Locomotive Horn Noise Pollution

Since you haven't seen fit to share your location, there's not much help for you.

They're not going to stop. They were there before you and you chose to move in too close to the tracks, so simply do as TonyS says. Move.

Location is Bangalore India

Well, there's plenty of other places to live.

For a Bangalorean, there just isn't anywhere else . Despite a million things wrong with it. My house is about 300m/yds from a very busy railway line, and i guess i have grown used to the sound. Hardly ever notice it.

My suggestion to the OP is to buy the Audio Technica ANC1 noise-cancelling headphones (QuietPoint-Noise-Cancelling-Headphones). At $80, they are a steal, and cut out 85% of ambient noise.

Fancy moving to India!

Bazzer

My sympathy , It could drive one round the bend.

One of your problems is the way the authorities measure noise pollution.

They average the noise over a period of time therefore the impact noise sounds such as a railway horn disappears.

Recently there was an attempt to change our law to attache a nuisance level to such sounds (without success)

I live close (50m) from a double carriage access road but shielded myself from traffic noise with a about 4 m high by 1 m wide hedge. it does help.

As it happens I am currently near both a railway station that runs steam tours and a fire station.

As I never seem to see evidence of any actual problem, and yet the steam lot still blow their whistles and the fire lot still roar down the road with sirens and gigawatts of air horns, I'm thinking of demanding they send me an incident report for each event.

I mean how am I to know they are not just doing it for fun or going for a burger?

Maybe they just know who you are and want to pi$$ you off.

I'll bet that they didn't build either after you moved in, did they?

Sounds like you guys are the kind of people who buy a new house under the flight path of an airport, then bitch about the noise. (Not just you, but lots of people)

Didn't make any friends here, did I?

Typical - attack me, and I've been here near on a month

So come on Mr Smarty Pants, give me one good reason for a train blowing its whistle before it moves.

It keeps the trainmen from losing fingers, hands and arms among other things.

If your 1/2 mile away from the loco when it moves the first car, you need to know the train is moving. And, which way it's going.

What! You're putting maiming and killing 'dime a dozen' train men above my needs?

I suppose if the train is a mile long and there is all sorts of other noise around, like several rolling at once, you'd be wanting the horns even louder and some sort of code so everyone can work out which is doing what?

Outrageous!

The same reason a ship blows its horn before it moves. It's a safety warning, mandated by law. If you want to change the situation, get hold of your legislators, who thnk every problem requires a stupid law to solve. It's like the heavy equipment which legally make beeping noises when in reverse, and then they issue ear protectors for the workers who are exposed to the legally mandated noise.

Lynn,

The track passes through the heart of the city and we have dense population for 25KMs on either side of the track. Imagine, this must be affecting a million people.

Then move before the other 999,999 people do. Simples!ς

Avoiding Istanbul might be a good idea.

These millions of people must not be affected enough to do anything about it.

I spent 6 months in Cedar City UT and lived close to the interstate highway that runs from Vegas to Salt Lake, etc. Semi's rolling through town all night long at 70 MPH. After about 3 days I never heard one again. I adapted. (Or my brain did)

And finally, railroads are a good indicator of the business climate.

Just like the post about smells, your brain simply gets used to it and tunes it out. Unless its like when I squirt a little SO2 into the new guys truck as a hiring ritual. I don't think anyone will get used to the smell of SO2.

You should be aware that Loco drivers don't just blow their horns because they're bored. There are vital safety reasons for doing so. There are also sound (pun intended) reasons for for the loudness of train horns. One of which is that they don't pull up on a dime, so they need to telegraph their warning a fair distance. Also some animals need pursuading to move off the tracks lest they buy a ticket to ride up front.

Noise abatement laws have caused a number of changes to the way emergency vehicles announce their urgency, such that the sirens have the equivalent output of a motor bike horn (about as loud as an asthmatic mouse cough) they virtually have to be on top of you before you hear them. At least they don't disturb anybody..

