Anyone here a train engineer or has a spouse that is one?

[flex]

I live close-ish to train tracks that go around Cook Inlet.  I have my bathroom window open and I could hear a train horn going off.  Then I could hear another horn very faintly in the distance like it was responding to the first train.

Is there a method to sounding the horn?   Do engineers have their own horn pattern?  I've always wondered this ever since I was a kid.  Can any of you shed light on this?  lol

[mrs.jacinthe]

I asked R, who is a rail fan. He said that each railroad has its own defined set of patterns that all the engineers use and each pattern means something specific.

He thinks that you either heard an echo or someone with a powered train horn messing around. Or possibly just a weird coincidence. Horns aren't generally call and response - they have radios for that.

[flex]

May 28, 2016 14:02:16 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I asked R, who is a rail fan. He said that each railroad has its own defined set of patterns that all the engineers use and each pattern means something specific.

He thinks that you either heard an echo or someone with a powered train horn messing around. Or possibly just a weird coincidence. Horns aren't generally call and response - they have radios for that.

Thanks so much!!   (rose)

[auntie]

DS works for a railroad and is a rabid railfan.

There is something to what you hear. On some equipment, the engineer will have a kind of signature sound to how they operate their horn - this is referred to his quill.

Some newer equipment has an automated horn which can not be "quilled".

It's pretty rare for engines to signal back and forth by horn- because radios. But sometimes, trains will "salute" on short line, tourist and historic railroads.

This is a link to the standard train horn signals used in the U.S.

www.up.com/aboutup/funstuff/horn_signals/

[pandangie]

My DH is an engineer, and no, they don't normally "talk" via horn to each other. There are FRA laws about the series with short vs long toots when approaching a crossing though (and other things). Like a certain amount of feet before hitting the crossing is 2 long, 1 short, and 1 long. The engineer also can talk to co-workers on the ground via toots (air brake checks, reversing, etc.)
Side story: if a train doesn't have a caboose, it has to have a flashing red light on the last car. It's called a FRED (Flashing Rear End Device). Whenever I need to say butt out in public, I say FRED. For instance... "did you see his FRED??" haha

Mostly I just wanted to say I'm impressed you knew the engineer drives.... not the conductor lol

[auntie]

On rail equipment without automated horns, the "hand" of the operator will be a little bit different. Our commuter rails aren't and while the engineer will do the FRA required "toots" at level grade crossings and such, they will sound a little different in terms of tempo.

Funny story. DS works for a short line that does a tourist operation on weekends/holidays/foliage season. Friends of mine moved nearby and often hear the train running and the wife commented that her husband can tell the difference between horns and can tell when the diesels or steam is running. I told her the answer is always diesel- the steam engine hasn't run in over a year because it's having some equipment redone. She had fun with that. Their trains have different horns; evidently this is a thing.

[hungrycaterpillar]

I am five and cannot stop giggling a train tooting.


I may also be sleep deprived.

[boxertdog]

They are required by law to whistle off when they go through a crossing, whether there are arms that come down or not. So if both trains are near the crossing going opposite directions they would both whistle off as they approach / go through.

[pandangie]

May 29, 2016 4:41:08 GMT -5 hungrycaterpillar said:

I am five and cannot stop giggling a train tooting.


I may also be sleep deprived.

I have a 6 YO who loves to ask daddy to "toot his horn" when on the phone (on lunch break, as it's obviously against the law to have his phone on while working
I forget my audience sometimes lol  
We live about a mile off of a short line where one train goes in and out just once a day.  I can tell when there is a different engine or a different engineer by the "tooting" pitch / pattern