"calling" signals

[Anonymous]

just returned from an extended Amtrak trip on Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, and Southwest Chief with my trusty scanner. On SOME routes (only) I hear the singal aspects called and confirmed on the radio. I understand why railroad rules required engineers and firemen to confirm signals in the days of 5-man crews; but who "calls" the signal aspects today and who confirms? Why?
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

On the BNSF some subs require calling signals, some do not. It lets other trains know where you are at. Kinda nice in single track for meets. A good heads up. On one sub that I worked on we were required to call the aspect, speed and "in advance of xxxx". We only had to call other than clear and only in advance of control points.

[Anonymous]

NS Piedmont Division requires that engineer and conductor call the signals to each other and then the conductor calls it on the radio. If in double track territory, the track number has to be included when calling signals on the radio.

[JoeKoh]

on csx the conductor calls the signals on the radio and what track they are on.
stay safe
Joe

[chad thomas]

In my territory I call the signals all kinds of 4 letter words.

Oh wait, we're not talking about traffic signals are we?

[Anonymous]

The Union Pacific does it too. (Sometimes).

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jack waterman

just returned from an extended Amtrak trip on Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, and Southwest Chief with my trusty scanner. On SOME routes (only) I hear the singal aspects called and confirmed on the radio. I understand why railroad rules required engineers and firemen to confirm signals in the days of 5-man crews; but who "calls" the signal aspects today and who confirms? Why?
Thanks!

The Why is the reason for calling signals.....there are numerous signal personnel, roadway personnel and other trains on a railroad at any given point in time. Trains and personnel that actually are occuping tracks are there either on the authority of signal indication or on track occupancy permits. All trains and or personnel that are on the track are required to monitor the 'Road Radio Channel' for the particular sub-division. Signals are required to be called on the Road Radio Channel for the particular sub-division.

While in a perfect world Dispatchers and Train Crews would never make mistakes,,,,we are in the real world and mistakes, while rare, are made. Crews calling signals and block occupancy or relase on the Road Radio Channel alerts employees to a train entering a track segment. If an employee or train that holds authority to the identified track segment hear the signal or authority being called by another train they know a mistke is being made and can take appropriate actions to the trains or on track employees stopped in time to avert a collision.

In my employment experience, several potentially catastrophic situations have been avoided by compliance with calling signals on the road channel and having all employees on the sub-division monitoring the road radio channel.

[Anonymous]

Speaking of Train Signals..........
I have heard on the Scanner that the UP Dispatcher calls out.......UP Omaha East/West Dispatcher over....... What is up with that? Allan.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by baberuth73

NS Piedmont Division requires that engineer and conductor call the signals to each other and then the conductor calls it on the radio. If in double track territory, the track number has to be included when calling signals on the radio.

I ride the Carolinian on a regular basis from Charlotte NC to Rocky Mount NC. It operates with only an engineer in the loco, so he calls the signals on the radio on both the NS and CSX segments and the conductor, who is always riding the rear table in the lounge car with his paper work, calls the signals back. With the radio always on and the conductor repeating the signals, along with the defect detectors, etc., it can get a little loud in that area of the car. Being a fan (and Volunteer Train Host) it suits me fine.

[anb740]

A slew of collisions in the past 10-20 years due to false signal displays is also a main factor in calling signals; at least on CSX. Down here in GA, some lines actually require the conductor to call out the signal twice giving the train #, engine #, location, and signal display. More than once, I've seen this aid in avoiding collisions.

[David_Telesha]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

Speaking of Train Signals..........
I have heard on the Scanner that the UP Dispatcher calls out.......UP Omaha East/West Dispatcher over....... What is up with that? Allan.

Uh, because he's the UP East-West line dispatcher in Omaha, maybe?

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFrailfan

Speaking of Train Signals..........
I have heard on the Scanner that the UP Dispatcher calls out.......UP Omaha East/West Dispatcher over....... What is up with that? Allan.

The FCC requires exact identification of all parties broadcasting on the radio waves. That is part of the Rule Book mandated radio protocol.

[cnw4001]

As has been stated different railroads and even different divisions have differning approaches to calling signals.

After the collision between a MARC commuter and the Capitlo Limited a couple of years ago there was an FRA ruling which required calling of signals and certain other things on passenger trains. I can't remember all the specifics but the concept is to ensure agreement on what is happening at that moment in the train operation.

[tree68]

IIRC, a recent "near miss" in Syracuse involving Amtrak was a near miss mainly because of calling signals - or in this case, not calling signals, since the Amtrak engineer apparently wasn't calling what he should have and a CSX freight crew recognized that to be the case.