Hi Betty: Great to hear Amtrak is able to increase their Trains on the NEC to every Half-Hour!!http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20121013/NEWS/310130028/Trains-whistles-rattle-residents?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home
Didn't know conductors blew the whistles.
I heard an Acela blow it's whistle yesterday in Newark. Figured someone/something was near the tracks.
Hope those Menaces to Society don't leave the Tracks and start chasing down Innocent persons like the Wicked Western and Southern Trains! 
Come on Dave, you know there are still a handful of grade crossings on the NEC, they're up in your neck of the woods even.
True, there are 7 in southeast CT, but that s nowhere near Deleware!Ryan said:
Yes, there are 11 grade crossings left on the NEC, all on the Shore Line route in eastern CT in the vicinity of New London. But that has little to do with Delaware.
Yes, I mentioned that.
Why do people expect the outside world around them to be totally silent?Occasionally, but not often, the airport noise people do have legitimate complaints. Arrival and departure procedures change frequently. Around these parts, they adjusted the arrival procedure for DCA. Now, up at Great Falls VA, the airliners don't have to be over the river and now come in about a mile further west. So now instead of being over the river and quieter, they're low over houses. A mile can make a world of difference in noise.And I wonder which came first - the tracks being built over 100 years ago or that family buying and moving into a house near train tracks?It sounds to me like one of those cases where people buy a house near an airport, and then complain because they hear jet noise from the airport!
According to the article, this is a recent matter. They've been living next to the tracks tolerating the normal commotion caused by passing trains, but now horns are blared at all kinds of hours. I would be irate as well if the train sounds are stepped up a couple notches without explanation.Some people just love to complain about things. If you dont want to hear train whistles, dont buy a house near the tracks!
Another point, you live in the real word, there is always noise, deal with it.
Flights going to LGA a couple months ago had an approach change which increased their noise levels across the neighborhoods. It wasn't a small matter to the public needless to say.Occasionally, but not often, the airport noise people do have legitimate complaints. Arrival and departure procedures change frequently. Around these parts, they adjusted the arrival procedure for DCA. Now, up at Great Falls VA, the airliners don't have to be over the river and now come in about a mile further west. So now instead of being over the river and quieter, they're low over houses. A mile can make a world of difference in noise.And I wonder which came first - the tracks being built over 100 years ago or that family buying and moving into a house near train tracks?It sounds to me like one of those cases where people buy a house near an airport, and then complain because they hear jet noise from the airport!
I live a mile and a half west of the Potomac and I never hear the planes at all. But occasionally one has to abort a landing and screams over my building at 600 feet with its engines at full power. A modest adjustment to the departure procedure would mean that "wind rattling jetwash" goes from once a week at worst to every day. I'd be pretty grouchy!
I've got jetliners, CSX/Amtrak/VRE, and WMATA all right outside my window. Its not TOO bad really.
Except that it is highly unlikely that Amtrak has suddenly decided to make their horns louder than before. Especially since FRA regulations are rather specific as to just how loud they must be. A horn blowing too loud would be reason to pull an engine from service, just like not being loud enough is reason to pull the engine from service.According to the article, this is a recent matter. They've been living next to the tracks tolerating the normal commotion caused by passing trains, but now horns are blared at all kinds of hours. I would be irate as well if the train sounds are stepped up a couple notches without explanation.Some people just love to complain about things. If you dont want to hear train whistles, dont buy a house near the tracks!
Another point, you live in the real word, there is always noise, deal with it.
The Amtrak spokesperson said that the track work will continue, on and off, for the next year. So this is more than just a short period of track maintenance work, but is likely the project to install 3rd track from Ragan to Yard interlocking. The residents living by the tracks have to be used to short periods of trains sounding their horns to warn work crews, but this will go on for much longer. They will have to get used to the horns until the track work is done, which will take a while.Yup, so track work must be discontinued and trains must be slowed down so that people can avoid a slight inconvenience for a few days while the track is maintained. Really?
Gee, it would be nice if the folks at WAVY or one of the other networks would bring that up every time someone kvetches about the jet noise over there. It would certainly open a lot of folks' eyes who aren't in those areas.
I think this is the key. There really is no reason for the trains to blow their whistle consistently through this area where it would be loud enough to affect the fine folks of Ayer St. This is also brought up on page 2 of the article.