I disagree on the loudness of sirens and fire apparatus horns. They have to be loud, and even then people don't move out of their way. Loud because of the sound insulation and music in our vehicles. If you are the one with a fire or a heart attack, you don't want them going with the flow of traffic because they can't be heard--you would like traffic to move aside (to the right please in the USA) so they can get through.

My point wasn't that "I" want the sirens to be quiet but that due to the numbnut legislators and their noise abatement laws we have the issue of emergency vehicles that can't alert traffic/pedestrians until they've run over them. Due to the emasculated sirens.

I suspect that the sarcasm in the second paragragh didn't translate too well.

Sarcasam doesn't get understood at all in the USA. It does in the UK, though.

If the climate is humid the sound is more louder.In India i didnt noticed 5 times prayer by our brother muslims.When i had a debate with one of them regarding religious beliefs i started hearing their prayers.My mind included that also in its curious list.Now it irritate the most.So i was forced to read my religious beliefs deeper to overcome it.

Those who live near temples(hindu,buddhist,islam) have complained about noise in newspapers but due to political reasons authorities do not like to get involved in this issue although it is a nuisance,especially muslims calling for prayers 5 times a day. Before the early morning prayer many people including infants get disturbed in their beds. India was partitioned due to Hindu-Muslim conflict.

Thanks for this very useful post,although you didn't disclose your country. There are so many sources of noise pollution,namely-locomotives,air planes,helicopters,motor vehicles(horn as well as defective exhaust),fire crackers etc but some of them could be controlled by authorities,if interested. Some drivers sound the horn when they wait for traffic lights turn green annoying the driver in front. In india and neighbouring countries announcements are made by loud speakers mounted on vehicles going from neighbour hood to neighbourhood regarding political meetings,selling lottery tickets etc .Whenever a wedding takes place or a VIP visit a neighbourhood or victory in a cricket match is announced fire crackers are lit without considering the disturbance to persons and infants in the neighbourhood. Even loud music is played in night whenever a wedding is held in a public wedding hall. Politicians do not like to control this due fear of losing votes in elections. To drive away animals in roads inaudible noise(waves of different frequencies) may be used but the problem is for unruly humans we should find a solutions. In some countries there is no barrier along the centre of the road encouraging people to cross the road at any point along the road,especially in city.

As someone said, there are FEDERAL REGs on the train horns. Listen and you will hear the distinct pattern/signature.

If you can get me one of those train horns, I will tell you the secret to quieting the sound of the horn, but not before.

I want a train horn for my truck.

IT'S on EBAY

Everything is on ebay

Instead of loud horns can't they use coloured light signals to persons outside and PA system for passengers and station staff?. If animals in the track they can use selected frequency noise to drive them away. Before trains/loudspeakers came they rang temple bells at 4 in the morning to wake up people.

Here's a selection for your truck - enjoy!

http://www.dieselairhorns.com/sounds.html?album=5

If you live in city you have to bear such noises. I also live near the railway track but I have got used to such noises. If you are in deep sleep then it should not bother you. Alternatively plug you ears with cotton buds..

As you failed to disclose your whereabouts, you are probably a US citizen, living in the US!

Assuming that is true, then your only recourse is to move farther away from the railway as the US has strict laws on both the speeds of trains in urban areas and the signalling with horns/whistles. I used to find it rather fun as US Locs have a better "sound" to them....to my mind at least.....

Houses are cheaper within earshot of the rails, so you win some, you lose some.....after a few days, I slept through it. A radio on low near your bed may help.....

In Charleston when I last visited it, they used to put a "Boom-box" on the front of the Loco and play jazz very loudly. It legally sufficed and was far more fun.....

In Europe its not needed as all rail tracks are fenced off, speeds are considerably higher, rarely do they run along roads nowadays as they sometimes did when I was small......but then VERY SLOWLY, sound signals are rarely needed even then....

