Paul of Covington After all these years, they can't build a reliable bell?
One of our RS18u's has a regular air powered bell. The other loco has an electric (not electronic) bell, but the actuator needs to be lubed every now and then or the bell just clicks...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
jeffhergertOn modern engines the horn button/handle will also start the bell. Some will ring once or twice then quit. Some will work about half way to a crossing/past men etc, then quit. Some work fine at one crossing then have problems at the next. Mechanical (real) bells sound better, but electronic bells are more reliable.
After all these years, they can't build a reliable bell? I don't think steam engines had this problem. Unless the cord broke, maybe.
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"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Mookie Deggesty Did anyone feel stung by your competitor? Oh, Johnny!
Deggesty Did anyone feel stung by your competitor?
Oh, Johnny!
Johnny
DeggestyDid anyone feel stung by your competitor?
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
tree68 Paul of Covington I don't remember hearing it lately, but sometime ago I noticed on the Rochelle web cam that when workers were present some UP trains would give repeated quick double toots instead of ringing the bell. Odds are you're just not hearing the bell with the horn being sounded. NORAC calls for a long and a short repeated. The rule shown earlier shows the crossing signal being blown in the same situation. One person's long might be another person's short...
Paul of Covington I don't remember hearing it lately, but sometime ago I noticed on the Rochelle web cam that when workers were present some UP trains would give repeated quick double toots instead of ringing the bell.
I don't remember hearing it lately, but sometime ago I noticed on the Rochelle web cam that when workers were present some UP trains would give repeated quick double toots instead of ringing the bell.
Odds are you're just not hearing the bell with the horn being sounded.
NORAC calls for a long and a short repeated. The rule shown earlier shows the crossing signal being blown in the same situation.
One person's long might be another person's short...
When approaching and passing men and equipment, initially sound a long and a short and then intermittently two shorts. The bell should be ringing, but they sometimes don't work properly.
On modern engines the horn button/handle will also start the bell. Some will ring once or twice then quit. Some will work about half way to a crossing/past men etc, then quit. Some work fine at one crossing then have problems at the next. Mechanical (real) bells sound better, but electronic bells are more reliable.
Jeff
Murphy Siding That reminds me of a time when one of our competitors in the lumber business gave out 500 florescent pink hats with their company name on them. Nice looking hats, but no one could wear them as they somehow attracted bees and wasps big time.
That reminds me of a time when one of our competitors in the lumber business gave out 500 florescent pink hats with their company name on them. Nice looking hats, but no one could wear them as they somehow attracted bees and wasps big time.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
No misleading info, the CCOR's last two editions just changed their number for the rule.
The vests/hi-vis clothing requirement came about a few years ago. I don't think it's been 10 years yet, but time gets away from me. It's been said the requirement comes via USDOT. Originally wanting anyone near a public road (think railroad crossings) to wear one. The railroads just took the idea and ran with it.
Inside the cab, buildings, or even walking from a crew van to/from a building (unless you have to cross tracks) you don't have to wear it.
When they first started requiring them, someone asked the superintendent if a high-vis cap could be used in lieu of the vest. The answer was no, because not everyone wears caps. But I guess everyone wears vests. Vests can be replaced by shirts or coats that are at least ansi-2 standard. I have a zippered sweat shirt and a winter coat for cooler weather.
tree68 NORAC 19(e) has three shorts for back up, two for forward. The crossing signal is NORAC 19(b).
NORAC 19(e) has three shorts for back up, two for forward.
The crossing signal is NORAC 19(b).
I don't remember hearing it lately, but sometime ago I noticed on the Rochelle web cam that when workers were present some UP trains would give repeated quick double toots instead of ringing the bell. I guess the situation would be covered by (f) in Balt's CSX chart which doesn't specify what the sounds would be. Is this a UP convention or rule? I don't remember hearing BNSF do this.
jeffhergert Zardoz, your Consolidated Code upbringing is showing. Whistle and horn signals were under Rule 14 in just about every other rule book, pre-NORAC and GCOR era. (GCOR, before they renumbered the rules, used Rule 15.) Even the Consolidated Code before the 1967 edition had them under Rule 14. Jeff
Zardoz, your Consolidated Code upbringing is showing. Whistle and horn signals were under Rule 14 in just about every other rule book, pre-NORAC and GCOR era. (GCOR, before they renumbered the rules, used Rule 15.) Even the Consolidated Code before the 1967 edition had them under Rule 14.
My apologies to all for misleading information.
And since my years behind the throttle are now officially established as based in antiquity, I can now ask questions that are directed towards current Rails, such as: When did the policy requiring Engineers to wear those silly orange or yellow 'safety' vests begin? And does the crew have to wear them even when sitting in the cab?
Three shorts (which GCOR also has for backing up) also at one time was a signal while moving to stop at the next passenger station. One video I have from the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic's early days shows a double header approaching Cumbres. The lead engine sounds one extended long (approaching station) and then three shorts. The second answers with three shorts.
