CSX Foamer......hold the phone, please. I really don't care for your flip remarks here. A homeless lady who was trying to get her life in order is gone, yes, quite likely by her own mistake and haste. This is a tragedy, not something to make snide remarks about.
You seem to know something about Flagstaff, and you are partially correct in that measures were taken within the past ten years to quiet down the railroad noise. Within the city limits there are one highway underpass, two overhead bridges, and five grade crossings. An ordinance or agreement was reached with BNSF to reduce the noise. Frankly, I recall the frequent locomotive horns right in the middle of town as rather obnoxious. The two crossings adjacent to the passenger station are marked " No Train Horn " as is the one about a mile east on a major street. In addition to the horn signs, there are others warning pedestrians to stand away from the tracks, and the conventional gates and ringing bells. This does not seem to be a problem. The two crossings east of there adjacent to Route 66 are less heavily traveled and are equipped with train horns attached to the gate mechanisms, which create a train horn sound, but it is less obtrusive than those from the locomotives. ( There are also large " X " blinking signals on the railroad, which I theorize signal engineers if this apparatus is working properly. ) I can hear these horns from my home approximately one mile away, but they are not annoying in my opinion. Some people may, but I too have lived around trains most of my life and am a retired employee. In my view, BNSF is a good neighbor here.