Hello! I’m struggling to find an instruction for when and where to blow the whistle or horn on British railways. Anyone who knows?
It's generally quite simple, as you'll see a black W on a white circle with a grey border to the left of the track. For Underground lines it's just a W on a small white square, but generally the same idea. You'll see them mostly when approaching crossings. I'm not sure what the rules in yards are, someone more experienced can fill in perhaps.
Most UK traction is fitted with a depot whistle which is quieter than the main horn and is used in depots only i believe. I think it's used when moving off from a stand in a depot in order to warn any personnel working in the depot that a train is about to move, as the depot personnel often cross the track to reach their destination. As Rybnicki says there are so called 'Whistle' boards which upon passing the driver must sound the main horn, i believe most train operators in the UK state that when passing a whistle board the driver must sound the horn for a short duration in both the high and low tone in order to distinguish from a road vehicles horn. I hope this all makes sense (and i hope it's all true lol)
In Sweden steam engines had whistle codes, like one long and one short for departure (release brakes), if I remember correctly. Also two signals before an unattended road crossing or before stopping at red. Also if the light doesn’t go green, three short signals to get attention from the signal box. Have you heard about similar codes in Britain?
