train noise

[SP&S]

(a) Each lead locomotive shall be equipped with a locomotive horn that produces a minimum sound level of 96 dB(A) and a maximum sound level of 110 dB(A)

Considering that decibels are base 10 logarithmic, 96 to 110 is a very wide range. If Amtrak's were near the top and the freight RR's were near the bottom of the acceptable range the OP's observation could be well correct. I'd say the higher speed of Amtrak trains calls for horns at the upper end of the range. And some folks still ignore them.

Hey! You'd better get off the tracks, there's a train coming! What? I can't hear you the train horn's making too much noise. hboy:

 

[AutoTrDvr]

A LOUD K5LA, the horn of choice for Amtrak is pure music to my ears

Well Agreed!!! Any Nathan airchime is music to my ears!

Just curious... I Googled "K5LA train horn," and was presented with a page that seems to offer the unit for retail sale.

Noise pollution aside for the moment, is it even legal for a private citizen to own one of these? Point being, I can see

where a lot of motorists/pedestrians might get quite confused (maybe even panicked) at the sound of a K5LA coming

at them where/when one is not expected... perhaps to the point of causing an unnecessary traffic accident.

And, given the price quoted (the cost of 1 round trip on the AT in a full bedroom), I can see where many hard core train

buffs would be willing to pay for one! (not me!) h34r:

Furthermore, in re: train noise, the "bell" on most F40PH's was unique. Is that also available for purchase somewhere?

 

[Steve4031]

There is a you tube video where some people attached a train horn to their truck and drove around scaring people.

 

[Irene Russo]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

Amtrak does not just blow the horn for the fun of it, there has to be a crossing that you may not be aware of that they are blowing the horn for. If it is so bad, talk to your city and see if they will put up a noise sound proof wall, I am sure you and your neighbors will not mind paying higher taxes to cover it.

 

[Acela150]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

Amtrak does not just blow the horn for the fun of it, there has to be a crossing that you may not be aware of that they are blowing the horn for. If it is so bad, talk to your city and see if they will put up a noise wall, I am sure you and your neighbors will not mind paying higher taxes to cover it.

I agree with the above statement to a point. The township or city you live in can ask for a "Quiet Zone". Sound Barriers would do little I would think. But it is a lengthy process and requires a lot of work from a lot of people.

One thing I will add is that if their have been grade crossing accidents at the crossing that will make it less likely that someone will give the "OK" for the "Quiet Zone".

 

[George Harris]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

The railroad was there before you were. Trains were running on it long before any of us here were born. It has the right to run train and the requirement to give warning at crossings.

That you are surprised by the horns or unaware of their volume is an indication of lack of due diligence on your part in determining what situation you were getting yourself into. You can get acclimated to the horn noise over time. Many people have. I watched a baby sleep through the passing of a freight train with horn blowing at a distance of about 200 feet. Why could he? Probably because he was in his mother's arms in their front yard. Train noise was part of his reality from the time his ears began to function while he was still in the womb.

My feeling about quiet zones is that those promoting such things should be held, in part at least, responsible for any collisions and deaths that occur at crossings with quiet zones.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

The railroad was there before you were. Trains were running on it long before any of us here were born. It has the right to run train and the requirement to give warning at crossings.
That you are surprised by the horns or unaware of their volume is an indication of lack of due diligence on your part in determining what situation you were getting yourself into. You can get acclimated to the horn noise over time. Many people have. I watched a baby sleep through the passing of a freight train with horn blowing at a distance of about 200 feet. Why could he? Probably because he was in his mother's arms in their front yard. Train noise was part of his reality from the time his ears began to function while he was still in the womb.

My feeling about quiet zones is that those promoting such things should be held, in part at least, responsible for any collisions and deaths that occur at crossings with quiet zones.

