Making Synapses · Bringing Knowledge to Mankind
RailwayHorn at Grade Crossings (49 CFR 222.21)
Twenty flashcards on when and how the train horn sounds at crossings, its timing limits and quiet zones.
Free to startYour progress here is temporary and is lost when you close this page. Install Making Synapses free to keep it, with spaced repetition.
20 cards
- When must the locomotive horn sound?
- When the lead locomotive or lead cab car is approaching a public highway-rail grade crossing.
- Which unit sounds the horn?
- The lead locomotive of a train, lite locomotive consist or single locomotive, or the lead cab car.
- What is the standard horn pattern at a crossing?
- Two long blasts, one short blast and one long blast.
- How long is the pattern kept up?
- It is repeated or prolonged until the locomotive occupies the crossing.
- When may the pattern be varied?
- Where crossings are spaced closely together.
- How early must the horn start before the crossing?
- At least 15 seconds, but no more than 20 seconds, before the locomotive enters it.
- What is the good-faith margin if the engineer cannot estimate arrival time?
- Starting the horn not more than 25 seconds before the crossing is not a violation.
- What changes for trains over 60 mph?
- The horn may not start more than one-quarter mile (1,320 feet) before the nearest public crossing.
- Over 60 mph, what if the warning ends up shorter than 15 seconds?
- That is allowed; the one-quarter mile limit still applies.
- Since what date must railroads follow these timing rules?
- December 15, 2006.
- A train stopped right next to a crossing: may the horn be shorter?
- Yes, under 15 seconds and with a varied pattern, if the crossing is clear and gates are down or no traffic approaches.
- If State law requires a device other than the horn, what timing applies?
- The same timing rules of the horn section apply to that device.
- When may an engineer sound the horn in an emergency?
- To warn animals, drivers, pedestrians, trespassers or other train crews and prevent imminent injury, death or damage.
- Does the rule create a legal duty to sound the horn in emergencies?
- No; it does not forbid emergency use, nor does it impose a duty to sound.
- Name a situation where horn use is never restricted by this rule.
- A malfunctioning wayside horn, failed crossing warning devices, or warning systems out of service for inspection, maintenance or testing.
- Is the horn required at passenger stations?
- No, unless a federal rule requires it there; otherwise it is up to the railroad's operating rules.
- Is the horn routinely required at private crossings?
- No, but where State law requires it, it must follow the federal pattern and timing.
- When may a railroad stop sounding the horn at a single crossing outside a quiet zone?
- At 15 miles per hour or less, with crew members or equipped flaggers flagging the crossing.
- What is a quiet zone?
- A stretch of rail line with one or more consecutive public crossings where horns are not routinely sounded.
- What are the minimum length of a new quiet zone and the silent hours of a new partial quiet zone?
- One-half mile; horns are silent between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Official sources
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), via eCFR
49 CFR Part 222: Use of Locomotive Horns at Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the Federal Railroad Administration or any railroad. Agency names and regulations are named only to describe the content.