I like the sound of a train's horn - but not everyone else does

[dldance]

From the New Braunfels, Tx, Herald-Zeitung: "earlier this year ... a Houston man placed full-page ads in the Herald-Zeitung that read: “Welcome to New Braunfels, the Train Horn Blowing Capital of Texas ... come get blasted. Imagine the fun you can have; 29 trains per day; different horn blasts; train engineers have competitions for making the most noise; especially gratifying all-night-long.”"

dd

[lonewoof]

Wait 'til one of those Stealth trains sneaks up on him at a grade crossing -- he'll sing a different tune...

[spbed]

Well when I spoke to some "natives" of Rochelle they told me to take the RRs home with me as EVERY training crossing the diamond has or will be blowing that whistle. [:D][:D]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dldance

From the New Braunfels, Tx, Herald-Zeitung: "earlier this year ... a Houston man placed full-page ads in the Herald-Zeitung that read: “Welcome to New Braunfels, the Train Horn Blowing Capital of Texas ... come get blasted. Imagine the fun you can have; 29 trains per day; different horn blasts; train engineers have competitions for making the most noise; especially gratifying all-night-long.”"

dd

[cherokee woman]

They (regular everyday people) should remember that the train horns are
blown for their safety. The engineers do not blow the horn just to
peeve people off, or wake them from their sleep. They should be very,
very thankful that the horns on trains are blown.

Personally, I love to hear the sound of a train's horn blowing, no matter
what time of day it is. And they never wake me up during the night. What
wakes me up out of a sound sleep is the street traffic with their radios/
car stereos blasting at full volume!!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dldance

From the New Braunfels, Tx, Herald-Zeitung: "earlier this year ... a Houston man placed full-page ads in the Herald-Zeitung that read: “Welcome to New Braunfels, the Train Horn Blowing Capital of Texas ... come get blasted. Imagine the fun you can have; 29 trains per day; different horn blasts; train engineers have competitions for making the most noise; especially gratifying all-night-long.”"

dd

You think that's bad,You should hear the Horns on the UP (GEVO)'s[:D].
Now there very strange.
BNSFrailfan.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cherokee woman

They (regular everyday people) should remember that the train horns are
blown for their safety. The engineers do not blow the horn just to
peeve people off, or wake them from their sleep. They should be very,
very thankful that the horns on trains are blown.

Personally, I love to hear the sound of a train's horn blowing, no matter
what time of day it is. And they never wake me up during the night. What
wakes me up out of a sound sleep is the street traffic with their radios/
car stereos blasting at full volume!!

Oh heck I just sleep right through them even when the Windows wide open in the middle of summer[:D],You can have the LOUDEST horn in the world and ill even sleep right through it. BNSFrailfan.

[underworld]

Time to make a trip to Texas.....with a tape recorder!!!!!

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[coborn35]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cherokee woman

They (regular everyday people) should remember that the train horns are
blown for their safety. The engineers do not blow the horn just to
peeve people off, or wake them from their sleep. They should be very,
very thankful that the horns on trains are blown.

Yeah, they dont blow them for railfans, we know to look and listen.

Personally, the sound of the lead SD70MAC on the a BNSF Powder River train headed for Superior,WI going through Deerwood,MN makes me fall asleep faster.[:D]

[eolafan]

Two things come to mind after reading this post:
1. Remember, in most cases the railroads were there long before the houses, so if you don't like the sound of train horns, don't build or buy a home near the tracks.
2. I personally like the sound and like the other reader who responded, I actually am relaxed at night by the sound while sleeping.

[tree68]

Bring 'em on! Music to my ears! [{(-_-)}] It's fun hearing the different makes and models, and the variations thereof (like one chime not working or squeaking). I like the sound of a Federal Q2B "wind up" siren, too. Never mind those cheesy electronic things (I know, I've got an electronic siren in my truck, but only because the "wind up" siren wouldn't fit under the hood....)

[selector]

I would like to see some empirical evidence that the horn blowing prior to entering a level crossing actually reduces the rate of collisions.

Personally, i don't believe that they reduce it substantially. The drug-addled, the angry, the stupid driver will always find a way to get killed, even if someone else is screaming at them from inside the car who knows what's coming.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I would like to see some empirical evidence that the horn blowing prior to entering a level crossing actually reduces the rate of collisions.

Personally, i don't believe that they reduce it substantially. The drug-addled, the angry, the stupid driver will always find a way to get killed, even if someone else is screaming at them from inside the car who knows what's coming.

Not to be very rude but,Who realy cares anymore about the stupidty in dumb founded drivers..........No how many times you try to teach the Brain dead and there still not going to get the message! You get my point? I mean I look at it this way,Everyday I watch alot of Trains come through Blair and so far amaizingly nobody has got killed yet at the 12th Street Crossing. And that is the "ONLY" crossing in town that has "NO" cross arms,just crossing lights. And I myself can't even keep count of how many stupid Drivers try to beat the train. (I gave up count already). Oh well. Like they say,Never say never!
Some day there is a coming very soon enough! And who ever it is,will pay a very dear price.
BNSFrailfan.

[CSXrules4eva]

Some people don't know how fortynate they are to hear a train horn every day or even evey hour!! LOL. Were I live I'll be lucky if I hear a train horn once evey two weeks from my house. I have to drive 15mins out of the way to hear one. :( There aren't too many grade X-ings by my way.

