When the trains cross the double diamonds at Rochelle Ill, do they have to blow the horn as they would at a street or road intersection ?
Nope. The standard grade crossing of 2 longs a short and a long is a rule strictly designed for warning motorists and pedestrians at crossings. different air horn blasts mean different things, one short means he’s stopped, two short means he’s pulling out, three means he’s reversing and so on… altho I have also heard ‘’ shave and a hair cut 2 bits" and even jingle bells played on air horns…never did find those two in the manuals.
Sunday morning I heard a series of horn blasts that sent chills up my spine.
Short rapid blasts. From what I’ve witnessed, the short rapid blasts are to warn trespassers to get off the tracks.
We have one here in Lincoln, that seems to run on Sunday mornings about 5 am. He just loves to give little short toots - doesn’t mean anything, except he is making noise and there must be no one around to stop him. He is a yard engine and sometimes is just plain irritating.
Jen
Jen
some times at 3 or 4 in the morning after a night of getting delayed by the dispatcher for just about everything that could have been avoided, i get this mean streak and i make alot of noise. i look at it like a public service a free wake up call.
Hi Jen,
Somethime a short toot is an acknowledgement of a hand signal from the ground crew, meaning the engineer has seen what the crew wanted to do, and understands what they want him to do. When the locomotive is a distance away from you, you can always be sure the engineer can see the signal you give him, he knows this, and gives a short horn blast to let you know he knows…
Stay Frosty,
Ed
Also, acording to the CP 5 short blasts warns the workers on the tracks that a train is appraoching (Usually signals that the train is “Entering a construction zone”)
We live near a crossing and sometimes late at night they only do a few little short toots instead of the usual pattern. I think they’re trying not to make too much noise, but that’s the only time the trains wake me up, because it’s not what I’m used to.
Can’t say I really care either way, though…I like hearing the trains, and I have a 9 month old baby who wakes me up all night anyway, so what’s one more time? 
A long-gone neighbor of mine told of her father, who was an engineer [1892-1941]on the Northern Central Railway (the ORIGINAL NCR, not the whirley-gig excursion bunch who profaned the name) who would always blow a special signal for the road crossing near their home, so they would know he was flying past. Perhaps your Lincoln yard guy is alerting the home team to get breakfast ready; papa’s coming home! Besides, being allowed to blow the horn is about the last fun we’re allowed to have, so LIGHTEN UP! 8^)
I have seen/heard many an engineer blow for the Rochelle diamonds, especially when a track gang or MOW equipment/people are in the diamonds area. This is especially true for the Eastboung BNSF which comes around a curve and can sometimes not be heard until it is too late. Some of you may have noticed the rotating blue lights on poles at the diamonds, they are to alert the MOW crews when their equipment or other noise levels make it impossible for them to hear an approaching train. I believe there are about six of these lights at critical points on the diamonds. Jim
The best timeive ever been glad to be woken p with a train horn is when it dont shut off and just stays on for either its stuck on or the engineer is just mad about something and decied to leave the horn blowing all the way into town and outta town headin for Bellevue ohio
andrew
The engineers blow the horn when matt and I (or just myself) take train pictures.
stay safe
joe
Ed - this engineer must be signaling a whole cheering section. He has two crossings and does 8 shorts and then another 4-6 as he is going east ( no crossings just a depot) and then another couple past the stadium - still no crossings - he does this in the dark about 4 am. Maybe it is his idea of “sing along with the dispatcher”.
Nora - you have my sympathies - been there done that. And you will find that through out your life, you will do two things. When you are standing in any one spot, you will rock and you will sleep like the dead until you hear some small out of the ordinary sound! It’s a female “thing”!
Kevin - I saw your picture - you are a cutie! And you do look a lot like I had you pictured!
Joe - I can barely get a wave out of the train crews. Even the woman engineer just plain ignored me. Maybe it is because I always have the driver with me. But… the passing cars always wave at me (he is usually reading). It is funny!
Skeets - tea on the veranda? Let’s do the Big Boy today!
Wabash - I bet your eyes twinkle every so often!
Jen
back in the old neighboorhood the moved the whistleposts back about 25 ft.I can hear them going through town if the wind is right. Matt hears them outside and says “twain woo woo twain”
stay safe
joe
One time an engineer laid on the horn and let it go for about 20 seconds non-stop. I was not in viewing distance but I could sure hear it. Did such a long whistle mean anything?
Willy
Usually when a crew “lays” on the horn, and doesn’t stop until the motors past the crossing, it’s a good possibility that they experienced a wreck, or had a close call, at that specific location. Also, when a crossing is not working properly, the crews would radio the dispatcher, and other trains running through would use alot of whistle until it’s fixed.
the long blow dosnt mean anything, ( in rules anyways) but some clues would be someone close to the tracks or the engineer mad about something ( imagine that a engineer mad) or just plain being a jerk.
I used to whistle on my way past my girl’s house until an old head told me that he used to whistle on his way outta town as he passed his house. Just on a hunch, he laid off and acted like he was called like usual and had a buddy whistle as he passed the same spot. Within 30 min, his wife had a playmate come over…Busted! I don’t call her when I get into town either, I just show up. If she is gonna cheat, I’m gonna make her work for it! Are there any good ones out there? I sure hope so! O.K. I’m done ranting
Ken
Ken - there are some very good ones out there. I think railroading is one job that is always open to possibilities - same as trucking. But it just depends on the quality of the goods involved!
Jen
Thanks for the insight Mook, seems like the only ones that want a Rail are the wild ones looking for a free ride. The good ones stay away from us railroad heathens (the reputation of my predacessors preceeds me). The one that I’ve got lives in the bars while I’m away. And as she says, “nothing happens,” while she is out. Yeah, right! And I’m the Pope.
Ken