What's more amazing to you?

[Anonymous]

Okay i'm going to solve this the Rude Candian way, and when i use the following words like "You, Your.." Etc, Rememebr they are DIRECTED and NO ONE inpeticullar, except the residents of the house

1) Who was there first? Railroad or your house? No WAY!! I thought it was your house that the world revolved around... So your saying the Railraod was? hhmm.. Ah yes that solves a few problems...

2) doesn't anyone scout around the neighborhood before they buy a house? Thats like buying a house Riddled with bullet holes.. in the middle of the Bronx. GRAT NEIGHBORHOOD HONEY! see automatically a logical thinking process should go like this... Train Tracks a mile away.. COULD POSSIBLY mean Trains.. d'uh... Followed by HORNS then by Jammed Railraod lights and bells.. That is the logical thought process... And if you don't like those terms.. I have a BRILLINAT idea.. pack up your stuff and leave, as a matter of FACt don't UNPACK at all!! Those people aren't exactly troubled with the smarts are they?

Oh and that reporter wasn't exacly functiong at 100 watts either, as a matter of fact i'd say he was the dimmly lit light at the bottom of the tree, This question now goes out to 2+ year olds or anyone with an IQ more then 7.6.. What do Train tracks Signify? A) Trains could pass on these Rails at any given minute, therfore not a good place to stand.. B) What a great place to set up a picknick C) that represents a new type of foot path that makes great for walking, D) A perfect place to stand like a chump and give a half-arsed report..

And that woman... "sometimes they honk even after they've crossed..."wow, Did she just crawl out of a sewer? YES CORRECT!! I still continue the pattern even if i'm through the corssing! Wow people like that.. GRR.. cause.. ANGER!

They're lucky i'm not the Richmond engineer or conductor. i'd Blow the whistle 50 times or 60.. and if my boss called i'd up it to 75.. Just because I hate people who complain about useless things like that.. as i always say... "Breath in, Suck it up, and move on with life!"

[Trainnut484]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Buyer: "So what is the asking price again?"

Realtor: "Let me see, I believe this one is listing for <HORN>< HORN>

Buyer: "Sorry didn't catch that."

Realtor: "About, < HORN>< HORN><HORN>< HORN>< HORN>...which is really a good price."

Buyer: "Do the trains run here all the time?"

Realtor: "Hardly ever, and never at night, you won't even know they're there.

Buyer: "We'll take it!!!"

Realtor: "Great! Excuse me while I take this call. Hello..."

Seceretary: " Mr Jones is on line one to talk about the houses in the subdivision going up."

Realtor: " Mr Jones, how are you? No I wouldn't worry about that. That airport is a good five miles from where the house is going to be.....and it will be a couple of years before it's finished........

AWW-SHUCKS. Did the Realtor agency left out the mainline in their brocheres again?
I guess the duplex community should've been named "Rolling Thunder...I mean Rolling Meadows." LOL.

Take care

Russell

[vsmith]

This story reminds me of when I worked behind the "Orange Curtain" deep in the heart of orangeness in Irvine, Ca. This was near what was El Toro Marine Corp AIr Station which had F-18s,F-14's,Intruders, and Herky Birds flying in and out all the time. Well back in the eighties they build a kister load of new homes out there right up to the air base property. People flocked to buy, greedily plopping down their gold for a home sweet home. Sure enough as soon as they moved in within a month the complaints would start, "those damn jets take off at all hours, theyre too damn loud, I cany sleep, I cant relax, blah,blah,blah..." (F-18s are LOUD!!!!)

I would hear these people blab on then ask, "when you bought the house, didnt you know there was an airbase around?" they always said "yes" then they'de say something truely idiotic like " but I thought they'd only fly when I was at work" or "but were not at war, why do they have to fly?"

