pattycam4107 wrote:I LIVE ABOUT 3-5 MILES FROM TRAIN TRACKS, WHY IS IT THAT I CAN ONLY HEAR THE TRAIN EARLY IN THE MORNINGS IN THE WINTER TIME AND NEVER IN THE SUMMER?
The simple answer is that cold air is more dense, and sound travels better through dense air.
Does the trains bother you? On some quiet winter days if it is cold enough you can hear the grade crossing signal bells... dingdingsingsing at least several miles.
Cold air is rather dense and sound carries quite some distance. Those whistles shake the very ground at times.
OH this is interesting. I have always wondered why you can hear the sound of a train better in the cold air. Now I know.
When I lived in Philadelphia there weren't any grade crossings around for several miles. Early in the morning and late a night I could hear the sound of a freight train. That really did make my day, it was such a plesent sound too.
stubbsO wrote:Along with what was said, there is also no vegatation on the trees to help muffle it to also help it carry. I used to hear the CNW commuter late at night as a kid pulling out of a few stations in the burbs of Chicago. I just love the sound of those old F3's!
An excellent observation. Also, the horn, itself, will have a different tone in the colder air, and it just might be that it is better propagated in the denser colder air as a frequency that can be detected more easily by the ear. I admit that this would be minor, but it is plausible.