(erielack) time waster, whistle signal trivia questions

["Philip Martin" <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>]

In the old days, on some roads, on log distance passenger trains, when the engineer got the signal to go, he would respond with two toots of the whistle.  Was this the practice on the Erie or the Lackawanna? 
One whistle signal all towermen had to know, before there were radios, was four toots on the engine whistle: a call for signals.  For instance, at Denville tower, you had two signals westbound, one in the interlocking in front of you, and the second, about a quarter of a mile west, which I found easy to forget.  If you saw the train going slow, and heard four toots, that brought you back to life.
Some towers are equipped with air whistles of horns, towers that use air to power switches.  Four toots on the tower whistle was a signal for the maintainer to contact you.  One long whistle was a signal for all trains to stop.
Philip Martin

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