Only truely STUPID, STUPID, STUPID people buy thinking that the world is going to conform to their needs. These idiots were part of the reason El Toro was shut down, too many big mouths bitching to their congressman, Now the "Great Park" proposal for El Toro to turn it into a big "Central Park" type recreation space is stalling, because the greedy *** developers want to snatch the land to build more houses.
These same nimby whiners are the reason all orangeheads have to drive to LA International (a good 2-3 hour drive in heavy traffic) to fly overeas, becuase they dont want an airport in thier backyard.

So I have no sympathy for these dunderheads. I lived less than TWO BLOCKS from Santa Fes old mainline thru Pasadena for 5 years, we got trains thru at all hours of the day and the train horns were hardley noticable even at night. and thats living in an old bungalow with single pane glass and no insulation. Unlike new house which are fully insulated usually with double paned glass windows. So these whiners need to taken out, slapped around and made to live under the flightpath of a major airport for a while (right at the end of the runway), then maybe they'll have some margin of comparison.

[Mookie]

I'm trying to find a house, duplex that is right next to the tracks! Something that is in rentable shape! So don't have much sympathy for the "winers". I would be the real snowbird sitting in the yard this winter!

Mookie

[kwboehm]

I say we should copy the video clip, and send it in to the railroad (BNSF?) police, and then let them file trespassing charges on the TV crew...we've already got videotaped evidence. Somehow I doubt that they had permission to be between the rails.

As for the neighborhood...too bad so sad. The railroad was there long before any of the neighborhoods were. As it's been stated earlier in the thread, wouldn't you as a potential home buyer look in to these things? I don't feel sorry for them. Also I don't see their complaint. I lived for 18 years about 2 blocks from the Milwaukee West (Metra) station in Bensenville. I currently live about 2 blocks away from the UP's Falls City Sub, south of Omaha, and am soon to move into a house across the street from the BNSF's Creston Sub. None of those places keep me awake. My significant other, who is not a train fan by any means says the house across the street from the tracks is not bad at all as far as train noise goes.

[Anonymous]

I live real close to a busy grade crossing which sees Metra and UP freights all day long. I knew that when I came here. After a while it gets so that you don't really notice the horns that much. If train tracks have existed long before the housing, then whoever has bought a house there and didn't investigate what they were getting have no call to female dog.

[zardoz]

jhhtrainsplanes-
the new locos have a damn button for the whistle and the volume is not adjustable, only the duration (to some extent, but it is difficult to get a tiny 'toot' out of it).

The older locos (SD40 & such) had a handle to pull that actually regulated the air flowing to the whistle. If the whistle was clean, one could (if so inclined) cause the whistle to be somewhat melodic and actually pleasant to listen to. And the volume was controllable.

I must admit, however, if I was running in the territory where the whiners were complaining about the noise, I would be tempted to blast just a little bit longer and louder, although I likely would not actually do it, because that would punish everybody, not just the one's that deserve it.

The people complaining of 20 whistles might be right. The rule says that the whistle signal 15L must be sounded approaching a crossing, beginning not less than 1/4 mile from crossing. But the application of this rule is varied. If the train is going slow, it could take 90 seconds to cover that 1/4 mile at 10mph. Some engineers will lay on the whistle for the entire 90 seconds, sounding one long 15L; others will do a series of short 15L's, yet others will sound the first whistle at the 1/4 mile mark, wait 30 seconds then sound the second, and so on. Each method seems to comply with the law, but some are much more annoying.

I live right next to the tracks, well within the 1/4 mile mark, and I appreciate it when the engineer does the third method I mentioned. But if he does not, I can hardly complain, as the tracks were there when I bought. However, I sure would like to see gates installed and a whistle ordinance enacted; damn whistles keepin me up all night....................:)

[dharmon]

Buyer: "So what is the asking price again?"

Realtor: "Let me see, I believe this one is listing for <HORN>< HORN>

Buyer: "Sorry didn't catch that."

Realtor: "About, < HORN>< HORN><HORN>< HORN>< HORN>...which is really a good price."

