Whistle Post

Thanks! Always appreciate learning about these interesting and pleasing RR tidbits. 

Very good!  I suppose when something is no longer critically needed, having been replaced by technology or abandoned in use, it simply gets this type of treatment - don't think, just take care of it.  I had a supervisor forty-five plus years ago who always said, "Just paint it . . . it makes it look good and it hides the rust."  Same thing here, I guess . . . 

plus of course, maybe the guy didn't have black paint with him!

One guy does the White, another one does the Black!

But they work different shifts!

If the grooves are painted black, that would also represent the 2 longs, short and long.

"If the grooves are painted black, that would also represent the 2 longs, short and long."

Did you read my original post?

I did. Several times. Still couldn't see where you wrote about a standard whistle crossing signal. You wrote about Morse code, for some strange reason.

This is interesting, as I never knew of this type of 'Signal Post!'

The Morse Code letter---'Q': Long, Long, Short, Long (the grooves).

morse code

Thank you for posting.

Ralph

You said a mouthful.  I recall riding with the General Manager on his business car and being grilled about signs.  After that, I had a meeting with the Roadmaster and we got them all into compliance with System Standards, but it's a never-ending task.  Our derails were always painted and the Track Supervisors did measurements of the distance from the whistle post to the crossing quarterly.  If a car drives in front of a train and is struck at a crossing where the whistle post is 1275 feet from the crossing instead of 1320, you have just loaded a plaintiff attorney's gun with a bullet.

Here's another obscure Morse / railroad signalling fact:

On the New York City subways, "back in the day" (not sure if it's still SOP) if the motorman needed a Transit cop to respond to his train, he would blow the train horn in the Morse letter "C" (as in "Cop" one assumes) as he entered the station.

While the train was moving between stations, the motorman or conductor would sound the same "C" signal on the intercom buzzer.  It would alert any on- or off-duty police officer that the crew needed immediate law enforcement help.

Morse C = long, short, long, short.

"Still couldn't see where you wrote about a standard whistle crossing signal."

The first sentence includes the following phrases:

"...photo of a whistle post..."  and

"...sound for a grade crossing warning.."

"You wrote about Morse code, for some strange reason."

No, it was not strange. It was relevant. The grooves in the post, read from top to bottom, represent the parts ("bits" if you will) of the Morse letter "Q" which relates directly to the sound of the whistle when signalling for a crossing.

wide, wide, narrow, wide = long, long, short, long = "Q"

OK, I guess my question would be is, how is the letter 'Q' related to a grade crossing?

Is it old school somehow? It would be more logical for short/ long/ long for 'W'?

 The old D&RGW used the letter 'X' for Crossing.

What did he say?...

Well, in the end, this was very informative. Thank you.

The explanation that I have heard is that the use of Q comes from British railroads.  It was used to signal that the Queen was on board the train and that the train had the right of way at crossings.  An urban legend perhaps?

Thanks for posting the photo.  I've never seen a whistle post like that before.

Greg

Actually, the fact that the spacing represents the Morse letter Q is completely irrelevant-- a mere coincidence. And in fact, the grade crossing signal wasn't even "Long Long Short Long" to begin with.

I'm glad someone else brought this up, also. Just my opinion, but that Morse Code letter "Q" was/is just a coincidence, since steam locomotive grade crossing whistle signals developed over many decades, long before even the Civil War. As smd4 points out, originally, grade crossing whistle signals were not "long, long, short, looooong".

Besides, American Morse has a different sequence for "Q:" Short, Short, Long Short.

Back at the turn of the century, the grade crossing signal was Long, long, short, short.

Of course, that's the American Morse sequence for "7" or the International Morse sequence for "Z." Feel free to try and make some wacky imaginary connection there if you want, Art. 

That's the most urban-legendiest thing I think I may have ever heard. The train ALWAYS has the "right of way" at crossings.

Well there's always the story of the boxcar that derailed on a bridge.....

It certainly does if I am around.  right or wrong, who wants to argue with a train?

Thanks folks.  Last post I'll make.

Mr. Bloom,

Aren't there any other coincidental Morse Code letters or numerals that just happen to match U.S. railroad signals? And what is the point of all this anyway?

Sure!

"H", short, short, short, short, = Call for Signals.

"I", short short, = Reply to any other signal not provided for;

"B", Long, short short short =Flagman to protect rear of train;

"0" (zero), long long long long long = Flagman return from east or north.

Greg,

What you post sounds right.

We used code words when a Big Shot Boss came to the S.H., or was in the vicinity, which was inferred exclusivity!

Ralph

British "drivers" don't use the whistle for crossings.

So what signal did the British supposedly use when a king was in power??

Frisco had a whistle signal that I have not seen anywhere else:

Long-short-short-Long as acknowledgement of a yellow signal.

I saw it still being used at merger time.

I guess, but you can't convince John Q. Public of that!

This from my friend in the U.K.:

"On the old manual gates, when open for the road they blocked the track, probably to stop livestock wondering up the track.  The railway always had priority though."