Whistle post
Encyclopedia
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
is required to sound the horn
Train horn
Train horns are audible warning devices found on most diesel and electric locomotives. Their primary purpose is to alert persons and animals to the presence of a train, especially when approaching a grade crossing. They are also used for acknowledging signals given by railroad employees Train horns...
or whistle
Train whistle
A train whistle or air whistle, , is an audible signaling device on a steam locomotive used to warn that the train is approaching, and to communicate with rail workers....
.
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were traditionally placed about one-quarter mile in advance of a road crossing.
The signs in themselves varied in design from railroad to railroad. Some were marked with – – o – (two longs, one short, and another long) in a similar manner of sending the letter Q in Morse Code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
. This sequence is known as Rule 14(l}
Train horn
Train horns are audible warning devices found on most diesel and electric locomotives. Their primary purpose is to alert persons and animals to the presence of a train, especially when approaching a grade crossing. They are also used for acknowledging signals given by railroad employees Train horns...
" Rule # 14(l) - Approaching public crossings at grade, to be prolonged or repeated until crossing is reached unless otherwise provided". This rule is applied in almost all U.S. railroad operating rule books. Generally, even if the advance warning provided by the horn will be less than 15 seconds in duration. This signal is to be prolonged or repeated until the engine or train occupies the crossing; or, where multiple crossing are involved, until the last crossing is occupied. The same rule is practiced when approaching locations such as rail yards, where men may be working on the tracks as well as bridges, tunnels and other points.
Modern whistle posts are of simple sheet metal construction, utilizing a 'W' marker. Some multiple crossings protected by a single sign have an 'X' displayed below the 'W', other multiple crossings may have 2 or 3 W markers on the same post.
Whistle posts used on the former Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
display an 'X'. Multiple crossings have a number displayed beneath the 'X' for the number of crossings.
United Kingdom
Modern whistle boards in the UK comprise a white circular sign bearing a letter 'W'. Early whistle boards generally had the word "Whistle" written in full on a rectangular board. The Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's signs had 'SW' for "Sound Whistle".
One modern variation found in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
is the 'continuous' whistle board, comprising a white rectangle with the 'W' below a diagonal cross. The driver must sound the horn continuously on the approach to the level crossing ahead.
Republic of Ireland
In Ireland, a whistle post is an upright rectangle bearing black and yellow diagonal stripes.France
In FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, a whistle board comprises a black rectangular board bearing a white letter 'S' for "Sifflez" (= "whistle"). An additional white board with a black 'J' for "Jour" (= "day") indicates that the sign does not apply at night time.
Germany
In GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, a rectangular board bearing the letter 'P' for "Pfeifen" (= "whistle") is used as a whistle board. It may have either a black 'P' on a white background, or a white 'P' on a black background. Two boards, one above the other, means "whistle twice".
Where an additional sign with two vertical stripes is mounted above the 'P' sign, that sign only applies to trains that are not stopping ahead (e.g. at a station).
Poland
In PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, a whistle board comprises a white triangle with a black border. A whistle board associated with a level crossing depicts the silhouette of a car in the middle of the triangle.
People's Republic of China
In the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, a whistle board is a white diamond with a black border with the character míng 鸣 (whistle) on it.