Advantages Of Train Horns

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by: YvesB.Geller
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Word Count: 470

Train horns have been in use since the first locomotive was invented. Engineers use the horns to scare wild animals off the track, and to alert oncoming traffic of the presence of a train approaching a railroad crossing, they are used also to alert passengers that are boarding that it is time to leave. Railroad employee's often use a train horn when they are working on the tracks and during the switching operations.

When internal combustion began to power the locomotives, the air horns from trucks were used but were not loud enough to be heard over the powerful diesel engines that the locomotives were using. The truck horn design was then upgraded by the railroad company, using oscillation to push the air through a power chamber and vibrate against a nozzle. The position of the diaphragm will allow more air or less air and the constant oscillation of the diaphragm creates waves of air that causes it to produce the sound of the horn. The North American locomotives that were manufactured before 1990 still used the old manual pull cord technique that was known as feathering, which just meant modulation was possible for the horns loudness. During the 1990s locomotive began using pushbutton controls and a pedal was built into the cab below the floor and when the pedal was pressed, it sounded the train horn.

Recently, train horns have become popular with car and truck enthusiasts as an addition to their customized vehicles. Of course, train horns are not generally manufactured as vehicle accessories, since people are accustomed to hearing these at a train crossing - this makes them unsuitable for use in traffic and their use is outlawed in many places. Train horns have become controversial in general as many cities have implemented quiet zones where engineers may only operate their horns in an emergency. Unfortunately, these restrictions have lead to many accidents since motorists and pedestrians alike have been unaware of a train's approach.

The sounds of train horns differ in meaning from rail company to rail company, as well as from country to country.

In the United States, the pattern for train horn signals at a crossing is two long, one short and one long, which will be repeated until the train has crossed the railway crossing. Florida had put a ban on locomotive horn use because of quiet zones that had been established, and after a few years had to lift the ban due to the enormous rate of accidents that had accrued during the ban.

Even though a lot of people find the sound of a train horn to be an imposition, they have an important safety function and can save lives. Because of this, it is likely that quiet zones will become less and less common as more people understand the important function performed by train horns.

About the Author

Yves B. Geller wrote this article. He is primarily a car enthusiast but he shows his love for cars through vehicle customization. He offers train horns to car, truck and boat owners but he is a firm believer that an air horn should be used responsibly.

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