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Train horns in Waukesha

Brian the Automator

By Brian the Automator,
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DuWayne Steurer Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

DuWayne Steurer

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Brian, I lived for 14 years in a house where a train track from GM literally butted my back yard. The train track was about 50 feet from my actual house. You get used to it after a while. They used to come through and lay on the horn for 2 minutes at a time in the middle of the night.
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pitchleague ACL Brewers

pitchleague

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roco, isn't that because maybe something was on the track? otherwise, that seems very strange. Unless you live in the country. which then makes it absurd.

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burniebrewer First Round Pick

burniebrewer

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Probably the Amtrak, no?

 

My parents live in Oconomowoc and I remember always hearing that train when I would spend the night.

"His whole life is a fantasy camp. People should plunk down $2000 to live like him for a week. Sleep, do nothing, fall ass-backwards into money, mooch food off your neighbors and have sex without dating... THAT'S a fantasy camp."
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NeedMoreFans First Round Pick

NeedMoreFans

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I live right across the street from a set of tracks in Madison, and every once in a while, the same thing happens. It just happened yesterday...the engineer wailed on his horn for about 30 seconds without stopping. It also happens at night on occasion. I don't get it either.
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Godspeed Draft Eligible

Godspeed

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Trains are federally obligated to blare their horns in city areas unless there is a designated exemption.

As with all annoyances beyond your control, I know what you're wondering... who can you properly assign your blame and rage to?

The neighborhood used to be a designated quiet zone - meaning that trains would not blow their horns - but a snafu at City Hall has changed that.

It could be a few weeks or longer before the snafu is corrected, so residents near the railroad tracks on the east side of Waukesha better get used to the noise.

"It's a temporary thing," said Fred Abadi, the city's public works director.

To maintain quiet zones at several local railroad crossings, city officials faced a Feb. 25 deadline for submitting a request to the Federal Railroad Administration. But officials missed that deadline because of an apparent oversight.

So the quiet zone status expired June 24, which means that train operators now are required to blow their horns for safety reasons as they pass through the city.

This happened when I was living in La Crosse a few summers ago, and if I remember correctly, it wasn't exactly a timely fix. It's unfortunate when what can probably be classified as an outdated safety code stands to be a communal nuisance, but it's worth it if it saves a life.

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trwi7 Nashville Sounds

trwi7

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Related to trains but not the noise. Am I the only one who always gets stopped by a train on E. Moreland Ave. before either going straight on Eales Ave. or going either left to continue on E. Moreland and going right on to White Rock Ave.?

 

Either there's always a train coming through there or there is when I go through there. Brian probably knows where this is. Right by Frame Park and close to Niko's Gyros.

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Brian the Automator Biloxi Shuckers

Brian the Automator

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Related to trains but not the noise. Am I the only one who always gets stopped by a train on E. Moreland Ave. before either going straight on Eales Ave. or going either left to continue on E. Moreland and going right on to White Rock Ave.?

 

Either there's always a train coming through there or there is when I go through there. Brian probably knows where this is. Right by Frame Park and close to Niko's Gyros.

I get stopped by trains there all the time as well. I have to go through that area to get to I-94 to get to work. Whoever planned Waukesha's streets/railroads was on acid.

 

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trwi7 Nashville Sounds

trwi7

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I get stopped by trains there all the time as well. I have to go through that area to get to I-94 to get to work. Whoever planned Waukesha's streets/railroads was on acid.

Haha. The worst part is those trains are always so long and so slow. I was stuck there for a good 15 minutes on one of them and about 7 minutes in I said to myself, this has to be over soon, how much longer can this train be? Man was I wrong.

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DatHoser Draft Eligible

DatHoser

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Brian,

I thought I read somewhere (Lake Country paper?) about the city of Waukesha not filing for a exemption for silencing train whistles in time before a certain deadline. There were other people really irate about that, too. Keep in mind, I'm going off a rather bad memory of a one week old article.

 

EDIT:;; GodSpeed got it. Kudos to you GodSpeed and a shame on myself for missing that.

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Brian the Automator Biloxi Shuckers

Brian the Automator

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Haha. The worst part is those trains are always so long and so slow. I was stuck there for a good 15 minutes on one of them and about 7 minutes in I said to myself, this has to be over soon, how much longer can this train be? Man was I wrong.

The best part is when the train stops, and then goes backwards, then stops, then goes forward again.

 

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BMuch Prep Ball

BMuch

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but a snafu at City Hall has changed that.

 

The same thing just happened to Menasha (near Appleton). I've been wondering if the rules for exemption changed or if the crossings weren't maintained properly.

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GAME05 ACL Brewers

GAME05

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heck, i would say there's about no point for passenger trains.

 

there's still some super-heavy freight that's still cheaper by train vs. car, but that amount is sure diminishing.

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Jubes4025 Prep Ball

Jubes4025

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What do trains even do anymore? Seriously. Outside of passenger trains is their really a point anymore?

Yes there is a point, trains move over 40% of the nations freight, more than any other type of transportation. You are more dependent on trains than you know. Trains ship the coal we need for electricity, lumber, imports in containers from Asia, automobiles, electronics, ethanol, chemicals, fertilizers, grains, heck almost anything.

 

Trains are a more efficient than trucks. One rail car equals about three semi trucks. Trains can move the same amount freight, using less fuel, and at a cheaper price than trucks.

 

Roadways are being destroyed by trucks, if anything we need more trains for this reason. Since I am a Civil Engineering major at UW-Platteville I can tell you engineers do not design highways for your car, they design them for trucks.

 

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