One of the fun aspects about this game is getting to try out all the different horns and whistles. Ever since I got the Horseshoe Curve route and started getting into North American trains, things got a bit more complicated. Not only does the horn get used a lot more, it's in specific patterns too. On top of that, there is also a bell involved.

I've taken the time to investigate how exactly the horn and bell are used and would like to share that with you. I will cover horn and bell use for the three major environments in this game; Germany, the UK and North America.

I've linked all sources I've found for those who'd like to read more.

If you actually follow this guide, the game may mention "inappropriate horn use" in the post-scenario scoring screen. There are no consequences from this other than a mention on the scoring screen.

I've updated this guide on 3 May 2015, most notably the section on the UK, following reader feedback.

Let's get these two out of the way because they're very simple. In Europe, horn use should be avoided as much as possible, except in cases where safety demands it. There is no bell use, although I've seen some heritage steam trains in Germany use a bell.

Most modern trains have a two-tone horn. Even more modern trains have a two-tone horn which also allows the driver to pick a high or low volume setting. Some trains also have a dedicated depot whistle.

Why two tones? I'm really not sure. I suppose because two-tone horns are unique to trains, like how trams often use a bell. This is so you won't confuse them with a truck or something.

These are the rules as per the current UK rulebook. If no soft tone is available, use a regular one.

• Loud; high and low: Warn people on or near the track. They should acknowledge this by raising one arm above their heads, and/or moving away from the path of the train.
  
• Loud; high: Urgent warning to people on or near the track. It's what you use when the previous rule didn't do the job.
  
• Loud; low: When passing a whistle board, the sign with the W on it. Between 23:00 and 07:00, only sound the horn in emergencies, or when anyone is on or near the line. In the past, both tones were used and the time restriction was not applied (see below).
  
• Loud; high: Sound a local or special code.
  
• Soft; low: Give warning inside a depot or siding.
  
• Unspecified: When making a movement in a possession. This is a section of track closed off to normal traffic, e.g. when doing maintenance on the track.
  
• "A series of short blasts at frequent intervals": When making a wrong direction movement. That is when you're on a piece of track that is only supposed to be used in one direction, and you're going the wrong way. Some track can be used in both directions and has signals to support this, so there's no need for the horn if that's the case.
  
• And the best one: When you consider it necessary.

This is what a modern whistle board looks like. Older style ones are a large board with the word "WHISTLE" on them, or a yellow W cutout. The Riviera in the Fifties route uses a black board with the letters "SW" in white. This is also the only route I've encountered that will show these whistle boards on the HUD.

Source: Rulebook GERT8000-TW1 Iss 9[www.rgsonline.co.uk] - The section about horn use is near the end.

In 2007, new rules were implemented[www.rssb.co.uk] to deal with noise complaints:

• Between the hours of 23:00 and 07:00, no horn is to be used on passing a whistle board, unless people are seen on the track.
  
• If a two-tone horn is available, only the low tone is to be used.
  
• Train that don't go above 100 Mph, when they need a new horn, they will receive one of a quieter type than was the norm before.

In the ages before radio, it was also pretty common for drivers to use whistle codes to communicate with the signallers in nearby signal boxes. Player Randy Dandy-Oh provided this link, which has a lot of information about these codes: http://www.britishrailways.info/AUDIBLE%20SIGNALS.htm

I don't know too much about the specifics of German horn use, other than that there is no fancy two-tone system.

Like in the UK, there may be unguarded crossings in lowly populated areas for which the horn/whistle is required. The whistle boards are rectangular with a black P on a white background. In some cases the colours are reversed, this has no special meaning. The P stands for "pfeiffen", the German word for "whistle". Apply the whistle for about three seconds.

There are also whistle boards with two such P-signs directly above one another. This means to whistle on passing the sign, and give another short blast right before going over the level crossing it's protecting. If the crossing is empty, and the driver can see no-one is near, the second blast can be skipped.

If a train stops at a platform, after a P-sign but before the crossing it protects, a P-sign with two vertical black lines above it is used, placed right after the stopping point. Only trains that don't stop need to use the whistle here.

I was also able to find out some whistle codes used to communicate with crew members tasked to manually apply brakes "=" depicts a long blast, "o" a short blast.

• = Warning
  
• o Apply handbrakes moderately
  
• o o o Apply handbrakes strongly
  
• = = Loosen handbrakes
  
• ooo ooo ooo Emergency brakes required

Bells are rare on German railways, but sometimes still seen on narrow gauge lines. A sign with the letter L (for "Läuten") indicates that the bell should be sounded until the front of the train reaches the next level crossing, or until the train reaches a sign with an L with diagonal line through it.

Just like with the P-sign, there's a variant with two vertical black lines above it, which has the same meaning, but instead for the bell: only trains that don't stop at the adjacent platform need to sound the bell here.

Sources:

• http://www.stellwerke.de/signal/deutsch/ra.html
  
• http://www.stellwerke.de/signal/deutsch/bue.html
  
• https://www.tf-ausbildung.de/SignalbuchOnline/bue4.htm
  
• https://www.tf-ausbildung.de/SignalbuchOnline/bue5.htm

Thanks elektroelch88 for the tip about the L-signs.

