# Trains: not riding; just seeing and hearing them **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709 "2011-07-03T13:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/21 "2011-07-04T03:32:46Z")
I recently moved back to my hometown after 22 years on Kodiak Island. The tracks run right through the middle of town. I have been home long enough that I don’t notice the trains during the day, but I do love to hear them in the night. Long, lonesome sounding freight trains during a long night are a perfectly apropos sound. It’s good to be home. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/22 "2011-07-04T14:31:29Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I do find it interesting that 99% of the trains travel eastbound in my town Where is your town? There are some interesting examples in the US of formerly competitive railroad lines, many miles apart, being operated as one-way pairs now that they’re under common ownership. Perhaps the most interesting is the former Missouri Pacific and St. Louis Southwestern lines through Arkansas. (As an aside, why is is so important for everyone posting in this thread to give _absolutely no hint_ what town you live in, or even what part of the country, or even what country?) Those are relevant details when talking about trains and similar geographic phenomena. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/23 "2011-07-04T14:58:51Z")
I live less than 100 yards from a rail line. I’m midway between 2 stations so they’re at cruising speed and not too loud. The first goes past around 5:00am and the last around midnight and there are only 2 or 3 an hour. I hardly notice them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/24 "2011-07-04T15:03:13Z")
I love hearing trains at night. It’s so soothing and homey. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/25 "2011-07-04T15:57:21Z")
Locally, there is a 10 minute blockage law, but it only applies to trains that are stopped. The at-grade crossings usually have short trains, or long trains that are going 70+ MPH. The ones near the switching yards tend to block intersections and block traffic. They stop, back up, go forward…repeat ad infinitum. There’s an industrial park that only had one way in and out for about a year while an underpass was being rebuilt and they started fining the railroads for blocking that entrance for more than 10 minutes. Now, they’ll actually unhitch the cars and clear the intersection periodically if they’re going to be there for a while, to let traffic flow through. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/26 "2011-07-04T19:04:53Z")
During the ‘70’s our small-town house was directly across the street from the ‘tracks’. The house was old and on a shaky foundation and we knew that the house gave a very slightly detectable ‘jiggle’ when a freight train went over the siding points several miles south of town. When that happened while visitors were present, one of us would casually glance at the clock and announce that the "old (check current time, add about three minutes) should be rollin’ through pretty soon". Sure enough, the old 8:03 (or whatever) would come rollin’ through right on time, amazing our guests with their punctuality and our arcane knowledge of railroad timetables.😃 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/27 "2011-07-04T19:08:47Z")
> [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > There is a local ordinance for 5" crossing blockages. C&X ignores them. They get fined. They refuse to pay and go to court. Court often rules in their favor and dismisses the cases. At least in the US, railroads have a very bad reputation for pretty much sticking their middle finger up at local government. ---
**Author:** ![RayMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e495f1/32.png) [@RayMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RayMan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/28 "2011-07-05T23:41:49Z")
I live a few hundred feet from the [BNSF “Racetrack”](http://www.dhke.com/CRJ/union.html) in the Chicago community of Pilsen, just west of the Canal St. Wye. This stretch of rail is heavily travelled by freights, Amtrak, and [Metra](http://metrarail.com/) trains. This stretch of tracks is elevated, and includes the Metra line between Union Station downtown and Aurora, IL. There is a Metra station at 16th and Halsted. In addition to the three main tracks, there are several sidings. These sidings are always full of freight cars, and late at night small locomotives sort the cars, making a lot of noise in the process. Behind my house is an old, unused track from the Racetrack down to grade that heads to the Fisk Generating Station (a coal power plant) near my home. There are lots of old abandoned lines at grade in Pilsen, mostly along Cermak Rd. Freights travelling eastbound are approaching rail yards and interchanges, as well as (possibly, depending on where they are going) curves and bridges over the Chicago River. Therefore, they move _very_ slowly. I enjoy watching them as they slowly rumble by. In short, I see and hear trains every day, and very much enjoy it! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/29 "2011-07-06T00:29:57Z")
My first time taking Amtrak from DC to Chicago, I was surprised to see what I thought was a [4-6-2 Pacific](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-6-2) or a [2-8-2 Mikado](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-8-2) sitting on a siding just south of the [station in Elkhart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkhart_%28Amtrak_station%29). Turns out it’s really a [4-8-2 Mohawk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NYC_Mohawk) and belongs to [the National New York Central Railroad Museum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_New_York_Central_Railroad_Museum). ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/30 "2011-07-06T12:41:19Z")
I don’t get too many chances lately but I like to take pictures of trains and related equipment. The traffic here has fallen off somewhat in recent years. [some of my pictures](http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/member.php?uid=8822&protype=1) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/31 "2011-07-06T13:06:43Z")
