Whistle signals

There's nothing like the sound of a steam whistle. The familiar sound of two long blasts, a short blast and one final long blast on the whistle for a grade or level crossing is engrained in the sub-conscience of many railfans. We just know that signal means a train is coming and we need to stay out of the way. 

Sound decoders have brought so much life to our models and many include a feature to emulate this distinctive whistle sequence with a single button push if you don't feel like playing the whistle yourself. 

Some time ago I was reading an excellent book on the turn of the 19th-century railroading by an engineer, Joseph Bromley called "Clear the tracks". The book is Bromley's memoir of his career as a railroadman. He started as a wiper in the engine house and worked his way up to his position of a senior engineer on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad. In one chapter, Bromley recalls a terrible grade crossing accident he was involved in at a crossing with poor visibility. A horse and buggy didn't see his train and the two occupants, and the horses were tragically killed in the accident. 

Bromley was obviously extremely affected by the incident but noted he was convinced he had blown the required whistle signal of two long blasts and two short blasts. The rest of the story is fascinating, including how he was apprehended by the townsfolk, subjected to a mob justice trial and was lucky to escape with his life. However, I was intrigued by Bromley's record of the appropriate whistle signal, which is different from the signal used on American railroads today. I wanted to know if this was just a whistle format peculiar to Bromley's railroad, or if it was widely used. Furthermore, if it was a standard signal, at what point did it change to the format we know today? 

A few years back I asked a question on the Early Rail forum over at the Railroad Line forums and found the community there really helpful. By referring to a variety of railroad rule books from the period, the modellers there determined that Bromley's two long and two short blasts were indeed likely a universal grade crossing signal, at least by the 1880s. Judging by later rule books, it seemed to remain this way until some time during the 1920s, which was later than I expected. 

Other whistle signals appear to have remained the same. However, in days before the widespread use of airbrakes, the one short blast for stopping was used to signal to the brakemen to apply the handbrakes on the cars.

The rule books the forum members posted on the thread make for interesting reading.  If I'm feeling operating authentically, I use the two long and two short blasts for the grade crossings. However, this isn't always the case. I still use the modern signal if I feel like it, it does have that familiarity about it. 

Overall, this was an interesting delve into railroading history. Just another example of why turn-of-the-century railroading can be such a rewarding and fascinating hobby.

Paragraph 349 of the Standard Code of the American Railway Association 1897 contains the required grade crossing whistle signal. Two long, followed by two short blasts. ___ ___ _ _