Train Whistles Rattle Residents

[AmtrakBlue]

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.

 

[Bob Dylan]

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.

Hi Betty: Great to hear Amtrak is able to increase their Trains on the NEC to every Half-Hour!! Hope those Menaces to Society don't leave the Tracks and start chasing down Innocent persons like the Wicked Western and Southern Trains!

 

[the_traveler]

Trains blow their horns on the NEC not for grade crossings (there aren't any), but sometimes for people (not very often) but when switching tracks or passing thru stations (like MARC, SEPTA, NJ Transit or even Amtrak Stations) without stopping.

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!

 

[Ryan]

Trains blow their horns on the NEC not for grade crossings (there aren't any),

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.

I'm not sure if it makes enough of a difference, but sound travels better through more dense air - I'd be willing to bet that something like this happens every fall.

 

[the_traveler]

1350136439[/url]' post='399140']

1350136131[/url]' post='399139']Trains blow their horns on the NEC not for grade crossings (there aren't any),

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!

 

[afigg]

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.

I'm not sure if it makes enough of a difference, but sound travels better through more dense air - I'd be willing to bet that something like this happens every fall.

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.

The sound may indeed be more intense and carrying further in the cooler fall air, more so if there are foggy conditions. From the map, Newport DE is close to the start of Ragan to Yard interlocking 2 track segment. One of the HSIPR funded projects is to add a 3rd track to the long standing 2 track choke point not far south of Wilmington station, so that may be the main purpose track work that is underway there. If the track work is going to continue until next year, could always try out noise canceling headphones.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I figured it was related to the work for adding the new track.

Where I heard the Acela was farther south behind my work. It may have been around the time that one of two freight trains go by my work. I'm not complaining by any means about hearing the horn since they rarely sound them when zipping by.

 

[Ryan]

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.

I'm not sure if it makes enough of a difference, but sound travels better through more dense air - I'd be willing to bet that something like this happens every fall.

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.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

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. Why do people expect the outside world around them to be totally silent?

 

[Alexandria Nick]

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!

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.

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.

 

[jerichowhiskey]

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. Why do people expect the outside world around them to be totally silent?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Maybe when selling a house near the tracks the brochure should say

THIS HOUSE IS NEAR A BUSY RAIL LINE WHERE TRAINS BLOW THEIR HORNS. IF THE NOISE BOTHERS YOU MOVE ELSEWHERE

 

[AlanB]

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. Why do people expect the outside world around them to be totally silent?

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.

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.

 

[Anderson]

Sounds like the "jet noise" issues in Virginia Beach. You bought a house on the flight path of a previously-existing naval base's runways and then complained about the noise? That's a failure of due diligence on your part for the most part...though I will say that some sort of required declaration for neighborhoods going in such places might be a nice touch (i.e. requiring everyone buying those properties to sign a statement to the effect of "I understand I'm in a flight path and that there may be siginificant jet noise, particularly in the event of a war or national crisis. I am aware that this may be unpleasant, and I will not be caught by surprise by this if/when it should happen.")

 

[Ryan]

It actually is a required part of the documentation when you buy or rent a house within the designated Accident Prevention Zones (APZ) or Noise Zones:

http://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/planning/areaplans/Documents/Oceana/JLUSAICUZPlanningMap.pdf

In practice, if the house is anywhere in Hampton roads, they're going to tell you if you're in one of these zones or not (it's mandatory if you're within the zone, and if you're outside of the zone, it's a "feature").

 

[alanh]

Without grade crossings, up to now there would only have been rare whistle activity. The article indicates that due to track work, engines are sounding the whistle to alert the track workers.

 

[jis]

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?

 

[afigg]

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?

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.

 

[Anderson]

It actually is a required part of the documentation when you buy or rent a house within the designated Accident Prevention Zones (APZ) or Noise Zones:

http://www.vbgov.com...PlanningMap.pdf

In practice, if the house is anywhere in Hampton roads, they're going to tell you if you're in one of these zones or not (it's mandatory if you're within the zone, and if you're outside of the zone, it's a "feature").

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.

 

[Acela150]

As I looked at that map.. That street is next to the Newark train station and the interlocking up the road there is I believe Regan. I can't tell you without looking at an Employee TT. So they could be passing trains there. I should also mention about 6 months ago Amtrak lowered the dB on their horns per the FRA. Unless they went back up.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The folks complaining are in Newport which is a lot closer to Wilm than Newark. I didn't pay attention to any maps/pics in the article. But seeing how they say the conductor is blowing the horn, I wouldn't be surprised if they did mis-map it.

 

[Acela150]

Betty is Newport anywhere near Churchman's Crossing?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Kinda. It's between WIL and Churchmans Crossing. Though Churchmans Crossing may be considered Newark, I'd say it's as much a 'burb of Wilm as it is of Newark.

 

[user 1215]

I figured it was related to the work for adding the new track.

Where I heard the Acela was farther south behind my work. It may have been around the time that one of two freight trains go by my work. I'm not complaining by any means about hearing the horn since they rarely sound them when zipping by.

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.

These folks are going to have to just get a grip and accept the noise as much as they would have to accept road construction in front of their home.