Train horns!

[JR 500系]

I was watching this on youtube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGEUbNi0QA8

 

And this question springs into mind. Is it compulsory for the trains to sound their horns at platform just before moving off? Or is it when they see someone video-shooting the train, the conductor will just sound the horn as a nice gesture? Or is it because there is someone else that's near to the yellow line on the platform?

 

I'll attempt to cover the trains featured in the above video here in sequence of their appearance in the video:

 

1) Unknown! Please help! What is this purple train?

2) Series 485 Joyful train 'Hana'

3) Series 485 Joyful train 'Nanohana'

4) Unknown! Please help! What is this white/ purple train?

5) 651 Super Hitachi

6) E653 Fresh Hitachi Red

7) E255 Super View Wakashio

8) E257-500 Wakashio  

9) E251 Super View Odoriko New Colour

10) E257 Kaiji

11) E351 Super Azusa

12) E259 Narita Express

13) E253 Former Narita Express

14) E655 Nagomi

 

Anyhow, it's interesting to listen to the horns of JR East trains. Sweet! Right now, about most of the trains use the same 8-tune musical horn, and only the E255 and E351 has a different sound 7-tune musical horn. Or are there others? Please share them here!

Edited November 29, 2014 by JR500 のぞみ

[miyakoji]

It's a good question, I'm not sure how they choose to sound the horn, they don't always.  Actually this is kind of news to me, I thought the music horn was exclusively the domain of Meitetsu...  Nice to hear that a (very) few models have different sounds.  And the real air horn sounds very good.

[Mudkip Orange]

I was hanging out at my girl's place, I heard a two note horn blast out two longs, a short and a long.

 

"Great, some guy in a pickup thinks he's a train."

 

I looked out the window and NO, it was an ACTUAL TRAIN. Specifically two BNSF gensets on a FtW/Hou manifest. I was blown away, because I've never seen gensets outside of yard duty around here. But I was also dismayed, because that means Railpower is putting out locos with a lame-ass two-tone horn.

 

Would it kill them to stick some K5LA's on there?

[katoftw]

I was watching this on youtube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGEUbNi0QA8

 

And this question springs into mind. Is it compulsory for the trains to sound their horns at platform just before moving off?

Yes for advanced warning of movement.  Should do the same when entering platforms, passing crossings and restricted zones.

[bikkuri bahn]

1) Unknown! Please help! What is this purple train?

Joyful train Utage (modified 485 series)

 

4) Unknown! Please help! What is this white/ purple train?

Resort express Yu (mix of ltd. express rolling stock)

 

Trains rarely sound their horns a grade crossings, there are simply too many of them and it would constitute noise pollution.  Typically they do sound them on double track lines when an uncoming train on the opposite track passes concurrently at the grade crossing, to warn pedestrians that the first train to pass is not the last.

[JR 500系]

Thanks bikkuri! I guess they might have been 485s. There are way too many variations to the 485s....

 

If you play Densha de go, there is a number of factors which the game awards you with points when you horn at the right time:

 

1) At Crossings

2) Before truss bridges

3) When there are railway maintenance workers standing near the rails. They usually stop their work and give the oncoming train a thumbs-up

4) When connecting. First horn before moving off, second horn after the braking and final connection

5) At oncoming trains

6) Just before entering tunnels

 

Does this mean it also reflects to actual train driving, since Densha de go is a realistic train simulator?

 

Bikkuri has a point about horning at crossings. There are just too many of them, and sometimes there are multiple crossing along a short stretch of rail. That might constitute a possible noise pollution, especially when there are nearby houses. I do understand the horning at crossings to alert others of oncoming fast train, but too many crossings means the train will keep horning and that might be too noisy, especially at night...

 

I don't get the point of horning before bridges... Warn others below the bridge of oncoming train above?

 

I get the acknowledgment with the railway workers at the rail side by horning...

 

The horning at the connection process definitely helps to warn each other...

 

At on-coming trains, as Bikkuri has mentioned...

 

Horning just before entering tunnels helps to warn anything inside the tunnel of the on-coming fast train...

 

Wish to know what is the SOP of sounding the horn...

 

By the way, JR West have their own version of musical horns, on the 681, 683, 287 etc...  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKXs27ivBTk

[katoftw]

It comes from history/doing in the past, and the practice has just continued into the present.  Decades ago there were no such thing as designated rail corridors.  People would walk through tunnels to get from A to B, over bridges, accross crossings.  The horn is for all those things in the past to give warning to anyone on/in/near those things.  The safety aspect of using the horn has just continued into the present.

 

As for those thinking at grade crossings aren't warranted.  Not all crossings have had booms and lock pins since their invention many decades ago.  I still remember the crossing with only a brass bell like a pirate ship on top of a pole, and the vibration of the ground from oncoming trains would shake/rattle the pole and ring the bell.

Edited December 1, 2014 by katoftw

[JR 500系]

Interesting food for thought katoftw...

 

Here's another collection of horns, usually blast when it just going to move off from the platform, or when it's zooming into the platform.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HtbxQxP4ks

 

What's weird is, the E259 has 2 horns? One is the normal and the other is the musical horn?

[westfalen]

I have noticed whistle boards on the approach to level crossings with restricted visibility because of curves or trees.

 

If truss bridges are mentioned specifically it may be because visibility is more limited to anyone working on this type of bridge because of the superstructure.

 

Anyone standing over the yelllow safety line on the edge of a platform will usually get a decent blast from the horn too.

 

There have been a few times when I've been videoing trains that I've gotten a friendly pop on the whistle from a driver.