Trains in Canada were being changed from steam to diesel=electric, and they sounded like crap....that "blat blat" of the diesel was simply unacceptable. So the Canadians mounted air horns that sounded like the old steam whistles.

The complaints fell off dramatically.

In 2007, the UK enacted some different regulations, and trains have been quieter since then, especially at night.

The lesson which can be learned....well, the horns are there for a reason. Changing them to a different tune is possible, but of course the best thing to do is to shut down the streets that cross tracks in town.

No really. Make them into dead ends. Then if you want to cross the tracks, you will have to go to one of the subway crossings. Or make all the crossings into subway crossings.
Good article on regulations of train whistles here.

It's easier to protect yourself from the noise than to eliminate the source. I suggest an acoustic absorbing fence around your property, ear plugs, or noise cancelling head phones.

Random Thoughts on this:

1) Ever see a train wreck?

2) Ever see a mangled body hit by a train?

3) Ever get the s**t scared out of you or wet your pants seeing a massive and silent locomotive approaching you at a crossing?

4) Technuts live by schedules, ever wait until you heard a train whistle at the local crossing before you felt all was well with the world and then allowed yourself to go to sleep?

5) Ever use the local as an alarm clock, because, just because?

6) Ever listen to the lonely train whistle on a cold and wet winter night from a distant crossing, bringing back nostalgia from your youth, when the only engineer you were aware of drove trains?

7) Ever stand or sit near the tracks admiring graffiti, counting the cars, checking out the different lines, checking out the types of cars & guessing what some held inside, or checking out the ages of cars and defunct lines names still on cars?

8) I got the bejesus scared out of me earlier this week at an traffic light in Wooster, OH, by a cowboy in a Big Ole Dodge Ram Dually with a train type horn, impatiently blasting away to get traffic moving.

Seen, been, or done all of these, and I would never give up what I learned.

Of course, I never want to see the mangled vehicles or bodies again, but the rest makes me smile even now.

Another great reason to not use Ipods, Headphones, other Musical Devices, or maybe even Bluetooth when checking out the trains. A recent report I read somewhere after another pedestrian got hit and killed near home, was that most fatalities occurred when wearing one of these devices.

Gimme the whistle any day and the Lionels, American Flyer, and HO trains of my youth

As some trains do not run on schedule people living near railway stations wait till they hear the sound of horn/whistle/engine noise to go to the station instead of waiting at the station.

What a way to run a railway.

I live sixty miles south of San Francisco with rail commuter transportation provided by CALTRAIN.

There seems to be a serious competion between CALTRAIN and the Golden Gate Bridge as to which public service can kill the most people each year. The bridge is more famous and dramatic, but the Train is running a close second for the number of deaths .

Some deaths are suicides, while other seem to be people wandering along the tracks, crossing the track on foot, or sneaking around the grade crossings in their autos.

I'm beginning to believe that we need louder whistles on the trains.

Good thoughts. I have heard that those who live near railroads (or road roads--highways) that they sleep thru the whistles and noise, but wake up when something is NOT on time. When whistles and horns have a purpose, we learn to live with them--and probably even appreciate them when we know what their purpose is.

An example is me with fire sirens and horns, and trucks with engine ("Jake") brakes.

Extrapolating from this: education is the answer.

No engine brakes allowed signs always make me shake my head.

Of course, we have hotdogs who love the deep throaty sound of the Jake, (I am one)

But to ban them, especially on hilly rural roads with school bus stops!

Then there was the Homeland Security guy who went to the congressional budget committee asking for another billion dollars. "Why do you need more money?" "For more fireworks?" "Why fireworks?" "We set them off every night to scare away wild elephants. We are afraid that terrorist wild elephants might come into town to trample our children. It's worth anything for the children." "But there aren't any wild elephants in all of the Western hemisphere!" "Yes, it's one of our more effective programs."

Thanks guys for alll the comments. I am located in Bangalore India and the track runs through the city and there is 25KMs of city on either side of the track. Your comments excited the neurons and here are some of the possible solutions:

1) Fence the track within the city limits.

