The Villages and the Train noise

[Talk Host]

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

[Becky]

TH, very glad you got some relief from the noise! Great news to hear!

Becky

[ijusluvit]

Of course it wasn't your efforts alone that got the job done. But you were part of that unbeatable American dynamic duo: The Who who was dedicated to get it done and the Who you knew.

Congrats and take a well deserved bow. You have helped improve the quality of life for perhaps millions.

ps. My very influential friend in Virginia worked for a couple of years to reduce whistle noise in his area. The engineers' spin on that effort was to blow as often and as long as they could pull the handle. They wanted to insure safety at intersections. He moved away.

[ouma1938]

Congratulations Jan. Your efforts have contributed to achieving a better quality of life for you, your wife, and millions of others. I am so glad that your perserverance paid off.

[Best Mom]

Nice work Jan! :eclipsee_gold_cup:

Fumar....take your time with that key!!! :laugh:

[Hyacinth Bucket]

I congratulate Joseph H. Boardman, former Administrator of New York State Transportation and President of Amtrax, and his staff for resolving a problem that people through out the United States were bothered by.

We are but a minute corner of the United States, and yet Mr. Boardman and his staff, have improved the quality of life in our community.

Thank you Mr. Boardman and your staff and congratulations on your new appointment of President of Amtrax in late November of this year.

HB

[Russ_Boston]

Great news Jan - Not only for you but for sellers of any home on the Western Front!

[KathieI]

Agree, Russ. Great News. I viewed some really great villas while searching for my home in that corner of TV and was hesitant to buy there because of the noise. Its a beautiful area and it was such a shame to have it not desirable because of the train whistle. Thanks Jan for whatever you did to help that situation. Every little bit helps.

[downeaster]

.
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 Clickety Clack of the wheels, but that God Awful blasting of the horns is gone.
Halleluiah!!!


JLK

I wondered where the train noise went. I live far enough away from the tracks to enjoy the occasional whistle in the distance. However, I am happy to give up that little bit of nostalgia so you and others living closer can now enjoy some relative piece and quiet. I say relative because the clickety clack together with those big diesels aren't exactly quiet.
BTW, I think some of those engineers were sadistic. They would blow that horn continuously for miles. I tried to figure out if there was a pattern but it seems each engineer did as he liked and that was to annoy as many people as he could.

[The Great Fumar]

ALLS QUITE ON THE WESTERN FRONT

FUMETTE AND I WERE WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE TRAINS..
I ONLY NOTICED ONE TODAY ABOUT 4;30 .....

THANKS JAN ---------- YOUR A PEACH

AHHHHH SILENT SPRING

FUMAR ..:bowdown:

[Barefoot]

We live on the western perimeter of TV and we have never minded the train noise. But we know it might impact us if we want to sell.

So this is exceptionally good news for all of us. And Jan, I am so pleased for you and your wife to finally get some peace and quiet.

[rshoffer]

Perserverance pays off.... good job!

[livsea2]

I crossed any possible homes off my list if it was west of Beuna Vista specifically because of the train whistle. I will have to reconsider. After I check out the difference in noise levels of course. When I stayed in Belvedere that *^%$ whistle woke me up all night! I guess I am a light sleeper.
This is great news though, way to go Jan! ;)

[Talk Host]

ALLS QUITE ON THE WESTERN FRONT

FUMETTE AND I WERE WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE TRAINS..
I ONLY NOTICED ONE TODAY ABOUT 4;30 .....

THANKS JAN ---------- YOUR A PEACH

AHHHHH SILENT SPRING

FUMAR ..:bowdown:


Ah yes, the 4:30 guy. He has always had a heavy hand on the horn. Funny you should mention him. The exact same train and time was mentioned at a party last week.

[KathieI]

Seriously folks, TH is not kidding. Is that 4:30am? Those early morning whistles woke up my visitors when I was renting in Bonnybrook. It wasn't funny, we wanted to go to his house and wake him up in the middle of the day while he slept. Not a joke!

[Sidney Lanier]

I wondered where the train noise went. I live far enough away from the tracks to enjoy the occasional whistle in the distance. However, I am happy to give up that little bit of nostalgia so you and others living closer can now enjoy some relative piece and quiet. I say relative because the clickety clack together with those big diesels aren't exactly quiet.
BTW, I think some of those engineers were sadistic. They would blow that horn continuously for miles. I tried to figure out if there was a pattern but it seems each engineer did as he liked and that was to annoy as many people as he could.