My apartment is about twenty yards from a train station – my back bedroom/studio overlooks the platforms. I barely even notice it as the trains are electric and never toot, so they’re very quiet. I just have to make sure I’m fully clothed if the blinds are open on the floor-to-ceiling windows :eek: ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/32 "2011-07-06T15:45:23Z")
I can walk through my development down the road to the train crossing. I think a train goes through about twice a day, and I hear the blasting horn in the middle of the night when they approach the road crossing. But only if I’m awake anyway, I’ve been living here over 20 years and don’t really notice…Last winter a snowmobile got stuck on the train tracks and a truck was called to get it off. The truck got stuck on the tracks and they had to call a BIGGER truck to free both vehicles. I can only wonder if someone thought to call…somewhere…and let the train know there was a snowmobile and two trucks on the tracks, up ahead. I’d have hated to be the guys there working away, only to hear an approaching train hooting down the line!.. I was on a train from Westchester County to NYC one Thanksgiving with my family and two cute, extremely well dressed gay boys were sitting in front of me. Eavesdropping as much as I could, they talked about what they were going to do in the city, and I wanted desperately to ditch my boring family and take off with them, LOL! As if that would have worked out!..And, I took somebody off on a trip to the train station, they got on, and I watched the train slowly leave the station and disappear around the bend out of sight, and immediately burst into tears, it struck me as such a melancholy sight. This concludes my collection of train-related anecdotes, thanks for asking! Trains are cool! ---
**Author:** ![JoThrive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoThrive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoThrive)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/33 "2011-07-06T16:47:32Z")
Trains are cool, yes indeed. When I was a kid we lived close to the Santa Fe tracks, and the trains passed by regularly. I still remember the sound of the trains at night - a lonesome sound it was. Happy memories . . . . ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/34 "2011-07-06T17:12:40Z")
This report from [Onion News Networjk](http://www.theonion.com/video/autistic-reporter-train-thankfully-unharmed-in-cra,20098/) seems appropriate here. Trains can be dangerous even if you don’t step in front of one. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/35 "2011-07-06T17:38:24Z")
[Austin used to have a excursion train pulled by a steam locomotive](http://www.austinsteamtrain.org/). I could hear the steam whistle sound at the three grade crossing near my house. The locomotive broke a few years ago and is still undergoing repairs. In the meantime, a light rail service has started on the same tracks. The anemic horn on the commuter train is just not the same. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/36 "2011-07-06T22:13:05Z")
I came upon this sad scene south of Buffalo last summer. [http://imgur.com/JAFdK](http://imgur.com/JAFdK) ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/37 "2011-07-07T00:26:20Z")
We live a couple blocks from [this](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Interbay,+Seattle,+WA&hl=en&ll=47.649034,-122.380968&spn=0.004272,0.009388&sll=43.707594,-119.355469&sspn=37.43592,76.904297&t=h&z=17) train yard (my building is in the photo). We’re up the hill a bit, so we can see and hear the trains all the time - there are a bunch parked there now. When a train goes by at just the right speed, it makes our place shake and rattle. We hear them starting and stopping and honking. Occasionally, the trains do a really, REALLY loud, really long series of honks - we call it the train car alarm. It’ll wake us out of a deep sleep, and it’s annoying and a little scary - I mean, what’s going on that they need to make THAT much noise? It lasts 3-5 minutes! It used to be more frequent (we’ve lived here 8 years), but they haven’t done it in a while, thankfully. We’ve seen airplane parts - fuselages and the like - go by on trains, and all sorts of other freight, as well as commuter trains. The noise bothered us in the beginning - the starting and stopping can be loud! - but we don’t notice the regular noises now. My 3-year-old son loves it - he gets to see all kinds of trains go by, and watching them used to snap him out of a tantrum when he was littler. We’d love to buy a house, but if we ever do we’ll miss this view! ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/38 "2011-07-07T00:48:55Z")
[Here’s a bad cell pic](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=545441&l=de8a09510a&id=100000770884074) from my kitchen window. There are weird reflections and bad resolution, but you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![lilbug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b487fb/32.png) [@lilbug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbug)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/39 "2011-07-07T03:23:20Z")
I love the sounds of trains!! The whistles, the sound it makes on the tracks. It stems back to when I was kid visiting my grandma in the summer. My sister and I had rooms upstairs, no AC, hotter than 3 hells! I’d toss and turn until the train came along. The sound of it rolling on the tracks would always lull me to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709/40 "2011-07-08T00:40:29Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Where is your town? There are some interesting examples in the US of formerly competitive railroad lines, many miles apart, being operated as one-way pairs now that they’re under common ownership. Perhaps the most interesting is the former Missouri Pacific and St. Louis Southwestern lines through Arkansas. > > (As an aside, why is is so important for everyone posting in this thread to give _absolutely no hint_ what town you live in, or even what part of the country, or even what country?) Those are relevant details when talking about trains and similar geographic phenomena. I live in S.E Missouri. Union Pacific is the main RR company. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-not-riding-just-seeing-and-hearing-them/587709.md?page=1)