2) Alternatively install sound barrier walls within city limits.

3) Change the tone of the horns to one which is less annoying.

4) Provide directional horns which direct sound in a narrow band along the track. This will still cause issues at bends.

5)Have radio operated low volume horns with a range of say 100m installed along the track which could be activated by the engineer of the train instead of one massive horn with a range of a few kilometers.

6) Rely on PA systems with tone alarm at the railway stations for departing trains.

Growing up in Ohio, listening to the train horns three miles away, I learned why horns were used on trains: and I learned where the crossings were that were being signaled. Now 60 yrs later, I still lie awake at night listening to the trains, but now it is near New York City, in a wealthy suburb in a well-built home with sound deadening walls and landscaped sound barriers. I still imagine the trains moving along the tracks, crossing the intersections, imagine the goods entering the big city to the millions of people, and I am glad most nights no one is being killed on the tracks, and I go to sleep happily.

Boy is this one near and dear and dear to my heart. We keep our Plane here at San Carlos Airport in the SF bay area. Years back they decided to fill in the Bay and build a development called "Redwood Shores and The Shores". It is a bit of a high end "hoyty Toyti" style community. A few years after opening the community here comes the law suit to close the airport (its been there better than 40 years) due to the inconvenience of the sounds of approach and departure.

Well the airport lawyers won the battle since the folks that moved there were aware of the airport prior to purchasing the homes (you had to drive right past it to get into the community) and the complainers were simply told to move if they do not like the sound.

So the moral of the story is - I am sure the rail was there before you purchased the home, So simply move if you do not like the sound.

I bet this guy wished for LOUDER horns!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVJfKQJiN8&feature=autoplay&list=UU_YTcws-k-oRAJxWwEvZ4Sg&lf=plcp&playnext=1

I dunno...looking up Indian Train Crashes on Youtube brings up a crapload of videos. I think you guys need all of the rail safety you can get (aside from the terrorist-induced crashes).

Directional sound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directional_sound) would be one idea. The people who need to hear it the most are pretty much in a narrow "cone of danger".

Thanks Cuba Pete,

The "directional sound link" provided by you was useful. I have seen many sentimental posts in this thread. I have no intention of sacrificing safety. Question is, can the same degree of safety be achieved without being a nuisance to your neighbours, new or old? Anwer is yes. If large no. of smaller horns distributed on the entire face of locomotive and are hooked together, the source will still produce the desired decibels, but it will be directional, due to it being an apparantly large source and will warn the object of danger, instead of creating a nuisance for a million people.

I live near an Amtrak line (moving away soon, yay) and while the horns sound all throughout the day, I rarely notice them anymore.

The rails are across the street and behind one set of buildings. Not far at all.

To be honest though, I'd rather be mildly annoyed than dead from getting hit by train when crossing the tracks.

I believe that in the US, that trainmen do NOT have to signal at protected crossings. These are crossings which have the flashing red lights, bells (for the dingalings), and the bars which come down to stop the vehicles. Of course these are quite expensive to install, and they still make noise.

Bill

Who was there first? the railway or the house,my bet is the railway so why complain, Here in England we have people who move to the countryside to be near nature and then complain because there are animals in their gardens or cattle in the fields adjacent to their gardens that moo and crap,What do they expect?

Bazzer

LOL!

How right you are!!

Exactly the point, Here, here!!!!

Don't want or like the sound pull up stakes and pitch the tent elseware.

I happen to live at just the right location in relation to the train tracks, it seems. The conductors may be pretty capable in that the trains are actually soothing to me. The sounds of the rhythmic horn blasts, the throaty purr of the diesel engines, and the cathump-cathump of the steel wheels give me comfort.

I live about 1000 feet from the double tracks. The walls of my room are concrete block.

My thoughts entirely.

Thanks. It seems good that trains have stayed in service for transporting goods. Otherwise tractor-trailers would be consuming a lot more fuel.

