DelW
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- 15 Jan 2015
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In June's "Trains" magazine (from the USA), it states in reply to a reader's question that the standard US level crossing warning, long-long-short-long blasts of the locomotive horn, originated in Britain. (It actually refers to England, but then most Americans don't understand the difference between England and Britain).
The origin the author states is that it represents the Morse code letter "Q", and that that was a signal first used by British ships to warn others that the Queen was on board. This signal supposedly then became used by trains on which the Queen was travelling, and was taken to the US by British engine drivers who moved there and used the same signal as a general warning.
This is all possible but I have doubts for several reasons:
According to Wikipedia, the current version of Morse code including this form of "Q" was devised in 1848 in Germany, and was not adopted internationally until 1865, both well after Queen Victoria began travelling by train.
I think that British Royal trains were always marked out by use of (four) headlights, which would have meant a special whistle signal was unnecessary.
I have never heard of such a complex whistle signal being used in Britain, my memory from steam days was that a simple single or double hoot was all that was normally used, e.g. between train engine and pilot or banker, or as a warning.
Royal trains would have been driven by the most senior top-link drivers, who would have been unlikely to emigrate to America in significant numbers.
Has anyone else heard of this theory, or come across this signal being used here? Is there any back-up evidence for it?
The origin the author states is that it represents the Morse code letter "Q", and that that was a signal first used by British ships to warn others that the Queen was on board. This signal supposedly then became used by trains on which the Queen was travelling, and was taken to the US by British engine drivers who moved there and used the same signal as a general warning.
This is all possible but I have doubts for several reasons:
According to Wikipedia, the current version of Morse code including this form of "Q" was devised in 1848 in Germany, and was not adopted internationally until 1865, both well after Queen Victoria began travelling by train.
I think that British Royal trains were always marked out by use of (four) headlights, which would have meant a special whistle signal was unnecessary.
I have never heard of such a complex whistle signal being used in Britain, my memory from steam days was that a simple single or double hoot was all that was normally used, e.g. between train engine and pilot or banker, or as a warning.
Royal trains would have been driven by the most senior top-link drivers, who would have been unlikely to emigrate to America in significant numbers.
Has anyone else heard of this theory, or come across this signal being used here? Is there any back-up evidence for it?