I agree; we live in Village of Belvedere on the west side of TV, though to us it was far enough away that the whistles evoked nostalgia more than annoyance. And at the risk of being a little 'chauvinistic,' I'm pleased that Mr. Boardman was a New Yorker (where we are when we're not in TV or traveling) who was able to accomplish this!

[Talk Host]

I congratulate Joseph H. Boardman, former Administrator of New York State Transportation and President of Amtrax, and his staff for resolving a problem that people through out the United States were bothered by.

We are but a minute corner of the United States, and yet Mr. Boardman and his staff, have improved the quality of life in our community.

Thank you Mr. Boardman and your staff and congratulations on your new appointment of President of Amtrax in late November of this year.

HB

:agree:

[Talk Host]

I agree; we live in Village of Belvedere on the west side of TV, though to us it was far enough away that the whistles evoked nostalgia more than annoyance. And at the risk of being a little 'chauvinistic,' I'm pleased that Mr. Boardman was a New Yorker (where we are when we're not in TV or traveling) who was able to accomplish this!

:agree:

[ricthemic]

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

Does anyone if this rule still in effect?

[bigbill]

We bought in Calumet Grove in 2003. Not being fully retired we would spend about 6/8 weeks a year in our villa.
We will be full time in November. Point being we just reurned from our last trip on 7/21. We were there for 3 weeks and I kept telling my wife seems like the train traffic has dropped off. Use to hear them 4/5 times a night. It's hardly noticable now GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!

[salpal]

Thanks!!! Living in Village of Belvedere we hear the trains, but thanks to you, it is in the distance and we do not mind it at all. In fact, sometimes it reminds us what time it is, time just flies by here.

[scoreboard]

I agree it seems to be better. Might be a result of fewer trains running due to economy.
We stayed in Chatham for a couple of months in 2009 (Jan-Feb) and it was really noticable, day and night.
Last year we rented for the same period in Calumet Grove and the frequency and noise level had diminished.
I don't think we were that much further from the tracks by 301 to cause the reduction in noise.
The engineers do have a sense of humor though, one time I heard a train do the "shave and a haircut-two bits" toot! Probably an aspiring musician.

[Xavier]

What Train? :shrug:

[joannej]

Jan, we heard the train's whistle too when we rented in Chatham (next to an open field) where we stayed for a month, and again when we rented in Belvedere. Now we live in Mallory Square because we didn't want to be anywhere near the western part of TV. Do you know when we mentioned the train noise to our real estate agent, she said "What train noise?" Well we knew we couldn't trust whatever she said after that comment. We also knew we could not rent homes anymore around that area. Thanks for the battle you waged over this "noise pollution", and now we are all winners because of your actions. Landlords can get return rentals and landowners don't have to be afraid they won't sell their properties because of the noise. You have certainly made the western part of TV a wonderful place to live. I felt sorry about the grief you, your wife, and other people experienced while living in the Chatham area, hearing the train whistle wake you during the nighttime. I know you were trying to sell your home at one point in time. Did you ever sell it and relocate elsewhere in TV?

With much appreciation and thanks again from everyone. :BigApplause:

[Vinny]

I have often lived withing the hearing distance of trains and find the noise soothing. Perhaps if I lived closer to the source it would be a problem but here in Pennecamp I only hear it in my bedroom and only while awake. Being in the transportation business for 40 years meant spending a lot of time around truck, planes, trains and ships so I am used to the noise and find it comforting in a way.Too close to a train horn can be very annoying though.

[Barefoot]

We live in the western part of The Villages, in Belvedere. We owned a Villa there and sold it to buy a house. We could have moved anywhere in TV; but our preference was to stay in Belvedere. We love it there, and we enjoy the soothing sound of the train in the distance.

[Pturner]

Our home is in Springdale and we've never heard the train. Z, can you hear it?

[The Great Fumar]

We don't feel that trains are any longer an issue in chatham......

[Pturner]

We don't feel that trains are any longer an issue in chatham......

By we, do you mean you and your dog? Cool!

[scoreboard]

Just curious, could you elaborate on what you mean by train noise is
"no longer an issue"?
No more train noise, less train noise, ignoring it, problem solved?
just wondering.
Thanks

[Lou Card]

We could hear a train off in the distance in our last home in Georgia. I miss the sound. Go figure.