Train horns are there for a good reason. They warn pedestrians and vehicle drivers that a train is approaching and you should get off the track. It has to be loud so people will hear it. What sounds to you like a chorus is a set of prescribed signals used to identify a particular signal. There are different signals for start, stop, back-up, grade crossing, etc.

I didn't see a lot of responses to help you with your issue. Just a lot of old farts recalling the glory days of steam and coal. Nostalgia Schmostalgia...if you build a horn with overkill because the shallow end of the gene pool is too ignorant to move off of the track, well then...there you are.

You don't need to "shotgun" everyone around when the problem is contained within a ten foot danger area.

We need to work smarter, not harder people.

BTW, I live less than 1 mile from an F-18 and EA6B carrier practice strip...I am quite sure I am qualified. I WISH I only had to listen to trains!

Did you miss the part about some trains being a mile long and it's yards, so unlike F-18's, there is backing involved.

BTW there are around 6.6 million rail commuters daily in Mumbai

No...didn't miss it...and bomb dropping for the planes...don't forget that irrelevant point.

My main point being that every citizen within a five mile radius really doesn't need to know that some whistle-happy yokel is about to make a crossing (or backing up).

Yards or feet...I was only about 8 inches off, with the high average width of a rail car in the US being 10'8".

In India the average width is 3.2 yards (under ten feet alone).

I don't really care how many commuters there are...unless they are trying to ride on the front, top, side, etc.

Yards as in shunting yards.

Sound restricted to a narrow corridor ahead of an engine is not much use when assembling a train.

Ohhhh...thaaaat...

I am totally for workplace safety measures...

Then the NIMBY and who was here first thing would definitely matter...

Who are you to say what decibel or direction the horn should be facing or blowing. Bombs are more predictable than trains. And not to many people are hindered by safety issues at a bomb range.

As Lyn mentioned a train can be a mile long and before it moves the horn is sounded to let the caboose men / rear engine men know it is getting ready to pull out and for all the loaders and rail men to be ready in case it jerks and somebody looses a life.

Yes once it is moving and approaching a crossing have directional horns mounted to warn people and traffic that the train is coming. My dad was an engineer for SP (Southern Pacific) and later moved up the ranks but he mentioned that it used to be law to begin sounding 1/4 mile before the intersection. Now it is just 100 yards....100 yards with a mile worth of train, that is little or no warning at 60 - 70 MPH....it is not going to stop so it needs to tell people it is coming and GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY!

As far as the bottom feeder comment or aimed at less intelligent people comment....Um maybe you should go lay down on the tracks.

Stedou73ish,

Directional horns do not have a sharp cutoff. These will still be heard for may be 300m on the sides and 2Kms on the front. If operational requirements need sound at the rear end as well, then directional horns in parallel can be hooked to the guard van on the rear. It is important to meet operational and safety requirements and at the same time minimize the nuisance value to the unconnected others. Technology has to move forward with inovation and we can not be static in the last century.

How does this work when assembling cars in a yard?

Maybe it is time for you to spend a bit of time in the yards finding out how things are done and why these trains blow their horns. With luck you might even survive a shift.

It is important to meet operational and safety requirements and at the same time minimize the nuisance value to the unconnected others.

Nuisance - you have a choice of where to live, the kid that may have tripped and fell on the track has 100 yards to get up and roll out of the way. Safety may be considered a nuisence, but it saves lifes.

I respect that you do not like the sound but that sound has saved may lifes and I do not consider that a nuisence. As I had mentioned my dad was an engineer and like others posted my dad had a woman jump directly in front of him to take her life. I know that can not be helped, and that is what moved him from the engine to the desk in SF, but he used to tell me how quickly the track would clear when he "horned Up". He actualy laughed and said "people would move like Roaches when the light came on when they heard the horn." I did not quite understand that unti I had my first apartment in college.

