Long Long Short Long, Short Short Long Short..........

[Anonymous]

Was just reading through this July Trains (Great Issue - BTW) and came across the article "My Locomotive" by Dennis S. Wilson starting on page 66 in the Railroad Reading section.

Great story, I enjoyed every aspect of it very much, but something caught my attention as I was reading, on the top of page 68 Dennis says that his instructions for blowing the whistle were a short short long short, and I have always been familiar with the long long short long and have never heard of a short short long short being used at grade crossings before.

The railroad Dennis was working for at the time was the now defunct IM&D, did this railroad have its own operating rules, or were thesethe universal rules at that time?

Do any railways out there currently use a different pattern for grade crossings?
Was it common for railways to have their own horn patterns?
Was this just an error in memory?

This article really has me curious, 'cuz I never knew anything other than a long long short long was used?

Thanks!
Macguy

[louisnash]

I know that when they go by our shop some will do the 2 longs, short, long. Some don't. Can't explain why they do that? I figure that it is a rule violation but am not sure.

I am certain that is the way it is supposed to be. I have read in rule books that I have that the horn must be sounded until they reach the crossing at a --o- . Now of course things change should a car or persons are standing on the track.

Only the professional railroaders will be able to tell us for sure.

My question is: Is it a rule violation if the horn is not blown at --o- at every crossing.

Brian (KY)

[Anonymous]

The author worked for the IM&D Division of the Milwaukee Road -- it was not a separate railroad. He certainly knew what he was writing. Take it at face value. It leads you to a little insight into his first day on the job, doesn't it?

Yes, it is a rules violation to not blow the horn at a road crossing unless specifically exempted by timetable, general order, or other instruction.

[Puckdropper]

The Union Pacific has a listing of common whistle patterns, http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/signals.shtml

QUOTE:
From:
http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/signals.shtml

This signal is used to warn employees when the view is restricted.

This may explain why you occasionally hear the --o- whistle near the shop.

[Hugh Jampton]

It could be a typo, well not a typo as such cause both are spelled correctly, but you get my drift.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark W. Hemphill

The author worked for the IM&D Division of the Milwaukee Road -- it was not a separate railroad. He certainly knew what he was writing. Take it at face value. It leads you to a little insight into his first day on the job, doesn't it?

Yes, it is a rules violation to not blow the horn at a road crossing unless specifically exempted by timetable, general order, or other instruction.

That's interesting, I never knew that any other railroad would have their own whislte combinations.

Great article....

Anyone know of any RRs that currently use any horn variations other than the long long short long?

[Anonymous]

No, no, guys, I'm sorry. I need to be perfectly clear.

1. The correct pattern is long-long-short-long. Everyone uses that!
2. The engineer told our author short-short-long-short. ON PURPOSE.
3. Our author is on his first day on the job. He's clueless. He does what he's told.
4. Engineer and brakeman have good a laugh at his expense.
5. The author wrote it down correctly. It was a practical joke at his expense.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark W. Hemphill

No, no, guys, I'm sorry. I need to be perfectly clear.

1. The correct pattern is long-long-short-long. Everyone uses that!
2. The engineer told our author short-short-long-short. ON PURPOSE.
3. Our author is on his first day on the job. He's clueless. He does what he's told.
4. Engineer and brakeman have good a laugh at his expense.
5. The author wrote it down correctly. It was a practical joke at his expense.

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
HAHAHA

I knew it was his first day and all, but that one was WAY over my head.... hahaha.

It all comes together now, you've got me laughing out loud. LOL.

oh dear.
Why didn't that ever occur to me? [:p]

[wabash1]

The FRA says it is long long short long. then there is the upside down whistle board where i will blow long short long long. or to make things even better if mad ill make sure the tresspasser hears me and blow for 1/4 mile past him. the whistle is a tool and depending on my mood at the time depends on how long and loud i blow it. we still have some engines that we can pull the leaver a little ( soft blow ) or open it up wide for alot of noise. And most new hire conductors dont know thier whistle signals either. this makes it impossible at times to get things done. as i might want to stay silent on the radio and do everything by whistle signal. in a yard where there is switchiing going on i rather keep radio clear and use whistle signals . and other engineers are doing the same only hearing conductors counts can clean a radio up of useless chatter.

