I would like to know where whistle (W) posts are placed for a two track mainline
There isn’t a set distance other than early enough for the engineer to react and blow two longs a short and a long. I’ve heard the Super Chief blow off a town in the middle of nowhere just blowing a series of whistle blasts through all the crossings in town and I’ve heard a PRR K4 go through a town with the whistle tied down for the same reason.
I’ve heard 500 feet is a standard distance, but that doesn’t always happen, it may be longer or shorter than that. Now on a model railroad, 500 feet is close to 6 feet in HO scale, so it’s impossible to do. If you put it about a 6-10 inches from the crossing, it should look about right, but if it’s a fast speed line, you may want to put it a little farther.
Noah
Sorry, but I think placing the markers within a foot defeats the purpose unless you have an extremely small layout. For most (e.g. garage and mid-sized bedroom layouts) I’d suggest 2.5 to 4 feet.
11 (eleven) scale feet from center line of track
From real life, the federal regs require the whistle be sounded no less the 1/4 mile from the crossing, closer if space is not present for that distance. The tones must be continious and/or repeated until the train accupies the crossing.
Couldnt find a reference in quick regarding the sign placement. But, sense would tend to dictate that the signs would be placed 1/4 mile away from the crossing on a main.
Still, I agree that thats quite far away in HO scale to replicate prototype distances.
1/4 mile has been the industry standard distance for a long while, although on low-speed lines it’s an excessive distance.
The main idea is to give motorists and pedestrians at least a 15- to 20-second warning of the train’s approach to the crossing. You can “engineer” this distance on a model railroad by running a loco or train at your usual “track speed” from the crossing toward the location you would like for your whistle post. Mark the location where the engine arrives after a 15-second run, and place your whistle post there.
This process occurs naturally to anyone from Wisconsin, where distances customarily are expressed in hours and minutes rather than in feet or miles, e.g., “Milwaukee is an hour-and-a-half north of Chicago.”