How do YOU know when a train is coming?

[Anonymous]

I hear the train for quite a while before it gets to my area, The horn, But mostly the rumble of the locomotives in their higher notch settings. We live along the WSOR tracks on kind of a gentle crested hill setting & to the east about a mile & a half we have a marshy low land area where they slow the train considerably. After they pass this area they throttle up with 2 to 7 locos in charge, They scream & rumble alot! Also to the west of us they slow for a bridge in town with a speed restriction of about 10mph. Then throttle up big time to climb out of town.

[wabash1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C

The timetable tells you what the train is when it comes (not when it is going to come), along the lines of "Oh, a southbound steel train, it must be NY3 because that's the only one running today!". The timetable for this state can be downloaded from the official website, at least when I last looked.

If I'm in the mountains, you can generally hear trains coming, either in power or dynamic brake. The automatic signals only tell you if you've just missed a train.

At Goulburn, (the major station in the area) you can tell by the signals, which are set manually on the approach of a train, and often you can hear crossing signals from the north end of the yard.

Peter

Maybe i should go to the trainmaster and have him give me a new time table with train in it. mine dont have it in there.

the other way i know of telling if a train is comming is. check box 8 .( seems to be the one i get the most ) clear main track last named point.

[Anonymous]

"OUCH" ILL BET THAT HURT!
BNSFfan.

[ClinchValleySD40]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RI4310

I put my head on the rail and listen. Old Indian trick. lol

I had a fellow do that in front of my train once. Trouble was he never took his head off the rail. Messy.

[Anonymous]

I ALWAYS USE MY SCANNER! SOMETIMES LOOK AT THE TRACK SIDE SIGNALS OR JUST SIT AND WAIT.......................................AND WAIT!
[bow]BNSF[bow]

[Anonymous]

The phone rings at 3:00 am.

[jeaton]

Obviously, when I get anywhere near train tracks and don't have my camera. Trains also show up when I have no time to stop.

Jay

[kenneo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RI4310

I put my head on the rail and listen. Old Indian trick. lol

Him no dummy, him Flathead (Indian, that is). Found many train just when put head on rail.

OUCH

Ugh.

[route_rock]

Good answers one and all LC amen to all.Hissing works yes even on wood ties plus if you know of a grade near you you can hear the units pull for miles.I lived on a grade(1.10) and BN would send their ore trains by on it.Hear them coming from about 10 miles off and they would shake my house on the other side of town when they got to within 5 miles.

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RI4310

I put my head on the rail and listen. Old Indian trick. lol

I tried that once,and got a splitting headache,caused by an SD40-2.[B)]
LOL

[Train Guy 3]

Listening for the distant sound of air horns and the roar of approcching locomotivie or sometimes I look at the signals. At night I have a great trainspotting area, you can watch the light of the locomotive snake its away at the top of the trees.

[OldArmy94]

When I was a kid trainwatching on the KCS mainline south of Texarkana, I used to hear the trains coming many, many miles away. For one thing, KCS used a lot of motive power on their long trains. Also, the woods had a "funnel" effect on the sound. Best trainwatching I ever did!

[MP57313]

It all depends...at some locations with continuously lit signals and a lot of activity, just watch the signals (Fullerton-Placentia, CA). At other locations where signals are not visible, maybe 1/4 mile from a grade crossing. Enough to hear the bells/chimes but not deafening.
In quiet areas (UP/SP coast line early in the morning) you can hear the rumble of the approaching engines for a few minutes before they pass by...
Local branches with less-than-daily service....drive by on "train day" and hope for the best

[athelney]

I tune my scanner to the local frequencies including MOW , then if they have a TOP for the section of track I'm near I can go elsewhere . listening to the train defect recorder helps you plan where the train is and is going . In Canada trains have to report the next signal block , so if you hear " CP 9651 clear to medium at Sumas Mtn " - you know where it is ! - Then you jump in the car to get your next photo.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Brak710101

I dont know if this happens alot, but here in Pittsburgh, PA the rails (cement ties at least) actually 'hiss' (or vibrate) where a train is exactly 2000ft away (most helpful around curves) It actually is the most reliable way I have found. But if you railfan on wooden tie tracks the sound is muffled by the wood).

On wooden ties there is a "hissing" also. It is about a 60 ft warning with wooden ties.

