What do the signs on the railroad tracks mean?

Signs warn you that you are approaching railroad tracks. A stop line, an X and the letters RR may be painted on the pavement in front of railroad crossings. These markings warn you to be aware of the crossing ahead and to pay particular attention to the possible approach of a train.

Why can I hear trains at night?

At night, the air near the ground can have a different temperature than air only a few hundred feet above1. This affects the transmission of sound waves. There is usually less ambient noise after dark, so the distant train sounds louder. As pointed out elsewhere, maybe the trains don’t use the horn in daytime.

Why do I hear train horns at night?

The intensity of sound (such as a train horn) that you hear will vary at night, sometimes louder and sometimes softer. The explanation is the height of the “inversion” above the ground. Sound travels faster in warmer air than it does in colder air.

What are train lovers called?

A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast or railway buff (Australian/British English), trainspotter or ferroequinologist is a person interested, recreationally, in rail transport.

How do Railfans know when a train is coming?

Railroads use what we call line-of-sight communications which means a scanner listener will hear the train crew when they are anywhere from 5 to 10 miles away. Line-of-sight reception is based on the radio transmit power.

What does CSX mean on trains?

CSX Transportation (it’s name deriving with the “C” standing for Chessie, “S” for Seaboard, and “X” an all-encompassing multiplication symbol that “together we are so much more”) is the railroad division of CSX Corporation.

What signs warn us against playing on a railway line?

Trains have the right of way 100\% of the time – over ambulances, fire engines, cars, the police and pedestrians. From their driving seat, train drivers cannot see clearly to the left or to the right of the tracks on which their train is travelling.

What does a flashing yellow over red train signal mean?

Yellow means that only ONE block beyond this signal is clear and this route is impassable at the next signal. Red means that this route is impassable. It is that simple.