Train whistles--are they code or random?

Oh to have a whistling train. Ours make a Bee Baa or Baarp sound and are used to warn people that they are on their way. Guards on passenger trains blow their whistles when the train is ready to depart - that is for the driver and tells him that manual doors are closed, everyone is on board and the attractive young lady has been tied to the track a mile ahead by the ghastly bad man who has kidnapped her rather than have her marry her true love. There's an awful lot of unpunctuated sentence there. Of cours sometimes the whistle blowing tells us that we are bound for Morning Town many miles away... www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YP7GCXqdqU

I suppose it depends on the train and where u are located.

I was sure that train whistles do have a meaning and so I went to look it up. It was only then that I noticed that you posted this THREE YEARS AGO! Of course, Wikipedia has the answer, though it may not be the full and complete one. It says that, in North America, the following codes are used: ('o' = a short sound; '-' = a longer sound.) Succession of short sounds: Used when an emergency exists, or if persons or livestock are on the track. – When train is stopped. The air brakes are applied and pressure is equalized. – – Train releases brakes and proceeds. o o Acknowledgment of any signal not otherwise provided for. o o o When train is stopped: means backing up, or acknowledgment of a hand signal to back up. o o o o Request for a signal to be given or repeated if not understood. – o o Warning that a second section of a timetabled train is following. – o o o Instruction for flagman to protect rear of train. – – – – Flagman return from the west or south. – – – – – Flagman return from the east or north. – – o – Train is approaching public grade crossing(s). This is known as Rule 14L in almost all railroad operating rules. – o Inspect the brake system for leaks or sticking brakes. There are plenty more, it seems! The whole history (including codes in other countries) is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_whistle There is something, as you say, very 'lonesome' about American train whistles, especially at night. Here in the UK we now have two-tone horns and the effect is humorous, if anything, rather than lonesome!

i was about to make this discussion today lol.. i have a train that goes through my back yard and some times when they go buy they will honk/whistle 1 time and the other day this guy did it like 20 times and drove me crazy!!

We used to live close to a train track in two different locations and it was very annoying listening to it pass by everynight around the same time.I think it has some type of codes, it makes sense to me.

The trains horn where I live, sometimes seems to take on the form of perhaps some form of morse code I ran across this info recently on a site called trains.com ABC's of Railroading Introducing the horn section New locomotives now use a horn "button" Instead of easing into the chord (air horn chime chords - aka musical note combinations), the push-button yields a perfect, computer-like performance. Some railroads even have buttons that play a perfect - - 0 - - at grade crossings It's the digital age, so code is doable But when it comes to trains and the pattern, it is now suppose to be a standard pattern of 2 long one short one long See FRA Federal Train Horn Rule but not all trains seem to be following those new guidelines, but it would appear that when it comes to the decibels being 110 dB maximum and a 96 dB minimum, the trains horns just keep getting louder and louder, at least where I live And if they were a code, I highly doubt they would go around admitting that fact

I don't have any idea since I only rode the train a couple of times while being abroad. We don;t have any trains in my country. © ronaldinu 2008

well since my husband is an engineer for the railroad i happen to know that the whistles you are hearing are i guess you would call them codes.. they have to blow the whistles a certain way for the crossings and when they are coming to a populated crossing its supposes to be two long and one short until they have crossed thru the crossing hope that answers your question

Yes there are certain codes that are used but i am not sure which ones! There are i believe long whistle to idicate that the lines ahead are clear and that the train is going to cross with out stopping. I might be wrong but this is my best guess. How have you been? too busy working i guess