Do conductors/brakeman still use hand signals when performing switching moves in the yard or are those going the way of the caboose? Do most conductors/brakemen use the radio all the time now? Please let me know thank you.
hand signals are always important, radio’s do fail or get interference.
Never ever lead a light locomotive around with a radio…
Yes, hand signals are used quite often, saves chatter on the radio.
Can I hear an “Amen!” to what Ed said!
However, you can tell the older guys (and there aren’t too many of us left!) by the grace with which they execute their hand signals.
On the other hand, Ed, never ever lead a light locomotive around with a fusee!
And don’t shine the LED lantern at the hogger. What’s really annoying is when you try to give hand signals and the hogger is in la-la land… so you sit there waving your hands around like a mime on crack.
Are all the hand signals defined in the book of rules these days? Hand signals were also called, “signs.” There must have been hundreds of them over the years.
Standard hand signals, come ahead, back up and stop are covered in the GCOR, and most railroads have them in their timetables also…
Car counts are not covered, but the old heads will teach them to you, and location or carrier specific signals are taught the same way.
Most hand signals are pretty easy to understand no matter where or who you work for…
That’s why by rule you’re supposed to tell the hogger to watch for hand signals…
Uh? Two statements provoke two questions… Why and Why?
You don’t have to with old head hoggers. But they worked with guys before everyone had radios.
Don’t want to blind your hoghead… [8D]
The reason I wonder about hand signals being defined is that none of the references I have seen are consistent, especially the daylight signals. Many references show the nighttime and daytime signals being more or less identical except for the use of the lantern at night.
I am not sure what this is from, but on the Milwaukee Road, none of their hand signals were like these except for come ahead and back up:
http://www.etestmaker.com/35/htm/start%20-%20all.htm
All of the Milwaukee number signs were unique hand, arm, and finger movements that had no logical connection to the number, and their day and night signals were entirely different. C&NW used number signs that appeared as counts.
It is 2010 so why refere to hand signals from a railroad that has been gone for over 20 years ???
here are current GCOR rules.
Considering my road doesn’t use either - they are both pretty much worthless (to me, at least).
Many roads had/have their own system, and some terminals even have their “own”. But that’s part of the whole qualifying thing.
So what happens if you are in the middle of a move and someone’s radio takes a dive?
My only point is that their used to be a lot of hand signals, and they were not self-explanatory. So I am surprised that hand signals would even be allowed today. However, I see that only three signals are defined, so I guess allowing their use is not too surprising. But the rule shows a lantern and does not specify whether these signals are the same day and night, so that is not explained. But since the rules allow employees to make up their own signals, I guess they could do anything for stop, proceed and backup as long as they agreed on the meaning.
On railroads where the nighttime signals differed from the daytime signals, if you used a lantern or a paddle in the daytime, you would still use the nighttime signals. Even in the pre-radio times, I never saw any formal rulebook definition of the signals except for the few basic ones.
If they are in sight or out of sight?
By rule, the movement must stop within half the distance given in the last radio transmission.
Hmmm… interesting rule. How does the Engineer know the “last” radio transmission? By my (stupid me) strict interpretation of that rule I would have to ALWAYS stop within half the distance given in ANY radio transmission since I really do not know if there has been any FAILED attempt to send any different radio transmissions since the last one I heard.
You are right on in your interpretation. When directing any type of move via radio, from other than the leading end, you must specify distance to be moved. And if the engineer travels half that distance without further transmission, then he stops. So if I tell an engineer to shove 20 cars, and he goes 10 without hearing from me, he stops.
And if there is any confusion regarding hand signals or any other communication - he stops the move.