Like

 

[jphjaxfl]

I have lived near active freight and passenger rail lines at various times in my life. I was used to the train horn and related noise within a couple of weeks. We became expectant of the trains at their normal schedule and when they didn't run on time, we would wonder what happened. I now live 6 blocks from the FEC rail line and sometimes if I listen, I can hear the train horn during the night when I am in bed and its a very comforting sound. If I listen very carefully I can sometimes hear the Silver Star, Silver Meteor and Auto train from across the river as the trains travel along US 17 in front of NAS JAX. No quiet zones for me.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

The railroad was there before you were. Trains were running on it long before any of us here were born. It has the right to run train and the requirement to give warning at crossings.

That you are surprised by the horns or unaware of their volume is an indication of lack of due diligence on your part in determining what situation you were getting yourself into. You can get acclimated to the horn noise over time. Many people have. I watched a baby sleep through the passing of a freight train with horn blowing at a distance of about 200 feet. Why could he? Probably because he was in his mother's arms in their front yard. Train noise was part of his reality from the time his ears began to function while he was still in the womb.

My feeling about quiet zones is that those promoting such things should be held, in part at least, responsible for any collisions and deaths that occur at crossings with quiet zones.

True this!

NIMBYs here in Austin were able to have the City require "Quiet Zones" to stop the Red Line Commuter Trains (they share the Line with Freights that run @ Night!) from Blowing their Horns and using their Bells @ the Approximately 200 Grade Crossings located on the Route! Double Gates and Signs were placed @ these City Crossings (some of the Private Crossings outside the city are Unmarked/Ungated!) @ a Cost of $2 Million plus the Safety Consultants Fees! Since then there has been 5 deaths and over 50 Collisions @ said Crossings due to Idiot Drivers trying to Drive Around the Gates and issuing "Statements" such as "I didn't hear the Train!" Now Editorials are being written asking What can be done? and the Politicians are all Hand Wringing and issuing Press Releases! And the Beat goes on!

 

[benjibear]

Studies have shown that sound should be 15dB above your surroundings to alert you. This number is used in the fire alarm codes where the sound from the fire alarm needs to be 15dB above the ambient levels. Sitting in your car with the radio on at a lower idle will be about 65dB. To get 15 above that means the train will be 2000 feet away. At 79mph, that 1600 feet is traveled in about 17 seconds. Is that enough time to recognize the warning, undo your seat belt, get out of the car, possibly save children, and get far enough from the tracks so you won't get hurt when the train slams into your car?

 

[zepherdude]

A LOUD K5LA, the horn of choice for Amtrak is pure music to my ears

Me too!

Tell the kids that wear headsets and walk along RR tracks that the horn should be softer and not as audible.

 

[ozbuc]

Some years ago I rented an apartment in Anaheim Hills. This was right next to the tracks that go up the cajon grade I believe. At night the horns would blow and there I was wishing I was on that train.

 

[the_traveler]

Who do I actually address my complaints about the horendous noise I experience from amtrak in the middle of the night and we don;t have a crossing near us.

The railroad was there before you were. Trains were running on it long before any of us here were born. It has the right to run train and the requirement to give warning at crossings.

I agree with this statement 100%. Your "request" makes as much sense as when someone buys a house near an airport that's been there for 50 years - and then complains about the jet noise.
Maybe the trains blow the horn as a warning of a trespasser walking along the tracks. Would you rather have the train hit the trespasser? (The train always wins!)

Besides grade (road) crossings, trains are required to sound the horn prior to a bridge or tunnel.

 

[SarahZ]

While we're at it, let's shut up those stupid ambulances and fire trucks that sound their sirens and horns all night. How dare they put on their lights and sirens when I'm trying to sleep next to a busy, four-lane road that I chose to live next to...

 

[Eris]

Right?! I know! There's a hospital like 6 blocks from our house, and the ambulances use the street a block over from us, just blaring their sirens as they blast through stop signs and street lights. Why do they put a hospital right next to where I bought a house 40 years later??

 

[zepherdude]

While we're at it, let's shut up those stupid ambulances and fire trucks that sound their sirens and horns all night. How dare they put on their lights and sirens when I'm trying to sleep next to a busy, four-lane road that I chose to live next to...

