http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2000_register&docid=-4-filed

[Federal Register: January 13, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 9)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 2229-2270] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr13ja00-35]

SUMMARY: FRA is proposing rules to require that a locomotive horn be sounded while a train is approaching and entering a public highway-rail crossing. The proposed rules also provide for an exception to the above requirement in circumstances in which there is not a significant risk of loss of life or serious personal injury, use of the locomotive horn is impractical, or supplementary safety measures fully compensate for the absence of the warning provided by the horn. This rule is required by law.

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000

Answers

Hokie:

The FRA is proposing this rule because so many towns have enacted local noise ordinances against the sounding of train horns. By making it a federal regulation, the railroads will be exempt from local regulation. It has been shown by many studies that sounding the horn at highway crossings decreases accidents. This has nothing to do with Y2K.

Jim

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), January 14, 2000.

I thought trains were ALWAYS required to blow their horns when approaching and passing grade crossings. I've never lived anywhere where there were tracks in use that this was not the case. Why would blowing a horn be "impractical?"

-- Liz (lizpavek@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.

Have you ever lived near railroad tracks? We had a set of inactive tracks about 750 feet from our house when we moved in. Two years ago they laid all new tracks, installed crossing gates, and started sending an average 6 trains per hour through.

The damn engineers blow the whistle a lot during the day, then at night, they lay on it constantly. We're talking 130+ decibels at 3AM or 4AM. I'd like to see anyone sleep though that. I used to be a heavy sleeper, that is, I used to sleep all night. Not anymore.

Not only that but the property value has decreased by 15% since the tracks went active. There's a class-action lawsuit filed to recover the devaluation costs but the feds are seemingly going to take the side of the big businesses who run the trains, and probably tell the judges to throw it out.

-- Powder (Powder47keg@aol.com), January 14, 2000.

Powder- I agree. However, I believe the agenda behind this has roots in the fact that in many communities, there are people who just drive around lowered gates and ignore flashing lights. In Bourbanais (sp?) IL a while back, a truck driver caused an accident by crossing while the gates were down and lights were flashing. His excuse was that "the lights were not flashing and the gates were not down" One of his first comments was "It had tbe a fast one".

no one really knew what he meant until it was learned that the line normally had slow-moving freight trains on it and the occassional AMTRAK (which was MUCH faster)

Apparently, he knew he could get around the gates with plenty of time to spare for "slow moving" freight trains. Unfortunately, this was night, it was an AMTRAK train, and he screwed big time.

Much weeping and wailing ensued and even more pressure has been put on the railroads to "do something". I don't know what they can do about bonehead jerks like this truck driver, but apparently blowing the horn is the fastest, cheapest solution.

This issue has been going on for years and is not Y2K-related, unless you really try to strech it.

at least you post "OT" on your posts Hokie.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.

The real jist of this ruling is that local communities have been fighting the Federal Railroad Administration's rules over sounding the horns and speed limits for almost twenty years.

With increasing numbers of grade crossing accidents and lawsuits, the railroads have been installing loader horns. Which prompts more local bans on sounding horns, which causes more accidents due to ignored warning signals, which lead to more lawsuits, which leads to even louder horns, and the cycle continues.

One compromise out of this ruling is that there will be a loudness limit for locomotive horns. Right now the loudest I'm aware of are nearly 135Db, louder than the average F-4 Phantom in Full Afterburner, which is painfully, deafeningly loud.

I personally think there should be "day" and "night" volume settings for newer locomotive horns.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), January 14, 2000.