Is a train allowed to blow the horn nonstop through an area

[kojak35]

There is this one train that goes through my neighbor hood between 12 am and 3am and it lays on the horn the whole time. It's really annoying. It also sounds like it is going much faster then it should be. I don't know what the speed limit is, but it must be doing 70 at least. Is it legal for it to do this. I thought they were only allowed to blow the horn so many times before they go through a crossing. There are 2 crossings not too far apart. The other trains blow the horn a few times before each crossing. But this one just lays on it until he passes both. Thanks in advance.

[Saturnalia]

Where? That's key to your question

[Jochs]

Sometimes if the crossings are really close together, fast moving trains (like Amtrak) will blow the horn normally to the first crossing, (2 longs, a short, and a long) then the last long will be really long, then followed by a break, a long, a short, and a long. The last long for the first crossing becomes the first long for the second crossing.

Most neighborhoods were built long after the railroads were built, so it always kills me when people build houses by a railroad that has been there since the 1800's then complain about the noise. (No JT, it doesn't literally kill me...it's just a figure of speech. )

[GreatLakesRailfan]

Somewhere I came across a mention of an engineer who was laying on the horn all the way through a small town. I think it was in Trains' (magazine) railroad reading section in the '70's or '80's. Apparently the guy had hit a car full of teenagers at some point in the past and was accused of either doing it intentionally or not doing his job properly, I can't remember which. Anyway, to make sure nobody was unaware of his train moving through the village in the middle of the night, he'd blow the horn from one end of town to the other. I seem to recall the story was an explanation for an unusually large population of children for such a small town...

Given people's propensity for blaming everything other than themselves or the "victims" when someone gets hit by a train, and how often the railroad gets sued after a grade crossing incident, especially ones caused by driver negligence, it wouldn't be surprising if someone with too many close calls in a specific area did the same thing. After all, since when does a town or village's noise ordinance matter to the railroad, aside from the 'good neighbor' aspect? I'd expect any complaints about the incident to fall on deaf ears at the railroad.

[BerkshireKid]

Here's my theory when I blow my horn at night... If i'm up, you're up! Donmt care if I wake you up or not.

[trnwatcher]

Depending on where you are I highly doubt they are going 70 mph. One of the biggest reasons people get hit by trains (especially at night) is it is hard to judge speed. The theory behind flashing ditchlights was that some study showed that peoples depth perception was thrown off by the flashing lights. Even watching a train from the side at night most people unfamilar with trains would be off 10-20 mph over or under on judging the speed of a moving train.
As for the horn unless your community has declared itself a "horn fee zone" and put the proper FRA required crossing protections inplace there isn't much you can do except complain to the railroad. You should be able to find a phone number online or in your Yellow Pages for the RR in question. Try and speak to a trainmaster or roadforeman of engines. Noting the dates, times and engine numbers would help also.

[Ypsi]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HixK1gZZjXI

[JStryker722]

I live in the Dearborn Heights area by the Amtrak Michigan Line.The crossings are so close together that any train going any kind of decent speed has to use the end of one horn sequence for one crossing to begin the next one. Just how it is. Annoying at times,sure. Is it by-the-book & legally mandated?Yes it is.

[redlodger]

I live in the Dearborn Heights area by the Amtrak Michigan Line.The crossings are so close together that any train going any kind of decent speed has to use the end of one horn sequence for one crossing to begin the next one.

On the former DT&I through Maybee there were four crossings within about 1800 feet. Two of the crossings were about 300 feet apart. The engineers would blow two long and one short for the first crossing, then lay on the horn as they passed through town. One of the crossings was closed in the 1980s, but crews continued to sound the horn through town.

[barnstormer]

There is this one train that goes through my neighbor hood between 12 am and 3am and it lays on the horn the whole time. It's really annoying. It also sounds like it is going much faster then it should be. I don't know what the speed limit is, but it must be doing 70 at least. Is it legal for it to do this. I thought they were only allowed to blow the horn so many times before they go through a crossing. There are 2 crossings not too far apart. The other trains blow the horn a few times before each crossing. But this one just lays on it until he passes both. Thanks in advance.

First off....if you are able to judge speed by "sounds", then there are a number of police departments who would love to hire you to help them with expanding their speed trap locations!

The locomotive rule is thus:
Sound the horn as follows: --- --- O --- (--- = long, O = short)
Approaching public highway grade crossings, sound the horn for a least 15 seconds, but no longer than 20 seconds before the lead
locomotive enters the crossing........This signal is to be prolonged or repeated until the train or locomotive occupies the crossing
or, where multiple crossings are involved, until the last crossing is occupied.


There is more to this rule, but I must go to work, and irritate more people like you.....

-barny.

[SousaKerry]

[NSSD60M]

There is this one train that goes through my neighbor hood between 12 am and 3am and it lays on the horn the whole time. It's really annoying. It also sounds like it is going much faster then it should be. I don't know what the speed limit is, but it must be doing 70 at least. Is it legal for it to do this. I thought they were only allowed to blow the horn so many times before they go through a crossing. There are 2 crossings not too far apart. The other trains blow the horn a few times before each crossing. But this one just lays on it until he passes both. Thanks in advance.

If it's a shortline you're located on, and it is the same engine on the train, maybe it could be a sticky air horn valve, never fully winding down between blasts, causing it to sound like one continuous blast over numerous crossings. Just a thought. Had a unit like that that was in some captive service, and a regular horn sequence sounded like I never spaced it out.

[Tier4GEVO]

There is this one train that goes through my neighbor hood between 12 am and 3am and it lays on the horn the whole time. It's really annoying. It also sounds like it is going much faster then it should be. I don't know what the speed limit is, but it must be doing 70 at least. Is it legal for it to do this. I thought they were only allowed to blow the horn so many times before they go through a crossing. There are 2 crossings not too far apart. The other trains blow the horn a few times before each crossing. But this one just lays on it until he passes both. Thanks in advance.

What Jochs said, word for word.

[95duck]

There is this one train that goes through my neighbor hood between 12 am and 3am and it lays on the horn the whole time. It's really annoying. It also sounds like it is going much faster then it should be. I don't know what the speed limit is, but it must be doing 70 at least. Is it legal for it to do this. I thought they were only allowed to blow the horn so many times before they go through a crossing. There are 2 crossings not too far apart. The other trains blow the horn a few times before each crossing. But this one just lays on it until he passes both. Thanks in advance.

You don't happen to live in a duplex by 24th street in holland do you? We have a horn fan that sits at his computer and flips us off every time we go by.