Railroad Forums
mmi16 wrote:After watching a number of the 611 YouTube videos - the engineer is so whistle happy that you can barely hear the actual workings of the 611. The synchopated sounds of a steam engine actually doing it's job is at least as interesting as the sound of the whistle.NONSENSE -- First thing that will be asked of the engineer if he hits some jerk along the way will be were you warning them with the whistle????? The answer had better be YES. You had better expect a lot of whistle use on these trips.
mmi16 wrote:After watching a number of the 611 YouTube videos - the engineer is so whistle happy that you can barely hear the actual workings of the 611. The synchopated sounds of a steam engine actually doing it's job is at least as interesting as the sound of the whistle.With kind regards to the rail fans among us, some of the engineers (who are probably rail buffs themselves) are excessive. I, too, find this annoying--along with the excessive smoke that would not have been well received even in the steam era. The rulebooks specify that the whistle is to be used as a warning device, for signalling, and to notify approach to crossings. Some of these "whistle jockeys", no doubt to appease the "National Railway 'Hysterical' Society
types. go way too far with this, blowing for non-existent crossings, where's there no opposing traffic, and no warning is needed. I have noted these videos where engine whistles are being used along outlying trackage, just blowing and blowing and blowing for no reason. Quite frankly, if I were a Trainmaster, at the risk of being held an A-hole, I would have something to say about excessive whistling. There are some minor safety issues with this in that if people get used to this loud noise that continues to excess, they will become used to it and tend to ignore it, taking risks they would not take otherwise.
