Locomotive Horn Signals

Ever wondered why the UP locomotives running on the track just down the block from your house always sound their horns four times when approaching your street? Or heard a whole series of short whistle blasts and wondered what they meant? Railroads are required by a variety of state laws to sound horns in advance of all crossings (new federal regulations regarding crossing signals are also under consideration). Basically, horns are sounded for safety reasons � to warn of approaching trains. Following are the required horn signals listed in the UPRR rule book, along with their meanings. Signals are illustrated by an "o" for short sounds and "=" for longer sounds.

Often, people who live near railroad tracks think of locomotive whistles as an unnecessary irritation, especially in the wee hours of the morning. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which enforces rail safety regulations, has studied the possibility of banning locomotive horns where crossings can be equipped with full quadrant gates so motorists can't drive around them, but there's been no ruling on this, as yet. A ban on locomotive horns in Florida was ordered removed by the FRA after it was shown that the accident rate doubled during the ban.