CN Horns

[Ted]

   http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/berwyn/news/x1543605400/Peace-and-quiet-will-come-officials-reassure  
 
 
 Peace and quiet will come, officials reassure

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By Danya Hooker, dhooker@mysuburbanlife.com
Berwyn Life
Tue Jul 28, 2009, 02:19 PM CDT
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Berwyn, IL -

  Just after 6 a.m. each day, former Berwyn 3rd Ward Alderman Rick Toman hears the same aggravating sound outside his home, which lies just 25 feet from the Canadian National railroad tracks.

"Every morning, they're laying on that horn at Harlem (Avenue) and all the way through," Toman said.

 Residents along about 1.5 miles of Canadian National railway that runs through Berwyn have battled for years to combat a host of complaints, including the horns, speeding trains, blocked crossings and excessive idling. And while U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski, 3rd District, of Western Springs announced in March that a deal had been reached to designate two Berwyn crossings and seven in Riverside and North Riverside as quiet zones, local leaders remain unsure when the process will be completed.

"At the time, (CN) had to order some equipment and it was going to take some time to get the equipment," said North Riverside Village Administrator Guy Belmonte. "We were looking to have the quiet zone in place by the end of the year, and I hope we're still on pace."

 Lipinski announced the deal during a press conference in March. The railroad would install safety measures at each of the nine crossings by November. The three communities, in turn, would split the cost to construct additional barriers at the Harlem Avenue and Cermak Road crossings, Belmonte said.

 "We're really going to wait until CN does their part before we spend any money on the improvements," Belmonte said. "Once we know they have the equipment on hand and they're going to put it in, then we will make the improvements."

Belmonte said the communities are also waiting on word from CN before obtaining a cost estimate for the needed improvements.

Representatives from CN did not return calls for comment as of Tuesday morning.

Nathaniel Zimmer, a Lipinski spokesman, said the original plans announced in March are still in place but will take time. He said updates on the estimated time to complete the safety upgrades would be available in the near future.

"Clearly, we understand that people are tired of listening to train horns, and we know they've been dealing with this for a long time," Zimmer said. "I want to assure people that progress is being made."

The Federal Railroad Administration requires horns be sounded at public highway-rail grade crossings, but communities that have safety measures at grade crossings can establish quiet zones banning the horns sounding off. To help meet FRA requirements, CN agreed to install constant warning-timing devices at both the Riverside Drive and Harlem Avenue crossings in Berwyn, as well at the Hainesworth Avenue, Cermak Road, First Avenue and Des Plaines Avenue in North Riverside, and at Veterans Drive and 26th Street in Riverside.

Throughout his six terms and 26 years as alderman, Toman said he worked extensively to help Berwyn and its railroads live in harmony. In some circles, he is known as "The Railroad Guy" for his work to improve living conditions near the railways, his calls to public officials and his letters to CN representatives.

"I've lived in this house for about 25 years and I've lived between the two railroads my entire life," Toman said. "I'm not a train hater — I have my Lionel trains, I count the engines as they go by. I don't hate trains. I just ask them to be good neighbors."

[EC]

We are all glad Ald. Wiener finally came through.

[Bonster]

I heard them - really heard them - for the first time last night.
I've heard horns off in the distance before, but I was in the backyard last night around 3:30a and couldn't believe how clear they were.  The closest tracks to me are on the Ike (I'm at 1300), so I'm assuming this was from the CN tracks down by 28th(?)

If I was able to hear them that clear up here, I can't imagine how loud they must be to those closer to the tracks.

[EC]

They are LOUD !! I'm two blocks away and they sound like they are going down your gangway. Last night was one of the worst in a long time.

[menace2society]

Makes you want to find out where the engineer lives and sit outside his house, blowing your car horn while he sleeps, doesn't it?

