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In rail transport, a whistle post or whistle board, is a sign marking a location where a train driver is required to sound the horn or whistle.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2016) |
In rail transport, a whistle post or whistle board, is a sign marking a location where a train driver is required to sound the horn or whistle.
In Australia, whistle posts consist of a pole or upright flat-bottom rail with a white or reflective yellow X. In Queensland, A whistle post is mounted on a metal pole or old rail. The board is a flattened white triangle with rounded edges and a black W.
In the Czech Republic, a whistle post is a red and white striped pole of different sizes and shapes, and it is called "pískejte" ('whistle').
In Estonia, whistle posts are used in front of tunnels, bridges, level crossings and other places where the driver must sound one long whistle. Estonian whistle posts are inverted pear-shaped white plates, the lower third of which is green.
In 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.
In Germany, 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 halt).
Whistle posts on the Japan Railways Group comprise a yellow square with a black cross, while private railways and subway systems utilize a black square with the kanji "笛" (てき, 'whistle') in white. [1] [2]
Whistle posts in the United States and Canada are traditionally placed 1⁄4 mile (400 m) in advance of a road crossing. [3]
The signs in themselves varied in design from railroad to railroad. Some were marked with – – o – (two longs, one short, and another long). This sequence is known as Rule 14(l) " Rule # 14(l) – Approaching public crossings at grade, to be prolonged or repeated until crossing is reached unless otherwise provided". [4] This rule is applied in almost all U.S. railroad operating rule books. [3] 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. [3]
A yellow diamond with black edges, Signal 67, [5] or one of its varieties, is placed 250–500 metres before halts and level crossings, where the public is not otherwise warned about approaching trains. The signal is a two to three-second blast with the horn. [6]
In the People's Republic of China, a whistle board is a white diamond with a black border with the character míng鸣 ('whistle') on it.
In Poland, a W6 whistle board comprises a white triangle with a black border. Since June 2020 a W6a whistle board associated with a level crossing depicts the silhouette of a car in the middle of the triangle is no longer used to whistle before level crossings, it only warns train driver that train is approaching secured level crossing. Trains must whistle only when approaching W6b board that is made of two W6a boards, it warns train driver that train is approaching level crossing that is not secured or not included in station or line interlocking devices.
There are some variant of the sign. One with thick line below the character is usually installed before the level crossing, another without the line is installed within some yard nearby local villages.
In Sweden, a whistle board is a black triangle with a white border, pointing downwards. Whistle boards before level crossings have an additional sign, a yellow square with a black V. If the trains are supposed to sound the horn at daytime only (between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.) there is another additional sign, rectangular and black/white. For a level crossing, the horn signal is a three-second blast at the whistle board and a three-second blast between the board and the crossing. [7]
In Thailand, whistle post consists of circular sign with Thai character "ว" on it. "ว" comes from the word "หวีด", which means whistle. [8]
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 Railway's signs had SW for "sound whistle".
One modern variation found in Scotland 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.
A conductor or guard is a train crew member responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve actual operation of the train/locomotive. The conductor title is most common in North American railway operations, but the role is common worldwide under various job titles. In Commonwealth English, a conductor is also known as guard or train manager.
A railway signal is a visual display device that conveys instructions or provides warning of instructions regarding the driver's authority to proceed. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly. Typically, a signal might inform the driver of the speed at which the train may safely proceed or it may instruct the driver to stop.
Railway signalling (BE), or railroad signaling (AE), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight and inertia of a train, which makes it difficult to quickly stop when encountering an obstacle. In the UK, the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 introduced a series of requirements on matters such as the implementation of interlocked block signalling and other safety measures as a direct result of the Armagh rail disaster in that year.
A warning sign is a type of sign which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are traffic signs that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver.
Wigwag is a nickname for a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, referring to its pendulum-like motion that signaled a train's approach. The device is generally credited to Albert Hunt, a mechanical engineer at Southern California's Pacific Electric (PE) interurban streetcar railroad, who invented it in 1909 for safer railroad grade crossings. The term should not be confused with its usage in Britain, where "wigwag" generally refers to alternate flashing lights, such as those found at modern level crossings.
