Whistle on train track?

Question

you know when your travelling by train and you see the signs beside the track that say Whistle. does anyone know what that means

Answer 1

The sign is their to notify the engineer to sound his whistle as he is approching a grade crossing (place where the road crosses the train tracks).  

Most Railroads use a "W" and I have seen some use an "X" to indicate the use of a whistle.

Also, railroads will provide extra signage showing the proper whistle for the crossing.

ex.  

-

-

.

-

This Means:  2 Longs, a short, and a Long

or

-

.

.

-

This means:  A long, 2 shorts, and a long

I think you get the picture now.

For one of the previous answers is incorrect.

The whistle sign is placed at all railroad crossing where a whistle must be sounded whether the railroad crossing has gates or not.

This also brings into the subject of towns with "NO Whislte" restrictions.

The train engineer may not blow his whistle in town at any grade crossing through that town, but may sound his bell to notify he is coming.  Once out of town he can lay on the horn all he wants.

Answer 2

I live in England, and the Whistle sign, or "W" means that the train driver must toot his horn!

This is generally in the region of dangerous places, such as stations, level crossings, bridges, or tunnels, where people may be lurking.

Answer 3

basically it means that a driver must sound his horn for safety reasons such as a level crossing or passing through a station without stopping NB only applies from 0600 to 2300 so not to wake the neighbours !!!

Answer 4

It is telling the engineer to blow the whistle for a tunnel curve or crossing.

Answer 5

The sign is there, as it at a point on the line where there is or was a pedestrian crossing especially out in the country where public right of ways crossed the railway line. These days the crossing are slowly being converted into subways & footbridges, but there are still loads.

The other reason that there are these signs is that there will be points on the line where there is limited clearance between the line and the enbankment/bridges & tunnels at the side, and the train has to warn track workers that it is approaching with enough time for the track workers to go and stand in the alcoves that are built into the embankment/bridges to protect them from the train.

Answer 6

This is called a Whistle Born.  It is usually place a about 1/4 of a mile depending on track speed before a crossing.  Every crossing has a whistle board unless it is a silent crossing.  

This sign can either be a W or the Union Pacific likes to make the sign an X.

Answer 7

It is called a "whistle board."  It is there to let the engineer know, more of a reminder actually, that he is to blow the signal "approaching crossing at grade," which is two longs, a short and a long, as pointed out above.

They are not used for grade crossings alone.  The whistle boards are sometimes used when approaching tunnels or bridges as well.

They are usually located 1/4 mile in advance of the crossing or structure it is used in conjunction with.  When the train is approaching an area where there are multiple grade crossings less than 1/4 mile apart, the "X" will have a number directly below it indicating the number of crossings coming up.  The signal must be prolonged or repeated until the last crossing has been occupied by the lead locomotive.

Though more accurate in describing the device as a "horn," there are no "horn" signals.  They are called whistle signals, and an engineer doesn't "honk the horn," he blows the whistle.

Addendum:  I tip my hat to Brian A.  The letter "S", on a diamond shaped board, indicated 1 mile from a switch, which can be a "station."   A "station" in this instance is not where passengers congregate for boarding.  The term "station" is a point named in the timetable, nothing more.

But the "S" was still there when I started running an engine on the Southern Pacific in '73, which was a long time after the steam days drew to a close.  Which means I was born  30 years too late.

Answer 8

I think it is a sign to the engineer that there is a grade crossing where he has to sound the whistle.  I think some railroads use a small white sign with just an "X" on it, but i'm not sure on that.

Answer 9

Yes it means the train must blow its horn as it is entering a section of track that may have hidden crossings, engineering points or be  in an Absolute Block signalling area that is long and uncontrolled.

trains should sound a horn when they see someone on the track ahead, approaching a half barrier or no barrier crossing, tunnel entrance and exit or shunting from yard to running line.

Answer 10

It means that the train driver must sound the locomotive's whistle. These signs are usually placed before ungated level crossings or where there is a concealed hazard ahead.

On many lines these days the sign is abbreviated to SW (sound warning).

Answer 11

It means you are supposed to whistle at the next chick that you pass.

Answer 12

It something left behind from steam days.   It means now sound your horn.

Answer 13

It indicates that there is a grade crossing (a place where a road crosses the railroad track) ahead. They are placed there to alert the engineer/driver to sound the whistle to warn cars that a train is approaching.

Answer 14

THAT'S WHEN THE ENGINEER IS TO BLOW THE WHISTLE TO ALERT DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AHEAD.

Answer 15

The "X" let's the engineer know that there is a road crossing 1/4 mile ahead.  The "W" is usally followed by the "X" to let the engineer know where to begain blowing the horn or whistle. Also something else extra.... Back in steam day's there was an "S" sign that let the engineer know that there was a station one mile from this point.

                                                            B.A.

Answer 16

It means that the train driver must sound the horn as the train is approaching a crossing. The signs are from the steam train era when they did have whistles to warn of a train approaching.

Answer 17

It means the driver has to blow his whistle (they've had horns since the death of steam), what else? It's a legal requirement, too, the driver doesn't have a choice.

Answer 18

Quite often, a company official testing a train crew will hide in the weeds near a crossing to see if the crossing is whistled before the front wheel crosses the plane of the post.  In the USA, the whistle signal is two long, one short, two long whistles.  Even though steam is long gone, I have heard the term whistle used more often than horn.  This could just be my area, though.

Answer 19

This tells the engineer to sound the whistle or horn for a grade crossing.

Answer 20

It is an instruction to the driver to sound the whistle (or the modern equivelant, the horn) to warn those on or about the line of the presence of the train.

In Britain, is has become fashionable for some residents living adjacent the the railway to complain about the noise from the horn.  What these people sometimes forget, is that it is there for the safety of those using the crossings etc on the line.  They'd soon complain if a relative of theirs got run over and killed by a train because the driver did not sound the horn.