RE: (erielack) time waster, whistle signal trivia questions

["Walter Smith" <wsmith5957_@_hotmail.com>]

  Pretty much practice everywhere, Martin, on local freights, etc. it was a 
matter of courtesy to let the conductor know u'd seen his highball. Problem 
is - with radios everywhere, many of the old practices are being forgotten.
At the Auto-train we had a road crossing in the middle of the yard in 
Sanford, Fl. Persimmon ave. was pretty busy and lots of near miisses. One 
day, one of the officials sent me a message to 'stop blowing the  whistle so 
much. It bothers people.' Of course it'd bother them a lot more with an 
engine in their front seat.
Walt Smith


>From: "Philip Martin" <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: "Philip Martin" <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>
>To: erielack_@_lists.railfan.net
>Subject: (erielack) time waster, whistle signal trivia questions
>Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 05:28:52 -0500
>
>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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