However, if I want to hear some train horns all I have to do is play my "I can hear that train Acommin" cd and turn the volume way up!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I live just a half or quarter of a mile east of UP's tracks in the Bay Area with UP/BNSF freights and Amtrak going through. They've all done a good job of making the whistles sound good and effective. I have no problem with train whistles or the barking of my neighbor's dogs. When I lived back east some mornings my neighbors would ask me if the emergency sirens kept me awake all night and I couldn't recall hearing a thing. Maybe I just don't have enough important things to do at home.

[RudyRockvilleMD]

I prefer locomotive to blow their horns when approaching grade crossings than to having grade crossing accidents. Perhaps had the Metra commuter train passing through Lake Village IL been allowed to sound its horn the school bus grade crossing accident might not have occurred. According to Federal Railroad Administration statistics grade crossing accidents are more likely to occur when communities ban trains approaching grade crossings from sounding their horns.

[AntonioFP45]

Music to my ears....

My favorite horns that I get to enjoy here on the east coast on CSX are the K5LA and K5H.

My all time favorite horns are extinct from mainline service: The SL4T. Most of the Amtrak SDP40fs had these. Very pretty sound, unfortunately they became easily fouled. The horn went into history with the SDPs. (though 18 SDPs went to Santa Fe)

Check out http://www.dieselairhorns.com

[Puckdropper]

I'd say let those train horns and ambulance/police car sirens blow as loud as the operator can stand! I want to be able to get out of their way and not only save someone else's life but mine! My death would just ruin my life.

I've stopped a good half mile ahead of an ambulance because I knew by the time he caught up with me there wouldn't be a good place to stop.

[MP57313]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I would like to see some empirical evidence that the horn blowing prior to entering a level crossing actually reduces the rate of collisions.

Can't speak for evidence, but I would think it has helped some "inattentive" folks by warning them in time. As for the intoxicated ones, maybe a direct horn blast would help sober them up in time.

[ValleyX]

Like the poster who said you'd think we blow it just to irritate the public, so to speak, I've got to agree that seems to be the perception of much of the public. It's to let the public know to GET OUT OF THE WAY! You'd think we enjoy blowing the whistle. Well, if it keeps the public out of the way, I guess we do enjoy it. Not hitting anyone makes our life much simpler!

[Mookie]

Maybe the people that think horns shouldn't be used as a warning would like to clean up the mess afterward...

Maybe?

[Randy Stahl]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

Maybe the people that think horns shouldn't be used as a warning would like to clean up the mess afterward...

Maybe?

Cleaned up many messes, I have some doubts as to the effectiveness of horns too. Alot of collisions I have been to involved motorists with windows closed, heater running , music playing etc. Pedestrians don't appear to hear the horns either.
I don't know what the answer is. Suicide by train seems to be the thing nowadays, I wonder how many of the so called accidents are really planned events!
Randy

[Mookie]

Hi Randy - glad you are still out there!

Had one of these "suicide by train" not too many days ago here in Nebraska - she..imagine that...she walked down the tracks quite a ways until a train came along and helped her out. Never did hear too much after they figured out who she was, but last I heard it was a suicide.

[jchnhtfd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ValleyX

Like the poster who said you'd think we blow it just to irritate the public, so to speak, I've got to agree that seems to be the perception of much of the public. It's to let the public know to GET OUT OF THE WAY! You'd think we enjoy blowing the whistle. Well, if it keeps the public out of the way, I guess we do enjoy it. Not hitting anyone makes our life much simpler!

Quite. One thing to remember, untortunately, is that there is a pretty substantial chunk of the general public which is of the opinion that everything and everyone else should get of THEIR way. Whoever or whatever it may be. It's not called the 'me first' generation just for chuckles.[banghead]. These folks will sacrifice anyone (including spouse and children) or anything to gain a personal advantage. I suspect that a good bit of the anti-horn sentiment is generated from that point of view...

[selector]

My point, exactly. Ever heard of 'suicide by cops'? Boom boxes in cars, kids packed into Dad's powerful Beemer at zero-dark-thirty on a Saturday morning, cell phones. I think a nude female on the hood would get more attention than 120 db @ 100 yards.

I may be wrong, but I think the horn is like locks on doors. They only keep the honest/responsible people/driver out/alive.

[Anonymous]

Train horns are music to my ears. I grew up just a few blocks from the Southern Pacific lines down here in south Texas, so I'm use to it. At present, I live about two miles from the nearest track, and when I'm in a picture taking mood, what I hear is the train saying
"here I am, come take pictures of me"...

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

Yeah, there are plenty of people out there bellyaching about having to listen to the air horns of locomotives, blaring at all hours of the day. And I will bet you that a lot of these people are the same STUPID people who ignore the obvious warning signs; bells, flashing red lights, and will try to run around lowered crossing arms in an attempt to beat the train to the crossing. Those air horns are being blown for the safety of both motorists and pedestrians. And don't forget that if some idiot gets himself or herself killed in a grade crossing accident, it will effect the engineer and other crew members of the train involved to the point where they will have to live with what happened for the rest of their lives. Within the last ten days or so there was a guy who was walking down the middle of a railroad track somewhere with a camera and a tripod, when a train came barreling out of a tunnel at 50 mph and killed him. He must have been deaf because despite the engineer frantically blowing the horn, he would not get out of the way.