While we quiet Amtrak and shut down highway noise, I think dogs, moose and squirrels need to have a muzzle in place during sleep hours. Cat fights should be outlawed and clock chimes should be silenced as well. Dance hall music and honky tonks are a deff NO and clock radios set to go off at, hmmmmmmmmm, maybe 10:00 am. Horrendous thunderstorms need to also be dealt with by the city council. We need to shut down the noise at night! Start with them dammm trains then the rest of the noise makers!

 

[leemell]

By far the loudest train horn I have ever heard came from a freight at about 2:00 AM in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. I live about 3/4 of a mile from the Ventura line and hear the Metrolink, Surfliner and Amtrak CS, and freight train horns all the time and this freight was VERY loud compared to all the rest. Didn't bother me, just found it interesting.

 

[BCL]

While we're at it, let's shut up those stupid ambulances and fire trucks that sound their sirens and horns all night. How dare they put on their lights and sirens when I'm trying to sleep next to a busy, four-lane road that I chose to live next to...

While we quiet Amtrak and shut down highway noise, I think dogs, moose and squirrels need to have a muzzle in place during sleep hours. Cat fights should be outlawed and clock chimes should be silenced as well. Dance hall music and honky tonks are a deff NO and clock radios set to go off at, hmmmmmmmmm, maybe 10:00 am. Horrendous thunderstorms need to also be dealt with by the city council. We need to shut down the noise at night! Start with them dammm trains then the rest of the noise makers!

And I wish they could do something about all those annoying birds waking me up in the morning every time I go camping.

Seriously though, a lot of municipalities make a big deal about noise abatement. Orange County Airport in Southern California has noise limit requirements that basically force aircraft into climbing faster with a quick power cutoff during the climb to reduce the noise. Noise levels are monitored and airlines can be fined for violations. Other airports have adopted curfews that apply except for delays (takeoff noise is the big culprit), Many mitigate noise heavily. Modern jet engines are extremely quiet compared to the equivalent from 30 years ago. The biggest issue with airport noise is actually the freight carriers who tend to run older aircraft that weren't built to modern noise standards. They're still flying DC-10s, which are really loud. FexEx actually has a brisk business selling "hush kits" for 727s that they developed in house.

http://www.fedex.com/us/hushkit/helpdecide/

The issue with trains is that they do travel at grade. In places where they travel on elevated or subterranean tracks, they don't need the horns as much. In downtown Reno it's gotten a lot quieter since they built a trench.

I ride BART a lot. The only time the operators activate the horn is when they enter a station. There's no other need for a horn when there are no at grade crossings.

 

[SarahZ]

I think I'm the only person who purposely lives near the Amtrak line. I've had apartments just one block away for the past five years. I love hearing the trains pass by.

 

[JayPea]

In Spokane, one of the arguments the locals have against a possible large increase in train traffic due to coal trains is that there would be much more noise from train horns. Problem is the BNSF tracks through Spokane are the old NP tracks, and the NP had the foresight nearly 100 years ago to elevate their tracks. There are a tiny number of grade crossings on the UP tracks east of downtown but there are none on the BNSF main anywhere within the city limits. East of Spokane, yes, but none in Spokane itself.

 

[benjibear]

What one person calls noise, another persons calls music.

 

[VentureForth]

Now that everyone has trashed our guest, allow me to say the following. First, it is unlikely that ONLY Amtrak uses the track that you are referring to. And, as mentioned, I'm sure there is some sort of grade crossing where the horns are being sounded. Trains also sound their horns if there are people trespassing on the track. Absent of any requirements, the train should not be sounding its horn.

There is one local freight driver near me who I can identify every time he is at the throttle. From the time he crosses the river, for about two or three miles to the next grade crossing, you can hear him tooting up a storm. Just a bunch of light tweets. Depending on his shift, it can happen at any time of day.

Conversely, I have know engineers who have NOT sounded the horn where they are supposed to at night. Should anything happen, event recorders will tattle on the driver.

To sum up, you can request the city to designate the area as a quiet zone. This will require a lot of expensive equipment to install that you and your fellow taxpayers will have to foot the bill for. But that is the only option. Asking Amtrak to stop, is not.