Blow the Horn

[Anonymous]

When the trains cross the double diamonds at Rochelle Ill, do they have to blow the horn as they would at a street or road intersection ?

[Anonymous]

Nope. The standard grade crossing of 2 longs a short and a long is a rule strictly designed for warning motorists and pedestrians at crossings. different air horn blasts mean different things, one short means he's stopped, two short means he's pulling out, three means he's reversing and so on... altho I have also heard '' shave and a hair cut 2 bits" and even jingle bells played on air horns...never did find those two in the manuals.

[Trainnut484]

Sunday morning I heard a series of horn blasts that sent chills up my spine.

Short rapid blasts. From what I've witnessed, the short rapid blasts are to warn trespassers to get off the tracks.

[Mookie]

We have one here in Lincoln, that seems to run on Sunday mornings about 5 am. He just loves to give little short toots - doesn't mean anything, except he is making noise and there must be no one around to stop him. He is a yard engine and sometimes is just plain irritating.

Jen

[wabash1]

Jen

some times at 3 or 4 in the morning after a night of getting delayed by the dispatcher for just about everything that could have been avoided, i get this mean streak and i make alot of noise. i look at it like a public service a free wake up call.

[edblysard]

Hi Jen,
Somethime a short toot is an acknowledgement of a hand signal from the ground crew, meaning the engineer has seen what the crew wanted to do, and understands what they want him to do. When the locomotive is a distance away from you, you can always be sure the engineer can see the signal you give him, he knows this, and gives a short horn blast to let you know he knows...
Stay Frosty,
Ed

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

We have one here in Lincoln, that seems to run on Sunday mornings about 5 am. He just loves to give little short toots - doesn't mean anything, except he is making noise and there must be no one around to stop him. He is a yard engine and sometimes is just plain irritating.

Jen

[Anonymous]

Also, acording to the CP 5 short blasts warns the workers on the tracks that a train is appraoching (Usually signals that the train is "Entering a construction zone")

[Nora]

We live near a crossing and sometimes late at night they only do a few little short toots instead of the usual pattern. I think they're trying not to make too much noise, but that's the only time the trains wake me up, because it's not what I'm used to.

Can't say I really care either way, though...I like hearing the trains, and I have a 9 month old baby who wakes me up all night anyway, so what's one more time? :)

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

We have one here in Lincoln, that seems to run on Sunday mornings about 5 am. He just loves to give little short toots - doesn't mean anything, except he is making noise and there must be no one around to stop him. He is a yard engine and sometimes is just plain irritating.

Jen

A long-gone neighbor of mine told of her father, who was an engineer [1892-1941]on the Northern Central Railway (the ORIGINAL NCR, not the whirley-gig excursion bunch who profaned the name) who would always blow a special signal for the road crossing near their home, so they would know he was flying past. Perhaps your Lincoln yard guy is alerting the home team to get breakfast ready; papa's coming home! Besides, being allowed to blow the horn is about the last fun we're allowed to have, so LIGHTEN UP! 8^)

[eolafan]

I have seen/heard many an engineer blow for the Rochelle diamonds, especially when a track gang or MOW equipment/people are in the diamonds area. This is especially true for the Eastboung BNSF which comes around a curve and can sometimes not be heard until it is too late. Some of you may have noticed the rotating blue lights on poles at the diamonds, they are to alert the MOW crews when their equipment or other noise levels make it impossible for them to hear an approaching train. I believe there are about six of these lights at critical points on the diamonds. Jim

[atl126]

The best timeive ever been glad to be woken p with a train horn is when it dont shut off and just stays on for either its stuck on or the engineer is just mad about something and decied to leave the horn blowing all the way into town and outta town headin for Bellevue ohio
andrew

[JoeKoh]

The engineers blow the horn when matt and I (or just myself) take train pictures.
stay safe
joe

[Mookie]

Ed - this engineer must be signaling a whole cheering section. He has two crossings and does 8 shorts and then another 4-6 as he is going east ( no crossings just a depot) and then another couple past the stadium - still no crossings - he does this in the dark about 4 am. Maybe it is his idea of "sing along with the dispatcher".

Nora - you have my sympathies - been there done that. And you will find that through out your life, you will do two things. When you are standing in any one spot, you will rock and you will sleep like the dead until you hear some small out of the ordinary sound! It's a female "thing"!

Kevin - I saw your picture - you are a cutie! And you do look a lot like I had you pictured!

Joe - I can barely get a wave out of the train crews. Even the woman engineer just plain ignored me. Maybe it is because I always have the driver with me. But... the passing cars always wave at me (he is usually reading). It is funny!

Skeets - tea on the veranda? Let's do the Big Boy today!

Wabash - I bet your eyes twinkle every so often!

Jen

[JoeKoh]

back in the old neighboorhood the moved the whistleposts back about 25 ft.I can hear them going through town if the wind is right. Matt hears them outside and says "twain woo woo twain"
stay safe
joe

[Willy2]

One time an engineer laid on the horn and let it go for about 20 seconds non-stop. I was not in viewing distance but I could sure hear it. Did such a long whistle mean anything?

Willy

[Trainnut484]

Usually when a crew "lays" on the horn, and doesn't stop until the motors past the crossing, it's a good possibility that they experienced a wreck, or had a close call, at that specific location. Also, when a crossing is not working properly, the crews would radio the dispatcher, and other trains running through would use alot of whistle until it's fixed.

[wabash1]

the long blow dosnt mean anything, ( in rules anyways) but some clues would be someone close to the tracks or the engineer mad about something ( imagine that a engineer mad) or just plain being a jerk.

