How are horns in modern diesels operated, are they still the push buttons? I have heard something about them being where you can push a button or something and will do the -,-,0,- sequence?
Some of our (UP) units have buttons, some have the pull lever, and others also have the foot peddle. The foot peddle you just kick once and it blows the sequence until you kick again, then it stop.
When a railroad orders a loco from GE or EMD can they choose the type of operation they want in their locomotives or do they come standered to the type of engine?
yepper.
What railroads perfer which types?
You say that “it blows the sequence”. That probably means the “approach of crossing” sequence.
But aren’t there other sequences that get sounded from time to time? I know that there used to be horn signals for “back up”, “stop”, and a couple of other things. Are those still used?
It’s like hand signals, becoming a lost art.
About the only one’s you here now are “go ahead” and “stop”.
I have never heard about blowing the horn by foot peddle. Infact I have only seen the button and the handle. I would think that the peddle would be easier but, I don’t know, wouldn’t it be better to have the handle or button?
James
Some Rock Island GP40’s had a foot pedal for the horn as well as normal handle. Foot pedal was same as deadman pedal, which these units did not have. Thinking further I believe some of the U28B’s also had a horn pedal.
They were not pre programed to blow crossing signal.