Here is the text of a message that I posted on December 30th. It has long since been shuffled to the second page of the forum. But, here is what I said at that time.
I have been meaning to post this for some time and final got that time today.
As many of you know, the freight train line that runs North and South along the West Side of the Villages provided plenty of horn noise. Until recently it has been a real problem for hundreds of homes, particularly in Chatham Village. I even posted a video some time ago to demonstrate just how loud it has been.
Now, the Federal Railroad Administration has instituted new "Train Horn Rules," and it has brought the problem down to acceptable levels. The new rule has been four years in the planning.
Under the new rules, the decibel output of the horn is dramatically reduced and the horns themselves have been relocated from the top of the locomotive to the front, aimed downward toward the track. It now sounds like a distant car horn rather than a cruise ship.
Additionally, the frequency of the horns at crossings has changed, again dramatically. They now sound the horn at different intervals depending on their speed.
I was one of the leaders in the fight to remedy the situation. Turns out that the director of the FRA, Joe Boardman is an old acquaintance of mine from New York. I worked closely with him when he was Highway Commissioner in Broome County, and later when he was New York State Transportation Director. He is a great guy and really responsive to the needs of the public. Because of the outstanding work he did with the FRA, he was recently named president and CEO of Amtrak.
I am not saying that it was my actions alone that prompted the new train horn rules; I am saying that it was because of Joe Boardman and his desire to correct a long time problem. This new rule is nationwide, not just in and around The Villages.
I can say that for the first time in five years, trains pass by our house, and we don’t hear them. We can still hear the Clickty Clack of the wheels, but that God Awful blasting of the horns is gone.
Halleluiah!!!
JLK
|