10 August 2004 Engineers Not Reckless with Horns In response to Bill Thorick's letter, "Engineers, whistle happy" (July, 2004), it's important to provide readers with some background regarding train whistles in their community.   The train whistle is a safety appliance required by law to be sounded at every public and pedestrian crossing in Canada warning the public of an approaching train - 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unless otherwise specified by Transport Canada.   CPR operates under federal regulatory authority and all trains or engines are required to operate in accordance to the corresponding Canadian Railway Operating Rules (CROR), which indicates the whistle must be sounded at least one quarter of a mile from all public crossings. The required whistle is two long, one short and one long, of which the last long sound must be as the train is entering the crossing.   CPR crews do not sound train whistles in a reckless manner, or as Mr. Thorick's letter stated, "laying on the whistle". They are following strict federal regulations and cannot interpret rules by sounding the whistle at an individually determined occasion. It would be irresponsible to ask any employee to compromise safety or disregard operating rules.   What Mr. Thorick's letter does highlight is the fact the removal of a train whistle from a crossing is more a public issue than simply a railway matter. Operation Lifesaver, a national public education program, which is dedicated to reducing the loss of life, injuries and damages caused by highway/railway crossing collisions and train/pedestrian incidents, reports that in 2003, there were 248 crossing collisions across Canada, 26 fatalities, and 51 serious injuries. There were also 68 other pedestrian incidents, including 46 fatalities, and 21 serious injuries.   However, if a community, like Maple Ridge, decides to accept the risk of removing whistles, Transport Canada has a process to eliminate train whistles (It should be noted the only exception in any whistle cessation is the West Coast Express, which would continue to whistle at crossings). As this newspaper has reported, the local council is considering a study to possibly eliminate train whistling at several crossings. CPR must legally sound the train whistle in accordance to federal regulations. However, we are prepared to assist Maple Ridge Council to put together a Transport Canada application if it decides to seek whistle cessation.   Rob Weir CPR Service Area Manager Vancouver