# Getting a train to do shave and a haircut **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498 "2011-04-07T07:02:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/1 "2011-04-07T07:02:41Z")
I watch lots of videos on youtube where trains will do a shave and a haircut with someone filming it. Why do they do it? Is there a secret motion the cameraman does to get the conductor to do it? ---
**Author:** ![badlyburnttoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@badlyburnttoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badlyburnttoast)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/2 "2011-04-07T07:46:27Z")
In case anyone is as absolutely confused as I was when I first saw this, I assume he means something like this: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do3IdSmrRVs&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do3IdSmrRVs&feature=related) (skip to around 0:50) Anyway, the person who posted the video (Amtrak798) claims in one of the comments that the conductor is a friend so I assume they set it up. That’s probably the case with most of the videos, I would imagine. As for why they do it… I don’t know? So they can post videos of it on youtube? ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/3 "2011-04-07T07:54:39Z")
I think it’s because the standard whistle pattern for a grade crossing (long long short long) is very easily turned into the shave n’ a haircut (long long short long long pause short short). So if they’re already doing the first part and if they see some yay-hoo with a video camera, why not? The standard pattern is customary but not legally mandatory, so as long as they blow _something_ at grade crossings it’s okay. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/4 "2011-04-07T07:54:57Z")
So, in railfanning, a shave and a haircut is when the engineer toots his horn, just for the spectator? You could always hold up a sign saying “Please???” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/5 "2011-04-07T09:49:58Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > So, in railfanning, a shave and a haircut is when the engineer toots his horn, just for the spectator? No, the name refers to the little [tune](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shave_and_a_Haircut), or more specifically the rhythm ( **GreasyJack** , isn’t it long **short** short long long (pause) short short?) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_of_Lucan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/6 "2011-04-07T09:57:46Z")
To clarify for anyone still puzzled, it’s the dum diddy dum-dum, dum-dum tune that the trains play in each of these clips. If you say “shave and a haircut, two bits” or “shave and a haircut, five cents” you get the same rhythm. I know the tune and the rhythm but never heard it called Shave and a Haircut. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/7 "2011-04-07T10:14:10Z")
This is one of the most confusingly phrased OPs I’ve seen in a long time. I thought the conductor was actually shaving and cutting the hair of a passenger. I’m quite familiar with the tune “Shave and A Haircut, Two Bits”, but boy, that was left very unclear by the OP. > [@copperwindow](#): > > I watch lots of videos on youtube … Lots? Really? Then it shouldn’t’ve been too hard to find an example to link to. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/8 "2011-04-07T14:17:02Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > No, the name refers to the little [tune](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shave_and_a_Haircut), or more specifically the rhythm ( **GreasyJack** , isn’t it long **short** short long long (pause) short short?) That’s what I thought, but a lot of the videos labeled “shave and a hair cut” didn’t involve that particular “tune,” at least from what I could tell. ---
**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/9 "2011-04-07T22:59:52Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > This is one of the most confusingly phrased OPs I’ve seen in a long time. I thought the conductor was actually shaving and cutting the hair of a passenger. I’m quite familiar with the tune “Shave and A Haircut, Two Bits”, but boy, that was left very unclear by the OP.Lots? Really? Then it shouldn’t’ve been too hard to find an example to link to. There’s also, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXQhkUX8Pvs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXQhkUX8Pvs) , [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8VxlQRNQCk&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8VxlQRNQCk&feature=related) , [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgvxPQiDfic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgvxPQiDfic) , not to mention numerous metro north clips. What I’m wondering is if there’s a way to request the conductor does a shave and a haircut specifically, rather than just honking… ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/10 "2011-04-07T23:17:10Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I think it’s because the standard whistle pattern for a grade crossing (long long short long) is very easily turned into the shave n’ a haircut (long long short long long pause short short). So if they’re already doing the first part and if they see some yay-hoo with a video camera, why not? The standard pattern is customary but not legally mandatory, so as long as they blow _something_ at grade crossings it’s okay. > [@Colophon](#): > > No, the name refers to the little [tune](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shave_and_a_Haircut), or more specifically the rhythm ( **GreasyJack** , isn’t it long **short** short long long (pause) short short?) It’s long-long-short-long. ([Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_horn#United_States)). I say this after my wife and I made a pleasant cross-country journey by train in December to visit my mom. For one leg of the journey we were right behind the locomotive, and we heard that same sequence all night long. By the way, train travel in a sleeper car is awesome, but the romanticized image we have from watching old movies sort of whitewashes over some of the annoyances. It sure was fun though! ---
**Author:** ![Railevator4000](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railevator4000/32/14967_2.png) [@Railevator4000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railevator4000)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/11 "2023-09-09T14:25:18Z")
I mean if the engineer is friendly, he’d/she’d do it for ya. I have a sign that says “SHAVE & A HAIRCUT PLEASE”, seems to work ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/12 "2023-09-09T17:45:33Z")
Did you guys know that train engineers can’t be electrocuted? Because they’re conductors!!! I’ll show myself out. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/13 "2023-09-16T16:15:01Z")
If the conductor is a cartoon, they can’t resist. Which… works on two (or three, if you count the literal meaning in the context of this thread?) levels, so I’m pretty pleased with myself. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-train-to-do-shave-and-a-haircut/577498/14 "2023-09-16T16:50:38Z")
Maybe don’t get a shave or a haircut on a train (an electric shaver might be all right, though), tattoos either.