Buyer: "Do the trains run here all the time?"

Realtor: "Hardly ever, and never at night, you won't even know they're there.

Buyer: "We'll take it!!!"

Realtor: "Great! Excuse me while I take this call. Hello..."

Seceretary: " Mr Jones is on line one to talk about the houses in the subdivision going up."

Realtor: " Mr Jones, how are you? No I wouldn't worry about that. That airport is a good five miles from where the house is going to be.....and it will be a couple of years before it's finished........

[mudchicken]

Bergie/ Eric:

(1) The news media, as usual, does its stupid routine. The Tribune stations in Denver and Chicago have done it twice in the last 12 months that I'm aware of. (Go talk to the Editor at Simmon-Boardman's Railway Track & Structures Mag. .....the Chicago station (WGN) was even showing how to tresspass to get to the site of a memorial!)

(2) As for Californians (I'm married to one), far too many tend to ignore common sense (Sacramento has none, why should anywhere else?)....it's always somebody else's fault.......

Mudchicken

[Anonymous]

When I started my reply there were no other comments as yet. By the time I watched the vid and typed a reply Dan had snuck in on me. But I guess we are all riding the same bus here.

Maybe we should ask them if they want some cheese to go with their whine? [:D]

[Anonymous]

Erik [:)]

When I tried to watch the video it had alot of problelms. I was however, able to get the gest of the problem. I am close to the tracks. Not close enough to see the train but I do hear it. It doesn't bother me. There is a problem in this country of excessive stupidity. People buy or build a house close to the railroad tracks or airport. Then they complain about the trains or airplanes. Because of safety issues you can't plant trees to close to an airport but trees could be planted near these tracks and help keep down some of the noise. The railroad line was there before the people. Don't blame the railroad for their stupidity. If the noise bothers them that much let them move. That is how they got their in the first place. And while they are moving, as a French Monarch once said, "Let them eat cake". [}:)] [:p]

Oh, one last comment. The people and the reporter claim that the horns are getting louder and louder and louder. I am not sure but I don't think the engineer can adjust the volume. People will say and do anything to get their way.

[Bergie]

You hit the nail on the head.

Everytime I see a new subdivision going up next to one of the Interstate highways here in the Milwaukee area I wonder how long it will be before my tax money goes to build a wall to protect their peace.

Did they ever consider why the house was so affordable compared to all the other options in their area? Give me a break.

[dharmon]

Well, let's see, umm you went to go look at a house, and I'm guessing that at some point you had to cross the tracks to get there.....or did BNSF sneak in a put the tracks there during the night?

These are the same folks that flock to get the "affordable" new construction houses and don't notice that the airplanes are flying overhead until they actually moved in, then complain about the noise. I'm sure the train crews are trying they're best to be as loud as they can...just like the planes fly "louder" after dark.....I've heard that one before too.

Yeah, umm, yeah. How about we make an ordinance that the trains don't blow the horns at all. And maybe require the city/railroad to place the large noise barriers like they do along some stretches of interstate. That way when the car, bus, SUV mini-van full of kids gets hit going around the barriers........anyone else notice the train coming in the video and the cars passing in front of it?? The California version of MISSOURI can come leaping out of whatever rock there under and ask why the RRs aren't properly signalling at crossings.

Its always something in the Peoples NIMBYcratic of California.

[Bergie]

Here's a little something to getting us talking on Monday morning...

Visit the following link to watch (or read if you don't want to watch the video) a story from Bay-area news station KRON reporting on a neighborhood complaining about excessive noise from passing trains:
http://www.kron.com/Global/story.asp?S=1516666&nav=5D7lIzlL

Now, what's more amazing to you:
- the fact that the residents have the nerve to complain about the noise after building homes a mile from trian tracks?

- or, that the reporter completely disregards safety by filing a portion of his report from the middle of the tracks? [V]