Grade crossing ettiquette at Waldwick?

on the waldwick/allendale border, there is a grade crossing on Hopper Ave. the last time i was there, there were large incandesant bulbs and unusually short gates (this being because of the width of the road.) something that has surprised me is that whenever a train is approaching, (this may be because the track makes a curve on either side of the crossing) the lights and bells will activate and the gates will lower. once the gates have lowered, the bell stops and the lights continue to flash.
about ten seconds after the original activation, there will be a whistle blast and/or the train rounds the curve. after the train passes, the gates rise. my question is that why at most crossings (and not at this one) is a whistle blast heard long before the signals are activated and/or the gates lower? is this just something that varies from rail line to rail line? there is nothing wrong with this, just me being a little curious.

as always, any feedback is welcome.

That's odd. Waldwick station is very close and Waldwick yard ends right at that grade crossing. I'm guessing that trains that stop at Waldwick don't really need to blow their horns unless if they are bypassing it.

Im not really sure what you are asking, but the rule for the blowing of a horn through a grade crossing is that the horn is to be blown before the crossing, and that the last blast of the long long short long ---- ----- -- ---- for a grade crossing is to be made as the leading end is just coming through the crossing and blown while crossing over. It doesn't always work out that way, but thats how a horn is supposed to be blown over an Xing.

Also, i think that the gates are supposed to be down for 20 seconds prior to the train crossing over the Xing.

Jtgshu wrote:Also, i think that the gates are supposed to be down for 20 seconds prior to the train crossing over the Xing.

How about for certain stations like Stirling? At Stirling, the crossings operate like any other one would if you're on the mainline but if you're on the passing track, the engineer has to operate at a reduced speed because the crossing doesn't activate til you're right on top of it. Usually in a situation like this, the train crosses the crossing a few seconds after the gates go down.

the trains do blow their whistles for hopper ave, but only after the gates have gone down. usually, you hear the whistle before the awd (active warning device) activates. in this case, the bells ring, lights flash, and gates go down, before the whistle is heard. i guess that this is just something that the railroad decides to do.

That happens a lot, where the engineer has to trigger the xing......South Amboy comes to mind, as the gates at Augusta St. raise after 2 minutes.

Im not absoultely positive, and I don't have my books handy to double check, but maybe its 20 seconds after the xing signlas are actuated (and gates start to go down).....

Going back many, many years, the notes on the PRR "Circuits for Automatic Highway Crossing Signals and Gates" drawings stated that "...the track circuits governing the initiation of highway crossing protection should be arranged to provide a starting time of 30 seconds, but not to exceed 50 seconds." "...(that) the starting time of 30 seconds shall be based on... ...the maximum authorized speed." and that "the gates will start to assume horizontal positon 3 to 5 seconds after flashing lights and signals begin to operate."

According to those plans, the gates had to initiate a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum 50 seconds before the train reached the crossing, and the gates had to start lowering 3 to 5 seconds after crossing activation. The drawings are silent concerning the time it takes the gates to completely lower or any minimum time that the gates must have reached the down position before the train reaches the crossing.

Interestingly enough, the older crossing gate mechanisms are shown as being "clear drive", meaning that the gate motor is powered only to drive the gate up ("clear"). When the gate is fully up, a latch controlled by a small energized solenoid "holds" the gate in the up position after the drive motor shuts off. In typical rail signaling closed-circuit, fail-safe fashion, when the track circuit is occupied by an approaching train, the solenoid is de-energized and the gate lowers by gravity. In the event of a break in the circuit, the failure of the holding solenoid, or the failure of both normal and battery power, the gate will drop to the lowered position with no power required.

As to what is done today, there are electronic track circuit grade crossing "predictor" circuits that can predict the speed of the approaching train and alter the distance at which the crossing protection activates based upon the speed. I have no idea how many crossings have been outfitted with the predictor type equipment.

...approach to a railroad crossing is also the oldest:
STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

THE BEST AND MOST PROPER... ...approach to a railroad crossing is also the oldest:
STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

It can also be the most unreliable (blocked views) and the msot dangerous (I ain't stopping to look and listen with 200 cars going 50 mph on my tail).

nygiants21 wrote:on the waldwick/allendale border, there is a grade crossing on Hopper Ave. the last time i was there, there were large incandesant bulbs and unusually short gates (this being because of the width of the road.) something that has surprised me is that whenever a train is approaching, (this may be because the track makes a curve on either side of the crossing) the lights and bells will activate and the gates will lower. once the gates have lowered, the bell stops and the lights continue to flash.
about ten seconds after the original activation, there will be a whistle blast and/or the train rounds the curve. after the train passes, the gates rise. my question is that why at most crossings (and not at this one) is a whistle blast heard long before the signals are activated and/or the gates lower? is this just something that varies from rail line to rail line? there is nothing wrong with this, just me being a little curious.

as always, any feedback is welcome.

The answer to all your questions is contained in the "Interim Final Rule for the Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings" published by the FRA in December 2003. The rule contains provisions that would set maximum sould level for locomotive horns, limit the duration of horn sounding, and prescribe when and how to sound the horn (including, I think, that the horn should not be sounded farther than 1/4 mile from the crossing). A good summary of the Rule can be found at the following link:

http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/safety ... _part3.pdf

The complete rule can be downloaded in .pdf format from the FRA website. It is interesting reading. It also includes provisions for municipalities establishing "quiet zones." Have fun.

Kim