It appears that with my latest move, I now live beyond the range of any train horns, whistles or bells. The closest railroad is more than six miles away and it is the very infrequent Seminole Gulf (ex-ACL) - but I’ve never been able to hear it from my home.
I suspect a lot of the posters on this board have the same situation, huh? It’s kinda sad.
On a good night (quiet evening with a south wind) I can hear the UP transcon from my house, which is six miles north with many hills in between, so there’s hope!
My home and office are within 3 blocks of the tracks. I can hear trains 24 hours a day. Up until last year, an active line ran through the parking lot at work. [:D]
I live 5 miles north (all uphill) of Nelson yard on the UP overland route. and I can hear every train if I am listening.
It’s nice to listen to the scanner and hear the horns in the background.
if you find that you are out of range you could always order the “Diesel Airhorn Primer II” available on DVD or VHS only $25 from Deiselairhorns.com
LOL
Later Bill
The Canadian Pacific (old Milwaukee Road) runs about 1/4 mile east of me, with a grade crossing 1/4 mile north. I can regularly hear the horns blowing, despite the desire for a quiet zone at the crossing!
-Mark
www.fuzzyworld3.com
As mentioned elsewhere, I’m about a mile south of Clearing’s bi-directional hump and about two miles east of the IHB. I hear CSX horns routinely from the Clearing intermodal terminal and can often hear horns from the IHB and occasionally from Metra’s Southwest line (about two miles south).
I believe this is the first time in my life that I’ve lived in a location that has no train sounds of any kind. I grew up in South Indianapolis and could hear (and see) IC steamers from my house. Also could hear the Pennsylvania leaving Indy for Louisville. But this is a bit depressing. I’m still hoping that on some nice, crisp still night, I will hear the Seminole Gulf.
I chose the location of my new home on what my scanner could pick up & the fact that I was in pleasant ear shot of 3 crossing on the old NYC Big Four Line.
My grandparents live in Van Horne and usually you can hear them blowing for Blairstown. Thats about seven miles away! What’s weird is that when I’m in the cab of some dash 9’s, you can barely hear it, but you also got 4400hp+ right behind your seat.
it looks like I will be moving with in once block of the Central Oregon and Pacific Main in Creswell, Oregon. They have UP trains running through there all the time down at least to Cottage Grove, Oregon to pick up all the lumber that is milled down here. It is pretty cool to see a UP Gevo Engine Splitting the Semaphores on that line! I just need to have my camera with me!!
Brad
Well I live by I-80 and on a very silent day you can here Metra.
I live about twenty to twenty-five minutes from the closest railroad tracks. When the wind is blowing just right, usually after sunset, I can hear the locomotives in the distance.[8D]
I’m about 1 mile from the CN main and 2 from the NS ex nickle plate and I get to hear them both loud and clear especially at night
Trainfreak409 - really? You can hear 'em that far away? Maybe there is hope after all. Still silence here, though and it’s likely because the Seminoe Gulf is very inactive and the right of way is mostly weeds now.
I live north of town.if we get a breeze other than from a northly direction I can hear them come through town.
stay safe
joe
I live with in a mile or so from 5 grade crossings and everytime a train comes though I hear the trains blowing their horns and sometimes they can be loud from time to time and other times they can be really quite
I’ve got the windows open now, and I can hear a horn now. [^] A typical train running through town goes through 11 grade crossings, all within perhaps 3 miles of my house![:)]
I live about two miles away from the NS yard in town. The variety of horns and apparent whistling styles is pretty neat to listen to… and I can tell when some idiot is playing beat the train across the crossing!
Erik
Years ago we lived in Vermont, on the other side of a mountain range east of the CV line from Randolph to Montpelier. About 5 miles closest distance. On a really good night we could not only hear the horns, but I could tell whether the lashup was all GP-9s or whether one of our stalwart RS-11s was in the mix… but Vermont in those days was a real quiet place.
jchnhtfd - That’s very impressive, being able to “hear” the GP-9s! I have a question about all this:
I have I-75 between me and the Seminole Gulf. Isn’t that likely to keep me from hearing any train horns? Any sound engineers out there?