Deggesty BaltACD CSX Horn Rules That (g) is a new one to me. Is this blown when the engineer has had no signal to proceed given him?
BaltACD CSX Horn Rules
CSX Horn Rules
That (g) is a new one to me. Is this blown when the engineer has had no signal to proceed given him?
Two longs have traditionally been used when initiating movement forward. (except as noted during switching moves) It's to warn anyone near the train you are about to start moving. In the old days, it was also to warn those in the caboose. (It was also the answer to a train order signal displaying a calling-on indication under the old Uniform Code.)
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
aegrotatioIt sounds like a local operating policy for stations or depots, maybe?
I spend a lot of time at the Utica, NY station this time of year. You hear the gamut - a couple of shorts, a couple of longs, one long, one short, 15L, what-have-you, even Jingle Bells one night a few years ago...
I had some free time one afternoon so I railfanned the VRE on Norfolk Southern. When the trains approach the station they sound two long blasts and that was it. In that particular area, all of the crossings with earshot are grade-separated.
It sounds like a local operating policy for stations or depots, maybe?
zardozOn the rare occasions when the train speed is slower, the Engineers do a series of 15L's, one right after the other (long-long-short-long-long-long-short-long).
As I recall, the rule reads that the 15L signal will be sounded for crossings, and if you get through --.- before you reach the crossing, you repeat it until you do.
Most engineers have the timing down well enough that they can get the signal in in the requisite 15-20 seconds and finish at the crossing, for a single road crossing. Multiples are another story, as already noted.
Where I live, there are two roads that meet at a "T", and the CP tracks cross both roads just before the roads meet, and track speed is 79/60. There is about five car lengths between the roads, and most Engineers use a sequence of "Long--Long--Short--Long--Short--Long (the standard 15L warning with an abreviated 15L tacked on the end).
On the rare occasions when the train speed is slower, the Engineers do a series of 15L's, one right after the other (long-long-short-long-long-long-short-long).
An aside note, in Pleasant Prairie WI (where the aforementioned crossing is), for years now all of the grade crossings have a sign warning motorists that "No train horn sounded), yet the trains on both the UP and CP continue to honk away at all hours.
Murphy Siding I know what you mean about crossings close together.
I've seen areas where the "whistle board" also included the letters "MX", for multiple crossings.
OTOH, the village of Hancock, NY, used to include about 4 crossings in short order, but due to a very sharp curve and the old truss bridge, train speeds are very low. Combine squealing wheels, the bridge, and all those crossings, and it gets pretty noisy at dawn on a Sunday morning. But I digress. One of the crossings was closed, and most engineers were "gentle" on the horn early in the morning.
Murphy Siding Semper Vaporo How close together are the crossings? Maybe there just is not time to complete the regular --.- between crossings, so the engineers are just sounding a series of longs with short breaks between. This is a very rural area. There is a generally a gravel mile road every 5280 feet. This area is near a lake so the distance is probably one crossing every 2 miles or so. I know what you mean about crossings close together. We stayed overnight in a small town in Northern Minnesota once where the coal trains came through at track speed. The tracks ran diagonal to the streets. There were 6-8 crossing very tightly spaced. The trains pretty much blew their horns from one of town to the other.
Semper Vaporo How close together are the crossings? Maybe there just is not time to complete the regular --.- between crossings, so the engineers are just sounding a series of longs with short breaks between.
How close together are the crossings? Maybe there just is not time to complete the regular --.- between crossings, so the engineers are just sounding a series of longs with short breaks between.
This is a very rural area. There is a generally a gravel mile road every 5280 feet. This area is near a lake so the distance is probably one crossing every 2 miles or so. I know what you mean about crossings close together. We stayed overnight in a small town in Northern Minnesota once where the coal trains came through at track speed. The tracks ran diagonal to the streets. There were 6-8 crossing very tightly spaced. The trains pretty much blew their horns from one of town to the other.
Where I used to work in New Orleans, there were tracks that cut diagonally through a residential area. Where two crossings were very close, I noticed that they would just prolong the final long till the second street was crossed.
Mookie Murphy's orig post - sounds like daylight - they use regular xing whistle. This only happens at night. Maybe businesses during day have traffic - necessitating a full whistle, while at nite all is closed, but just in case of some walking/mobile traffic, you need some kind of whistle. Hence, a partial quiet zone for anyone living in the area. Murphy, care to clarify? (Our city declared a lot of quiet zone, not the railroad. Too bad it doesn't apply to noisy cars)
Murphy's orig post - sounds like daylight - they use regular xing whistle. This only happens at night. Maybe businesses during day have traffic - necessitating a full whistle, while at nite all is closed, but just in case of some walking/mobile traffic, you need some kind of whistle. Hence, a partial quiet zone for anyone living in the area. Murphy, care to clarify? (Our city declared a lot of quiet zone, not the railroad. Too bad it doesn't apply to noisy cars)
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
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