching a meeting or waiting point
Two long, one short, one long: Train is approaching a grade level crossing (i.e. a road crossing). This is a widely used safety signal used to warn motorists and is blown at every grade level crossing, except where local noise ordinances prohibit it. Known in railroad rulebooks as rule '14L'
Three short: Train is about to proceed in reverse (if standing), or train is about to stop at the next station (if moving)
Three long: Train cars have come unhooked; train has come apart
One long, three short: Flagman, go protect the rear of the train
One short, three long: Flagman, go protect the front of the train
Four short: Request for signals
Four long: Flagman, return to the train from the west or north
Five long: Flagman, return to the train from the east or south
Four short, one long: Fire alarm; fire on the train
Multiple short: Danger, get off the tracks! Used to warn pedestrians or livestock who are on the tracks in front of the approaching train.

. . . more

[hedgehog]

1. Rule 14L : unless noise ordinaces prohibit it

because the sound of smashing metal and glass getting dragged down the track is so much more soothing than a train whistle!

[swag]

2. I know.

That sound give the rest of us hope!

[RetroLounge]

3. But now it's a diesel horn

Just not the same as a steam whistle. They give me the shivers...



RL

[hedgehog]

5. The house I lived in as a kid was on the main B&O line through Akron

We used to hang on the backyard fence watching the trains go by. I saw one of the last coal burners on its way to the scrap yard. Sometimes I miss the horns.

[mark414]

4. cool...have you ever hopped trains?

and how has yer family been involved with the rails?

i knew a couple of those but only because there's not much else to do but listen and learn when yer riding the things...the rest are good to know...

thanks

[swag]

8. No, never hopped trains, but have read your stories with envy and interest

My dad worked in a diesel shop for 20 years after he got out of the Air Force, and a score of my cousins and in-laws have worked in different capacities for the railroad on the highline.

The diesel engines in Havre, MT used to sing me to sleep from three miles away.

One of my earliest memories is from a train station in Glasgow, MT.

[mark414]

10. one of the nicest things about being in one place right now

while i'm injury recovering is that the house i'm staying at isn't too far from the tracks, and almost all the train traffic in this town comes through at night (it's a local line) so i fall asleep listening to the whistles...

i'm leaving again in a month to go hop trains to the east coast (from wisconsin) and around new england, want to come with? it's never too late to start...

[swag]

12. Thanks for the kind offer,

but I'm addicted to certain comforts at the moment.

Will scream in your direction if/when that changes.

[Richardo]

17. Because we all know that moving trains = giant monkey bars

Ever broken into a factory and played with all the cool machinery? It's about the same thing. Trespassing, ignorance and criminal negligence. :eyes:

(Yes, I worked for a railroad.)

[mark414]

18. blah blah blah

me sitting at the end of a grainer or huddled in the corner of a boxcar is going to do anything to hurt a train

i don't play with the machinery, i just sit there and go along for the ride, that was a pretty bad analogy

[Richardo]

19. You're on private property, climbing on machinery, putting yourself

...in danger. I'd say it's a perfect analogy.

Then the day comes when you or an idiot compatriot of yours misses a step, gets a foot or two amputated, the crew gets to go through an intensive investigation, trains are delayed, freight is undelivered, tracks blocked, traffic held up, etc etc.

But as long as you're having a good time, the hell with it. :eyes::thumbsup:

[Ptah]

6. I don't remember all of that. I do remember:

[hedgehog]

7. Are those train tracks in the bottom picture?

[Ptah]

9. No

[Whoa_Nelly]

11. Trains are so cool!

Thanks for the links and the info! Am going to share it with my son, a real train and model railroad enthusiast!

Here's a site you may be interested in. It's about the disappearing WigWags (I always called them banjos or banjo signals :shrug: )

http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/WIG_WAG_PAGE2.htm

[swag]

13. Thanks for the wig wags site.

You would get along well with the rail transportation engineers.

But you probably get along well with most folks.

[Whoa_Nelly]

14. Have always loved trains

Took first cross county train trip on the old Santa Fe Chief from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles back in '58, age 4.

When my son was little, he and I would go to the Nevada State Railroad Museum almost every Saturday. We would get there when the old guys were opening up, and they'd let my son ride the old V&T out to the turntable and blow the first whistle of the day.
http://www.nsrm-friends.org/

My son has ridden (without being a hopper) more trains than anyone I know. He started taking train trips on his own by age 11, and took many more with his dad.

We've also ridden the old Skunk Railway out of Willits, CA, http://www.skunktrain.com/ , the Roaring Camp railway out of Felton, CA, http://www.roaringcamp.com/steam.html , and the ALaska Railway, through a mountain tunnel, to Portage.

Now at age 27, my son has a huge model railroad in his garage, and still ahs all his Lionel trains and tracks from childhood :D

Yup..trains are cool!

[mark414]

15. question:

it seems to me that there are two kinds of train enthusiasts: railfans and hoppers.

is there something about being a railfan that makes one averse to the idea of hopping trains? the two groups don't seem to co-exist in the same person...and i am asking this as a hopper...

[Whoa_Nelly]

16. Am a rail fan, but not averse to hoppers

My son's dad has hopped a few trains just for the fun of it and he's a rail fan. However, I know it's something my son would not do...he'd rather get a ticket to ride.

I really don't know the answer to your question :hi:

But here's a pic of the engine my son used to help start up and blow the day's first whistle