Key:crossing:whistle
 crossing:whistle
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| Description |
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Indicates whether a train normally blows its horn at the level crossing 
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| Group: railways |
| Used on these elements |
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| Documented values: 3 |
| Requires |
| Useful combination |
Status: approved
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| Tools for this tag |
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The crossing:whistle=* tag is placed on railway=level_crossing and railway=crossing nodes to denote that the crossing is subject to non-standard train horn operations, whether it be trains blowing their horns at a specific crossing in countries where the railroad operating rules do not generally require horn usage, or trains not blowing their horns at a specific crossing in countries where railroad rules otherwise require horn usage at crossings.
Rationale
In European practice, trains are only required to blow their horns at level crossings that do not have warning devices (lights, bells, gates), or simply at selected level crossings, marked by track-side signs (called "whistle boards" in the UK). However, in North America, the opposite is true: trains are required to blow their horns at all level crossings in the US and Canada, save for those specially designated by rail authorities (Federal Railroad Administration, Transport Canada) as part of a "quiet zone" or under a "whistle ban".
The choice of crossing:whistle=* is a synthesis and codification of existing tagging practice for the North American situation ("quiet zones", "whistle bans", and wayside horns), with adaptations to allow it to represent British/European practice. It was chosen over quietzone=yes because that tag name implies that it should be placed on an area (which is incorrect) and also does not account for European practice at all, nor does it handle the case where the horn-blowing is handled by a wayside horn device, not by the train. The use of whistle in the tag instead of horn was chosen to synchronize with the terminology used in the railway:signal=* tagging scheme, as the signage is still called a "whistle board" even in modern US practice which favors the term "horn".
Furthermore, it is consistent with the other tags in the crossing namespace that are used on level crossings to elaborate their warning and guarding means, such as crossing:barrier=*, and the simpler crossing:saltire=*, crossing:light=*, and crossing:bell=*.
Tagging
| Tag | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| crossing:whistle=yes | A crossing where trains must blow their horn, in a country where railroad rules do not generally require horn usage. | |
| crossing:whistle=optional | A crossing where trains are not required to blow their horn, in a country where railroad rules do require horn usage at crossings.
Partial quiet zones (where trains blow their horns during the day, but not at night, for instance) are tagged as a crossing:whistle:conditional=* using the standard conditional restrictions syntax. |
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| crossing:whistle=wayside | A crossing where a wayside horn is present and functional, blowing the horn for the train crew when the crossing is activated. |
Examples
Whistle board in Essex, in England where it is the exception
crossing:whistle=yes at the next level crossing
Level crossing in a partial quiet zone in San Jose, California
crossing:whistle=yes
crossing:whistle:conditional=optional @ (22:00-07:00)
.jpg)
_San_Gabriel_Sub_crossing_at_Rialto_Avenue.jpg)
See also
- crossing:bell=* for the acoustic device that sounds while the crossing gate is down.