[Anonymous]

Good joke. For other treatments of newbies on the job:

When I was with Ma Bell, neophyte installers were routinely sent back to the truck to pick up:

1. a can of dial tone

2. the set of cable stretchers

3. a left handed screwdriver or wrench

Probably a few more in the RR business as well.

[mudchicken]

muffler bearings!

[SALfan]

Don't think it was the first day, but the funniest "newbie" story I ever heard took place during the days of full crews and the streaking craze. A recently hired kid (brakeman I assume) decided to streak around the long hood of a roadswitcher as it passed a road crossing with a line of cars stopped on both sides of the track. All went well until he reentered the cab and discovered the old-head engineer had "set off" his clothing at the road crossing. Thought I'd hurt myself laughing.

[Anonymous]

Get a round tire (Wheel)
A threaded bearing
Manual ladders
A coupling coupler
A blown exhaust
A can of rust paint

Some of the things I have heard.

[tree68]

Classified line feeds
Hose Stretcher
Wetter Water (no - wait - that was an actual product!)

[Anonymous]

I remember an old RRer was telling me about the time he sent a newbie brakeman around to the end of the caboose to fill a bucket up with water...

Instructions were to go to the back of the caboose, put the bucket under the hose and turn the angle ****....

Engineer always knew when the joke went well because the train would go into emergency.....

[Anonymous]

[(-D]

[locomutt]

Go get me some "prop wash"
I need 50' of flight line.

Actually Larry, for the wetter water;didn't you just dump a bottle
of Dawn in the tank?[:D]

[Puckdropper]

QUOTE:
Get a round tire (Wheel)
A threaded bearing
Manual ladders
A coupling coupler
A blown exhaust
A can of rust paint

What's so weird about these things other than the threaded bearing? We model railroaders have all these things, including both coupling couplers and non-coupling couplers (called dummys).

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by louisnash

I know that when they go by our shop some will do the 2 longs, short, long. Some don't. Can't explain why they do that? I figure that it is a rule violation but am not sure.

Brian (KY)

Some engineers short may be equivalent to another engieers long. Each engineer has a distinctive whistle/horn pattern if you know what you are listening to. Like their individual signature.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BaltACD

QUOTE: Originally posted by louisnash

I know that when they go by our shop some will do the 2 longs, short, long. Some don't. Can't explain why they do that? I figure that it is a rule violation but am not sure.

Brian (KY)

Some engineers short may be equivalent to another engieers long. Each engineer has a distinctive whistle/horn pattern if you know what you are listening to. Like their individual signature.

Seems like you can tell when the hogger is getting lazy too...

Sometimes it sounds more like

Short Short Shorter Looooooong until they have occupied the crossing.

Hard to believe blowing the horn could actually get boring..... [:p]

[wabash1]

mac guy

Its not blowing the horn that gets boaring its the noise. there are just times that i dont want to here that horn. but i must blow it. so its tap tap tap and just maybe a little longer tap.. and keeping with the forums newbies insults. I sent one guy looking for a adjustable metric wrench. after 15 min he came back said he couldnt find it. I told him that is ok i made do with out it. I wonder if he ever caught on to that?

[Anonymous]

I hear the trains come thru. Once in a while they are new on the route and find that there are 4 crossings to whistle for. The end result is a sorta of Long, not as long, very short then padlocking the whistle for about 1 1/2 miles.

Once I heard the usual whistle echoed shortly after by a new set. It turned out that there was a "Running Meet" with the fast tainer train over taking a fast but still slower coal train with like 7 sets of deseils neck to neck and whistles roaring using both tracks for northbound.

Both trains staggered thier whisteling so that the one in front had the first long and then was filled in by the second engine's first long and so on. We dont get that too often but is worth driving down to watch the drama.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE:
Both trains staggered thier whisteling so that the one in front had the first long and then was filled in by the second engine's first long and so on. We dont get that too often but is worth driving down to watch the drama.

Now that would have been something cool to see, never seen anything like that around here.....don't think I've ever seen trains keep moving while passing.

[Anonymous]

dammit.

[daveklepper]

Don't forget Doug Riddell's story about the new brakeman who spent the morning looking for a boxcar with a door on one side only when the conductor sent him to look for the single-door boxcar in a string of mostly double-door boxcars. Dave