[Anonymous]

I dont know if this happens alot, but here in Pittsburgh, PA the rails (cement ties at least) actually 'hiss' (or vibrate) where a train is exactly 2000ft away (most helpful around curves) It actually is the most reliable way I have found. But if you railfan on wooden tie tracks the sound is muffled by the wood).

[JoeKoh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Rule M: Expect a train or other movement at any time, from any direction. (If they can drop one out of the sky, aimed at you, they will...probably made by ACME Locomotive Co.)

LOL! I ain't a coyote...

Here's how I know.

1. Stop, look and listen. (Stop at the terminal. Look for the train crews, ask them what is moving and Listen to what they say.

2. Enter a tunnel. The light at the end is bound to be the headlight of an oncoming train with luck like mine.

3. Listen to the radio on my control stand or the Dispatcher.

4. Answer the phone. The crew dispatcher will be more than happy to tell me where to go to find a train, and then run it.

LC

somedays you would like to tell the dispatcher where to go right?[}:)]
stay safe
Joe

[Trainnut484]

Scanners, signals, and horns.

I don't use my scanner like I used too, because traffic is always happening at the SF Junction KCMO. I use my train repellant (camera) on good sunny days.

Take care,

Russell

[Willy2]

I usually use the signals and I listen for horns in the distance.

Willy

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Rule M: Expect a train or other movement at any time, from any direction. (If they can drop one out of the sky, aimed at you, they will...probably made by ACME Locomotive Co.)

LOL! I ain't a coyote...

Here's how I know.

1. Stop, look and listen. (Stop at the terminal. Look for the train crews, ask them what is moving and Listen to what they say.

2. Enter a tunnel. The light at the end is bound to be the headlight of an oncoming train with luck like mine.

3. Listen to the radio on my control stand or the Dispatcher.

4. Answer the phone. The crew dispatcher will be more than happy to tell me where to go to find a train, and then run it.

LC

[Anonymous]

I use many ways. I listen for the "hiss", the locomotive it self, the scanner, and I look at the signal/signals. [:D]

[rrnut282]

I use a scanner to listen to the dispatcher telling crews of a meet to get an idea of what's going to happen, crews calling signals and e.o.t. transmissions,(they're supposed to chirp every 30 seconds, but don't count on it). I look at absolute signals at interlockings or see if the approach-lit intermediate signals are on, and when all that fails, look, listen and live.

Now if you were to ask, "how do I know when a train ISN"T coming," that's easy, when I get my camera out.

[BNSFNUT]

I use a scanner (check your state laws, it is illeagle to have a scanner in a vehical in some states) to listen dispatcher and detectors, I also watch signals when the availble. Sometimes you can hear crews calling signals on the radio and if you know the mile posts on the railroad you know where the trains are.
I also use a lot of luck, somtimes its just being in the right spot at the right time.

[eolafan]

Signals, headlights in the distance, scanner chatter and that unmistakable sound of either a horn or even of a turbocharged EMD or GE prime mover making noise in the distance (sometimes can be heard about five minutes before the train even arrives)

[Anonymous]

I put my head on the rail and listen. Old Indian trick. lol

[mudchicken]

Rule M: Expect a train or other movement at any time, from any direction. (If they can drop one out of the sky, aimed at you, they will...probably made by ACME Locomotive Co.)

[Anonymous]

Most of the signals around here only turn on when a train is near, so if the signal is on there's a good chance that there is something moving around in the area.

If I'm downwind I can also smell the diesel exhaust from about 40 miles away, so I just sit back and wait... It's been harder lately though, because CP has only been putting a single unit on the head end and a single unit on the tail end, so the sent isn't as strong as it used to be.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I watch the absolute signals if an interlocking is close. Grade crossing signals are good but don't always leave you much warning time. If the geography allows, I'll watch for a headlight. BNSF three-track mainline is pretty good in this respect.

[CShaveRR]

I look for the train tracks. If you find the tracks, a train has been there...and others are likely to follow.

Sorry...I couldn't resist that. Close to home we have no (visible) signals, but plenty of trains, so a journey to trackside is really all that's necessary. Of course, I take full advantage of signals, radio transmissions, etc., when I have them available to me (I have a scanner, but have found it to be superfluous around here).

[Anonymous]

Lets see now I just sit and think it ...............and it just comes!