• Requirement of Trains' Horn Use on Street Crossings

  • General discussion about railroad operations, related facilities, maps, and other resources.
General discussion about railroad operations, related facilities, maps, and other resources.

Moderator: Robert Paniagua

  by walt
 
Just remember how heavy even the shortest train is and how long it takes a train to stop, even at slow speeds, and you'll understand why the horn must be sounded.
  by LocoCam
 
DutchRailnut wrote:
railfan365 wrote:
DutchRailnut wrote:The FRA has no guidelines on how loud to blow horn, that is pure engineer perogative.
I like to tell my students to save a bit for emergencies.
only Mechanical rule is in CFR 49-229 as for what minimum a horn can produce.
I thought that the signalling on crosssing approach was 2 long, 1 short, 1 long.
It is, The FRA does not mandate how loud it should be, that is Engineers perogative...
I didn't realize there is a volume adjustment available to the engineer...& I work next to him.
  by Desertdweller
 
There isn't any.

But if you pull the horn handle all the way down, and leave it wide open for a couple seconds, it will sound at its loudest.

This doesn't apply if the horn is actuated by a pushbutton.

Les
  by Desertdweller
 
You could also turn down the valve on the pipe feeding air to the horn, but this would be tampering with a safety device. Something that could get you fired.

So while it would be technically possible, it is nothing you would want to do.

When people decide to live within earshot of a railroad, getting sleep is their own responsibility.

Les
  by DutchRailnut
 
even on push button Horns there is two settings. half and full.
Tell your engineer to try it, it works same on air lever.
  by gp9rm4108
 
Push buttons have two volumes? I don't think so.

With newer locomotives it's either on or off.
  by DutchRailnut
 
No its not, but what the heck do I know after operating locomotives for over 20 years
  by Engineer Spike
 
I ran an Amtrak P32 which had a soft and loud position on the oush button horn.


Someone told me that the half position on the old pneumatic horn valves might not produce enough pressure to actuate the device, which sends the "horn blowing" signal, to the event recorder.
  by railfan365
 
On the general topic of train horns, do engineers on street running trains have to blow the horn at every intersection? Just what is the rule on those runs?
  by scharnhorst
 
railfan365 wrote:On the general topic of train horns, do engineers on street running trains have to blow the horn at every intersection? Just what is the rule on those runs?
I would say yes based on the number of different videos that are posted on youtube showing street running
  by gp9rm4108
 
DutchRailnut wrote:No its not, but what the heck do I know after operating locomotives for over 20 years
What do I know, I only operate the things too. Maybe on your railroad but CN does not have any engines where the button/handle that electrically activates the horn has 2 settings. Out of the horns I have blown from other railroads' engines I have never seen that either.

Also, in reality, any crossing that has automatic protection does not need the horn to be blown. I think more people get hit at crossings that are not quiet zones compared to ones that are - both having automatic protection. It's our society. From what I have seen on youtube, North America is really the only place that makes a lot of noise on approach to crossings.

Here in Canada if your horn fails, you don't have to slow down going through a crossing with automatic protection.
  by scharnhorst
 
I did some railfaning in Eastern Europe and most if not all the trains there have both a horn and an air whistle and the crews did not use them when approaching a railroad crossing unless they saw someone or something near the tracks. But then and again they still have track side shanty's in some places where a guy or women gets out and guards the crossing with a hand gun and a hand held stop sign. The gun is to shoot out peoples tires should they try to beat the train to the crossing.
  by JLJ061
 
scharnhorst wrote:I did some railfaning in Eastern Europe and most if not all the trains there have both a horn and an air whistle and the crews did not use them when approaching a railroad crossing unless they saw someone or something near the tracks. But then and again they still have track side shanty's in some places where a guy or women gets out and guards the crossing with a hand gun and a hand held stop sign. The gun is to shoot out peoples tires should they try to beat the train to the crossing.
Now that's a tactic we need here in the USA! Just imagine how many lives would be saved... until the ambulance chaser lawyers step in and ruin it for everyone else...
  by toolmaker
 
scharnhorst wrote:I did some railfaning in Eastern Europe and most if not all the trains there have both a horn and an air whistle and the crews did not use them when approaching a railroad crossing unless they saw someone or something near the tracks. But then and again they still have track side shanty's in some places where a guy or women gets out and guards the crossing with a hand gun and a hand held stop sign. The gun is to shoot out peoples tires should they try to beat the train to the crossing.
Even if we had crossing guards, they would run out of bullets before their shift ends in the US. LOL