All the busy business men not paying attention suddenly new to move. I believe it to be human nature to get preoccupied and lose awareness of an on comming train when wandering around the station. However the compramise has already been made, and I feel no other needs to be made. But I live in the mountains now and kind of miss that horn when riding with my dad at times.

As mentioned it used to be unlimited Horn, 1/4 mile out it is now set to 3 blasts at 100 yards. Longest blast is 3 seconds (detertmined by the ENGINEER for safety reasons) most are short bursts now to be kind to track living residents.

Who am I? Nobody really...

Just a citizen with the same rights as everyone else...who share no greater burden in that respect.

I may never know...some people here may be actual policy makers...they are educated enough to consider all opinions, not just toss them based on "Who are you to say...".

In some third world countries not only the government but also most of the people ask "who are you to say". They respect people for designation/position held,race religion,language,birth place,social status,wealth,political affiliation etc and not for their opinion or knowledge.

Yes, well, all men are created equal. Those classifications are racist, dogmatic, and plain old ignorant.

Aren't they?

And I believe the phrase is "developing countries"...but who am I?

Nostalgia Schmostalgia...if you build a horn with overkill because the shallow end of the gene pool is too ignorant to move off of the track, well then...there you are.

need to know that some whistle-happy yokel is about to make a crossing (or backing up).

And I am getting ripped on after those comments........Hugh.

Remember safety and saving lives is first even if it is a "whistle-happy yokel"

"who are you to say": is based on the lack of care for for the shallow end of the gene pool. Heck forbid they would own a house next to a sounding horn, they may actualy like the roof over their head and enjoy the horn.

That is the same attitude and response I hear all of the time in the good 'ole U.S. of A. I should be proud to live near a base with fighter jets, it's the Sound of Freedom! If you go against that, it's like you are un-American.

Do I have to be grateful when the Navy brings in new jets (I was there before them) that exceed 120 dB (the Navy's measurements, not mine!)? The old jets barely broke 90 dB...

I feel that most people would sh!t their pants if they had to live with such noise that it feels like it is knocking the fillings out of their head. Like I said earlier...I wish I only lived next to a train track.

Yeah safety and security...I live with the Sound of Freedom every day. Enjoy the roof over your head...as if I have to be allowed to live in such an environment.

To each his own.

Freedom is for living with dignity not for destroying other civilisations or rob their wealth. The problem is UN and some superpowers do not care for rights of mankind but help nations for getting supports from governments to stage their political games. Remember what happened to Germany (Hitler),India,Pakistan,Yugoslavia,Czechoslavia etc

????

Please explain carefully so that we all can understand.

GA

pnban, that is exactly why the jets are there because the island on which he may live combined its powers with another super power to destroy this nation, its civilization and rob its wealth.

They lost, so the jets remain to help maintain world peace with dignity!

UMMMM...did not Pakistan just house one of the worst offenders of freedom, peoples rights and the taker of mass lives......Bin Ladin? The removal of that person will help mankind. The entire world not just the UN was behind getting Hitler out of power as he was worse than Bin Ladin.

The UN is generally right to take in account the worlds peace requirements, where as the Greedy Countries / Nations housing these murders are only looking for their money to line their personal pockets, again individual greed.

Will active noise control work for your jet noise? May be some experts can throw some more light on this .

Well the jets probably would not be there if the regime in power did not side with a power that wanted to put missiles on that island and use them to destroy this land mass. So its the greed and the need for money that put those jets on that island of yours so that the world was spared a Holocaust.

Don't blame the states for protecting them selfs from a greedy dictator. The jets remain and the island is still paid for the space the jets occupy.

If trains are equipped with radar a train can detect anything in its path.

If detection is done sound horn and apply brakes.

What if its a Rabbit?

The rail ways were created to efficiently move people and product from location to location with a minimum amount of stops. Radar detection could lead to many unnecessary stops causing many types of delays for product and people. And as Andy mentioned Stopping is the issue.

How far ahead do you set the radar?

When do you sound the horn?

I fear that radar will result in more horn sounding from further away due to the stopping times.