[OakParkSpartan]

I heard them - really heard them - for the first time last night.
I've heard horns off in the distance before, but I was in the backyard last night around 3:30a and couldn't believe how clear they were.  The closest tracks to me are on the Ike (I'm at 1300), so I'm assuming this was from the CN tracks down by 28th(?)

If I was able to hear them that clear up here, I can't imagine how loud they must be to those closer to the tracks.

I heard the same thing...I thought it was odd I only hear them at 3AM.

BTW, I was NOT in Bonsters backyard.

[Classof67]

I heard them - really heard them - for the first time last night.
I've heard horns off in the distance before, but I was in the backyard last night around 3:30a and couldn't believe how clear they were.  The closest tracks to me are on the Ike (I'm at 1300), so I'm assuming this was from the CN tracks down by 28th(?)

If I was able to hear them that clear up here, I can't imagine how loud they must be to those closer to the tracks.

I heard the same thing...I thought it was odd I only hear them at 3AM.

BTW, I was NOT in Bonsters backyard.

[/b]

Good one!  I was wondering about that 3:30 AM visit to the yard myself....

[~LL~]

They are LOUD !! I'm two blocks away and they sound like they are going down your gangway. Last night was one of the worst in a long time.

Also 2 blocks away -- and, yes, the horn blowing was excessive and ridiculously loud early this morning.  If anyone finds a phone number of someone to call about this -- please post & I shall do the same.  Generally hard to find a 'good' phone number to a live person at CN.

[billyjean]

Didn't you people notice the train tracks when you moved there?

[Bonster]

Not a problem for me; I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't let the dog out in the middle of the night.

[chandasz]

I am on 24th street and I hear them like crazy at 5am. I don't remember them being this bad a few months ago but maybe I didn't notice.

They lay on the horns for a really really long time.

Doesn't really bother me as I am further away but man-- I feel for anyone who has a home near those tracks

[Scouts Honor]

Never understood why the CN is blowing away
while the BN with multiple crossings is silent.

[OakParkSpartan]

Not a problem for me; I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't let the dog out in the middle of the night.

I got woken up due to a Repo guy making all kinds of noise dragging a car out into the street.

[dukesdad]

Never understood why the CN is blowing away
while the BN with multiple crossings is silent.

The BN does sound their whistles, though not as much as the CN. The difference is the BN has 4 panel gates or gates that extend all the way across the street, making it more difficult for cars to go around the gates. That's part of what the CN and Berwyn/North Riverside are going to do in order to establish the "quiet zones" on the CN. The engineer can still blow to his hearts content though if he feels the need "quiet zone" or not.

[n01_important]

They blow the horns to reduce liability in case a dumb fuck decides to "beat the train" and looses.

So all the citizens are against the horn until they get hit by a train and are the first ones to sue claiming they didn't hear the horn.

[niuhuskie]

Didn't you people notice the train tracks when you moved there?

Its not the whistles in themselves I have a problem with. But on the CN tracks, the blowing is incessant...I sware by the fact that it sometimes goes on for over an hour (usually early in the morning). Explain to me why this is necessary or how it prevents anything other than a restful nights sleep. We are not living out in the country where gates do not exist. We have gates, we have lights, and we have bells at all crossings. If someone is going to zip around the gates with those warnings, I dont see how a horn is going to convince them otherwise.

[n01_important]

In yesterday's world, it was needed... even with signals and/or barriers. 

The defendant would claim he/she didn't hear the train and it became a "citizen who is now hospitalized versus big bad corporation"... end results, millions would be paid.

In today's world, RR are putting cameras on their locomotives.  It is not necessary to constantly blow the horn... so yes, there will be change in the near future.  The engineers will only blow the horn if they see someone passing.  The horn gets recorded along with the video.

[~LL~]

In today's world, RR are putting cameras on their locomotives.  It is not necessary to constantly blow the horn... so yes, there will be change in the near future.  The engineers will only blow the horn if they see someone passing.  The horn gets recorded along with the video.

Great - and long overdue.