Player [SLog] LeX´ Infinity informs me that drivers can be fined for unnecessary horn use. Like in the UK, the trend in modern ages is to minimize or avoid horn use as much as possible.

I've found quite a few examples, but I'll limit myself to situations that actually occur within the game, and which are the same between all North American railroads. Despite that, consider that every train operator can have its own little changes and variations on these rules.

In some more modern trains, when blowing the horn, the ditch lights will start flashing. They stop flashing after a set amount of time has passed since the last horn blast.

"o" signifies a short blast, "=" a long one.

• = = When standing still: Releasing brakes.
  
• = = o = Approaching a level crossing. Should take about 15-20 seconds in total. Prolong or repeat until the engine has entered the crossing. This is combined with the bell, as described later. When you perform the last horn blast of this pattern, you should sustain it as you go over the crossing.
  
• = o Warning signal when people are seen near the track. Followed by o o o o etc. until the train has passed
  
• o o [pause] o o [pause] o o etc. when passing people working near or next to the track.

The = = o = pattern for crossings is the most common and most important. Usually a "crossing sign" is involved. This is a small white board with a W or X on it, placed about 1/4th of a mile before a crossing. When you pass this board, you should turn on your bell.


This is what a crossing sign looks like. The letter W (for whistle) can also be an X. On some routes, "MX" may be seen, which means the board announces that multiple crossings are coming up.

The BNSF rulebook (link provided below) provides a few more details on its use, which come down to the following:

• When doing 45 mph or more: start the pattern when passing the crossing sign.
  
• When doing less than 45 mph: start the pattern at least 15 seconds, but no more than 20, before entering the crossing
  
• If the crossing sign is absent: start the pattern at least 15 seconds, but no more than 20, before entering the crossing
  
• In all the above cases, you must be no more than 1/4 mile from the crossing
  
• If you have just started to move and are less than 1/4 mile from the crossing, it's permitted to sound the pattern less than 15 seconds before entering the crossing, if the crossing is safe. In other words if no traffic is stopped at the crossing, or if the gates are lowered.

These are pretty old-fashioned and used mostly in a pre-radio era, when a driver needed to communicate with a caboose (brake van), or another locomotive that is part of the train. Radio and remote control technology have replaced these signals completely.

• o Apply brakes. Stop.
  
• o o When standing--start.
  
• o o When running--stop at once.
  
• o o o When standing--start going backwards.
  
• o o o When running--stop at next passenger station.
  
• o o o o When standing--apply or release air brakes.
  
• o o o o When running--reduce speed.
  
• o o o o o When running--increase speed.
  
• = o M.U. train -- motor wheels are spinning.

In Florida, for a short period, horns were banned altogether until it was found that the amount of accidents doubled. New rules were implemented as a result. Quiet zones may be created where horn use is limited or removed altogether, as long as additional measures are taken to ensure safety, such as having movable barriers and lights. Some routes in Train Simulator feature these quiet zones, such as the Pacific Surfliner, Chicago Racetrack and Miami-West Palm Beach routes.

You can identify a quiet zone by a sign like the "crossing sign" mentioned earlier, with the W or X on it, but instead this W or X is covered by a red circle with a bar or cross. Or the sign may have the letters "QZ" below it, which stand for "Quiet Zone". Sometimes also a number is included to indicate the amount of crossings the board gives the driver warning about.

You are only to use the bell, starting from when you pass these signs, and ending once you've gone over the crossing.


This is a crossing sign in a quiet zone, spotted in Los Angeles.

Of course, if there is imminent danger, such as someone trying to cross the tracks, or when the crossing lights and barriers are malfunctioning, you should use the horn anyway. The manual for the Chicago Racetrack also says "In Quiet Zones, the horn may be used only when passing a train stopped at a station." Safety first!


The bell is used in the following cases:

• When the train is about to move.
  
• Running through tunnels.
  
• Approaching and passing level crossings. Start the bell once you pass a crossing sign. Usually combined with the = = o = horn signal.
  
• Approaching and passing station platforms.
  
• Passing a train standing on an adjacent track.
  
• Passing people and equipment next to the track. Combine this with the o o [pause] o o [pause] o o pattern.

As you may have noticed, almost always when the horn is used, the bell is used too. This is why in some trains, if you sound the horn, the bell will also come on automatically, The driver then only needs to manually deactivate the bell when it is time to do so.

In some trains, when the bell is on, strobe lights will also come on.


When switching (shunting), the horn isn't used, but the bell is on pretty much the entire time.

• Pennsylvania Railroad Book of Rules 1956[broadway.pennsyrr.com] - This is an awesome source, it's from the same railroad company and time period as the Horsehoe Curve DLC.
  
• BNSF GCOR rulebook 2010 (PDF)[1405.utu.org] See page 44 for horn use.
  
• UP Locomotive Horn Signals[www.up.com]
  
• http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?120737-Sounding-the-train-bell

Thanks for reading.

I would like to thank Mr_Matt, blandmedic and NJRick for their feedback and suggestions.


This text is licensed as Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)[creativecommons.org].


This guide is not licensed for training an AI or to be minted as NFT.

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