Automatic Warning System (AWS) is a railway safety system invented and predominantly used in the United Kingdom. It provides a train driver with an audible indication of whether the next signal they are approaching is clear or at caution. Depending on the upcoming signal state, the AWS will either produce a 'horn' sound, or a 'bell' sound. If the train driver fails to acknowledge a warning indication, an emergency brake application is initiated by the AWS. However if the driver correctly acknowledges the warning indication by pressing an acknowledgement button, then a visual 'sunflower' is displayed to the driver, as a reminder of the warning.
A train whistle or air whistle is an audible signaling device on a steam or gas locomotive, used to warn that the train is approaching, and to communicate with rail workers. Modern diesel and electric locomotives primarily use a powerful air horn instead of a whistle as an audible warning device. However, the word whistle continues to be used by railroaders in referring to such signaling practices as "whistling off".
A crossbuck is a traffic sign used to indicate a level railway crossing. It is composed of two slats of wood or metal of equal length, fastened together on a pole in a saltire formation. Crossbucks are often supplemented by electrical warnings of flashing lights, a bell, and/or a boom barrier that descends to block the road and prevent traffic from crossing the tracks.
The railway signalling system used across the majority of the United Kingdom rail network uses lineside signals to control the movement and speed of trains.
Railway signals in Germany are regulated by the Eisenbahn-Signalordnung. There are several signalling systems in use, including the traditional H/V (Hauptsignal/Vorsignal) system.
Road signs in Singapore closely follow those laid down in the traffic sign regulations used in the United Kingdom, although a number of changes over the years have introduced some slight deviations that suit local road conditions. Road signs in Singapore conform to the local Highway Code under the authority of Singapore Traffic Police.
A train horn is an air horn used as an audible warning device on diesel and electric-powered trains. Its primary purpose is to alert persons and animals to an oncoming train, especially when approaching a level crossing. They are often extremely loud, allowing them to be heard from great distances. They are also used for acknowledging signals given by railroad employees, such as during switching operations. For steam locomotives, the equivalent device is a train whistle.
A slow order is a local speed restriction on a rail line that is set below the track's normal speed limit.
Japanese railway signals, according to the ministerial decree defining technical standards of railways, are defined as indicating operational conditions for railway staff driving trains.
The design of road signs in Poland is regulated by Regulation of the Ministers of Infrastructure and Interior Affairs and Administration on road signs and signals. The Annex 1 to the regulation describes conditions related to usage of the road signs – size, visibility, colors and light reflections, typeface and text, criteria of choosing the type of foil to signs faces, colorful specimens and schematics.
In Japan, road signs are standardized by the "Order on Road Sign, Road Line, and Road Surface Marking (道路標識、区画線及び道路標示に関する命令)" established in 1968 with origins from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's "Order on Standardization of Road Sign" of 1934 and the Home Ministry of Japan's "Order on Road Signs" of 1942. The previous designs have been used since 1986 after several amendments of order.
In rail transport, a wayside horn is an audible signal used at level crossings. They can be used in place of, or in addition to, the locomotive's horn as the train approaches the crossing. They are often used in special railroad "quiet zones" in the United States, where the engineer is not required to sound the locomotive's horn at a crossing. This reduces the ambient noise at the crossing, which may be desirable in residential areas. Such railroad crossings may still require the traditional bells as part of the crossing signals in addition to the wayside horns.
Route knowledge is one of the core skills together with train handling and a full understanding of railway rules, which the operating crew must possess in order to be able to operate a train safely.
There are around 6,000 level crossings in the United Kingdom, of which about 1,500 are public highway crossings. This number is gradually being reduced as the risk of accidents at level crossings is considered high. The director of the UK Railway Inspectorate commented in 2004 that "the use of level crossings contributes the greatest potential for catastrophic risk on the railways." The creation of new level crossings on the national network is banned, with bridges and tunnels being the more favoured options. The cost of making significant reductions, other than by simply closing the crossings, is substantial; some commentators argue that the money could be better spent. Some 5,000 crossings are user-worked crossings or footpaths with very low usage. The removal of crossings can improve train performance and lower accident rates, as some crossings have low rail speed limits enforced on them to protect road users. In fact, between 1845 and 1933, there was a 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) speed limit on level crossings of turnpike roads adjacent to stations for lines whose authorising act of Parliament had been consolidated in the Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 although this limit was at least sometimes disregarded.
Designs of level crossings, where railway lines cross roads or other paths, vary country-to-country.
