Eli5 My three year old boy wants to know why do trains whistle? And different times in there journey? We hear train whistles from our house.

Question

Eli5 My three year old boy wants to know why do trains whistle? And different times in there journey? We hear train whistles from our house.

In: Other

Answer 1

[https://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs-of-railroading/2006/05/whistle-signals](https://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs-of-railroading/2006/05/whistle-signals)

I thought this article about the meaning of different whistle signals was interesting and informative. Most of it is historical, a lot of the traditional whistle signals have been replaced with radio communication. The remaining signals you’re likely to hear are 2 short blasts for about to move forward, 3 short blasts for about to move backward, and long-long-short-long for a crossing warning.