[Anonymous]

I used to whistle on my way past my girl's house until an old head told me that he used to whistle on his way outta town as he passed his house. Just on a hunch, he laid off and acted like he was called like usual and had a buddy whistle as he passed the same spot. Within 30 min, his wife had a playmate come over.............Busted! I don't call her when I get into town either, I just show up. If she is gonna cheat, I'm gonna make her work for it! Are there any good ones out there? I sure hope so! O.K. I'm done ranting
Ken

[Mookie]

Ken - there are some very good ones out there. I think railroading is one job that is always open to possibilities - same as trucking. But it just depends on the quality of the goods involved!

Jen

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the insight Mook, seems like the only ones that want a Rail are the wild ones looking for a free ride. The good ones stay away from us railroad heathens (the reputation of my predacessors preceeds me). The one that I've got lives in the bars while I'm away. And as she says, "nothing happens," while she is out. Yeah, right! And I'm the Pope.
Ken

[Anonymous]

I loved to pi## off the neighbors across the street from the service track in Roseville. Blasting on the horn all night and getting a hold of an old EMD switcher that had been idling for days. Grab a hand full of throttle and it would put up enough smoke to clear out all the mosquitos for miles,not to mention gassing out the neighborhood. [:o)][:p][:D][8D]

[Anonymous]

I BLOW THE HORN EVERY CHANCE I GET. ESPECIALLY IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING. HEY, THE RULE BOOK STATES THAT THE ENGINEER MUST START BLOWING THE HORN AT OR BEFORE[WITHIN A REASONABLE DISTANCE] OF THE WHISTLE POST AND CONTINUE WITH RULE 19b UNTIL THE ENGINE FULLY OCCUPIES THE CROSSING. I LIKE WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE CROSSINGS!!!!!!!! heehee

[Nora]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

Nora - you have my sympathies - been there done that. And you will find that through out your life, you will do two things. When you are standing in any one spot, you will rock and you will sleep like the dead until you hear some small out of the ordinary sound! It's a female "thing"!

Oh, I believe you -- I already do both of those things. It's always slightly embarrassing to realize I've been standing in a grocery store line or something, swaying back and forth, even when neither of the kids are with me. But even if I always do those things, at least I know someday I will no longer be covered in zwieback crumbs, I will be able to grow my hair out and wear jewelry again, and SOMEDAY I will even be able to take the safety gate down so I will no longer have to risk a broken leg trying to get over the gate and out of the house to see a train. :)

[edblysard]

Hi Jenny and Nora,

And no, its not just a "female" thing.
Let any one of my kids walk down the hall at night, and not be heading to the bathroom, and I come wide awake.

Nora, wait till your four year old looks at you, while eating dinner, and puts on every dimple she has, while politely telling you that "its rude to eat with your elbows on the table daddy, if your that tired, you should go to bed".

Your parents were right when they tell you," just wait, I hope you have one just like yourself, then you will see what I mean".

Problem is, no one warned me all three would be like that!.[:0]

Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by drailed1999

I loved to pi## off the neighbors across the street from the service track in Roseville. Blasting on the horn all night and getting a hold of an old EMD switcher that had been idling for days. Grab a hand full of throttle and it would put up enough smoke to clear out all the mosquitos for miles,not to mention gassing out the neighborhood. [:o)][:p][:D][8D]

[:D] Marty - I have a mental picture of you and it is made up mostly of the glint in your eyes! Sometimes a leer and sometimes just sheer madness! It makes me laugh when I read your posts and think of that!

Mook[:X]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jchoochoo71

I BLOW THE HORN EVERY CHANCE I GET. ESPECIALLY IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING. HEY, THE RULE BOOK STATES THAT THE ENGINEER MUST START BLOWING THE HORN AT OR BEFORE[WITHIN A REASONABLE DISTANCE] OF THE WHISTLE POST AND CONTINUE WITH RULE 19b UNTIL THE ENGINE FULLY OCCUPIES THE CROSSING. I LIKE WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE CROSSINGS!!!!!!!! heehee

[8)] You are exactly right! I am reading GCOR and it says just that. I am far enough from tracks that the whistles don't normally bother me and in the spring/fall with the windows open, it is a great sound. But the switch engine is just plain annoying. I listen for the whistles to see what he is doing and he just whistles a lot!
Maybe he is lonely and I should go down there and sit by the tracks in my ugly nightgown, no makeup and hair straight on end and scare the he** out of him!

He deserves it!

Jen

[edblysard]

Jenny,
You ever see what night time switch crews look like?
They would scary the bejesus out of the Addams family.
There is a reason they are only let out at night!

We try to be gone before they come on duty, after all, I have to still go home and eat dinner!
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

i just wanted to reply to the topic of train horns. i wanted to ask why is it so hard for the public to get hold of a set of horns. i would like a set for myself. why do i get such a negative response from the railroad when i call them to inquire about purchasing a set. what is the big deal???

kd5pnx
jason

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kd5pnx

i just wanted to reply to the topic of train horns. i wanted to ask why is it so hard for the public to get hold of a set of horns. i would like a set for myself. why do i get such a negative response from the railroad when i call them to inquire about purchasing a set. what is the big deal???

kd5pnx
jason

The murder rate would go up a lot, since all the neighbors would kill you or anyone else that had them!

Jen

[zardoz]

kd5pnx:
Are you going to mount them on your vehicle? That would sure be an attention-getter. But where will you put the air compressor capable of 130psi?

Perhaps the Leslie or Nathan companies could be contacted directly.