# conductor's whistle in the US?



## Barciur (Sep 4, 2014)

Hello

I have a question regarding the past of the railroads in America, as I am not too familiar with it.

Has there ever been a signal given by the whistle by conductors in America? It is pretty common in Europe. Here is an example, beginning of the video:



The signal means "all aboard", at least in Poland, but I assume it's the same in, say, Germany. Has there ever been anything like that here, and if so, when was it abandoned?


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## jis (Sep 4, 2014)

I have never seen a Conductor do anything with a whistle in the US since I came to the country in 1977. That of course does not mean that some Conductor somewhere in the US does not use a whistle, nor that such was never done in the past.


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## zephyr17 (Sep 4, 2014)

Nope. The still-used traditional call is "All Aboard!" or ("Booooard!") no whistles ever. The communication to the engineer, prior to radio, was hand signals when on the ground. When on board, there often was a communication cord that the conductor could use to communicate to the engineer using the standard whistle code (two longs mean starting to move, for instance).


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## John Bobinyec (Sep 4, 2014)

There was nothing in the operating rules about this for PC, EL, CR or NJT.

jb


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## seat38a (Sep 4, 2014)

Yup, the still call "All Aboard" heard the CS conductor do it in Santa Barbara on Memorial Day Weekend.


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## MikefromCrete (Sep 4, 2014)

I've never heard of a conductor in the U.S. using a whistle. The "all aboard" call, hand signal or radio use (or the closing of doors on trains that have automated doors operated by one person) is the way the conductor signals to the engineer to move ahead.


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## seat38a (Sep 4, 2014)

MikefromCrete said:


> I've never heard of a conductor in the U.S. using a whistle. The "all aboard" call, hand signal or radio use (or the closing of doors on trains that have automated doors operated by one person) is the way the conductor signals to the engineer to move ahead.


On the Surfliner, they use flashlights to send signal to each other.


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## Barciur (Sep 4, 2014)

Interesting. The hand signal is also used in Poland, but it is different from the all aboard signal.

Also note to mod: sorry for posting in the wrong forums. Thanks for moving it!


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## railiner (Sep 4, 2014)

The older Long Island RR M-1 type MU's had a loud bell type buzzer warning of the doors closing. New York subway cars from around 1970 on, had a two note chime warning of the doors closing. The newest cars have a recorded announcement played thru external speakers: "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors".....

Come to think of it, don't the old Metroliner MU's and the Amfleet I's also have that bell ring before doors close?


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## NorthShore (Sep 5, 2014)

Of course, "Highball" is the verbal version of the old hand and light signal which you'll hear a conductor offer the engineer to let him know it's alright to move on. On Metra in the Chicago area, you'll see the conductor and any carmen at other doors give each others a wave to indicate that it's all clear of any awaiting passengers boarding or alighting at their end and ok to close the doors.


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## jis (Sep 5, 2014)

On trains equipped with intercom buzzer it is two to go, one to stop.

Over radio it is some minor variant of "ok to proceed on signal indication". The "on signal indication" part was added in the last ten years as a result of some accident caused by a train that took off on an " ok to proceed" even though it did not have the signal indication to do so, and then crashed into something.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


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## Barciur (Sep 5, 2014)

railiner said:


> Come to think of it, don't the old Metroliner MU's and the Amfleet I's also have that bell ring before doors close?


Indeed Amfleet I's at least do - hear them all the time on the Keystone.



NorthShore said:


> Of course, "Highball" is the verbal version of the old hand and light signal which you'll hear a conductor offer the engineer to let him know it's alright to move on. On Metra in the Chicago area, you'll see the conductor and any carmen at other doors give each others a wave to indicate that it's all clear of any awaiting passengers boarding or alighting at their end and ok to close the doors.


The interesting thing in Poland is that most of the cars have doors manually operated by the passengers - so if a passenger has left the train and did not close the door, the conductor has to go through the train closing doors everywhere.


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## railiner (Sep 6, 2014)

jis said:


> On trains equipped with intercom buzzer it is two to go, one to stop.
> 
> Over radio it is some minor variant of "ok to proceed on signal indication". The "on signal indication" part was added in the last ten years as a result of some accident caused by a train that took off on an " ok to proceed" even though it did not have the signal indication to do so, and then crashed into something.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


On the LIRR, when okay to leave Penn Station,you sometimes hear the conductor tell the engineer over the intercom: "Restricting, on the hanger"...(which is a signal light hanging from the ceiling, that is to the rear and out of sight of the engineer)....


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## Acela150 (Sep 6, 2014)

seat38a said:


> MikefromCrete said:
> 
> 
> > I've never heard of a conductor in the U.S. using a whistle. The "all aboard" call, hand signal or radio use (or the closing of doors on trains that have automated doors operated by one person) is the way the conductor signals to the engineer to move ahead.
> ...


This is common practice by Amtrak Conductors and crews.



railiner said:


> Come to think of it, don't the old Metroliner MU's and the Amfleet I's also have that bell ring before doors close?


Amcan I's do. It rings when the doors are train lined closed.


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## jis (Sep 6, 2014)

And the Acelas go cuckoo-cuckoo before the doors close 

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


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## NW cannonball (Sep 8, 2014)

jis said:


> And the Acelas go cuckoo-cuckoo before the doors close
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


And the New Mexico rail runner goes -- "meep meep" "meep meep" like th Roadrunner cartoon character. 

(please be careful of the Wile E Coyote!)


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