The system in place works well, if the horn is a bother, I am sorry, but take solace in the fact that each time you hear that horn somebody's life may be getting saved.

The problem is not detecting, its stopping in a very short distance.....Trains can take a long time to stop even from quite low speeds....

At rail crossings warnings is not enough. There should be automatically operated barriers as in car-parks/check points which will close before train comes near and opens after train passes the crossing

I agree with just about everything you say, a practical viewpoint so to say. Many thanks.

You imply that some railroad crossings in the US still do not have the bar that drops down on each side of the track, with flashing red lights on it to warn the traffic to stop! Is that true? Here in Europe it is only in primitive countries (old com Block) where that can still be true.....

If true in the USA, adding them on all crossings asap would seem to be a good idea.....safety first!!

I would like to also mention that as far as I am aware, big trucks and trains share a similar braking system, pressure is used to take the brakes OFF, not to put them on. A loss of pressure for ANY reason puts the brakes ON, a lot faster than you may imagine!

Its why trucks can be difficult to move if the compressor fails for any reason, or there is a dramatic loss of pressure - a pipe opens or falls off, I would imagine that trains are similar....(not that I am an expert on Train braking systems!). Also, I am speaking of European Trucks, US trucks may be different of course.

Here in the US we have Crossing barriers (that cover the entire roadway entrance to the tracks) with red lights and bells that begin ringing at a quarter of a mile out at crossings to warn of the trains approach. But still the horn is used for the people that are daring enough to think they can still cross the tracks or are standing close to the tracks awaiting the train, in the station to let them know the train is within 100 yards at the sound of the horn.

Gavilin brings up many good points, GA!

The trouble is some vehicle stall at the crossings before the train approaches/gate closes.

I don't quite understand why you of all members are focused on vehicle crossings when rail corridors are largely unfenced in India and hundreds of people wander about on them day and night and many don't survive the experience.

How very true! I still had to laugh though (not about the number who get killed I hasten to add!) as many of our good friends in India and the surrounding countries manage to COMPLETELY forget about their own local area problems.

Recently someone from India on CR4 got VERY "shirty" with me after I reminded him that India has more people living on the street than most of the rest of the world's homeless added together!!

It was pertinent to the particular blog in question as we were talking about lack of hygiene in some areas......and India does not have enough public toilets to even to serve the homeless.....with which they are not alone either......but he protested that he knew that it was simply not true. I forget his name for the moment!

Great terse post and unfenced and barrier free crossings are rife in the rural flatlands of the USA also. My scary experience was near Lone Star, TX for example. Many bad situations in TX as anyone who has visited can attest too. Here in Central OH where I am working I have found a few. But, commonsense should prevail, as we get quite a few deaths near my home in Western PA on tracks away from crossings and even a person crossing the tracks a few feet from a authorized crossing. Years ago train traffic in W. PA was plentiful, but when the trucking lobbyists went full force, many lines were abandoned or traffic was downsized greatly. The advent of the RR merger in the USA has increased traffic and many abandoned lines have been bought by "Short Line RRs" to alleviate congestion and move goods.

In addition, I can truthfully say that many of the idiots blissfully crossing in the wrong place are under the influence. Mostly crack and heroin around home.

Again, GA.

qaqcpipeman

Here in the US we have MANY grade crossings with cross-bucks only. We also have many thousands of miles of tracks that do not have signal systems for the trains themselves; but have now mandated GPS based positive train control to be in place by 2015.

GPS is another tool that could be used for grade crossing warning. Cars could be equipped with a dash warning light and speaker override if the car is closing within a certain distance of a crossing that a train is occupying or approaching.

Although grade crossing collision kill and injure too many people here in the US - Trespasser deaths far exceed that number. Accident data can be found at FRA.DOT.GOV and then choosing the safety pull down menu. Data is also available on every grade crossing in the US, including the type of warning devices for that crossing and its accident history.

The train horn is more effective when warning trespassers.

Gavilan