Re: Interesting Train at Windy Point

I have a question in regards to the whistle communications. On a long train requiring 3 engines, say one on the head, the middle, and rear, if the conductor riding the caboose gives a highball, the engineer of each engine would respond. I understand that you could probably hear that quite a ways up in the cab of your engine on the opposite end of the train, and if not other means of communication could be used like dropping the brake pipe pressure. (I am also referring only to narrow gauge operations, not mile long freights that you would find elsewhere.)

Now, at what point and why did the Silverton operations abandon individual locomotive whistle responses on multiple engine trains, and why is this not the case in Chama? I realize it may have been a post-privitization practice, but I would like to know a little about how the culture varied between the two railroads.