The locomotive horn has been the subject of discussion for some time in Longmont, including detailed discussions from the City Council and public participation of concerns and ideas in the form of a barrage of letters to the editor of the Times Call. Read the events leading up to the current debate here.

A little about me and what this page is about: I am a Locomotive Engineer who lives in Longmont. I don't operate trains through Longmont, but I do operate them through many towns nearby which are very similar to Longmont. I have read the articles in the paper and for a long time have intended to contribute, but simply haven't had the time. I believe that in order to be effective in minimizing any of the problems those dang trains cause us, we must have correct information regarding the situation. Some of the opionions and "facts" that have appeared in the Forum and TC Line have been incorrect (see "Did You Know? sidebar at right), so I offer corrections in order to better understand the problem. Because of my somewhat unique knowledge, I also offer several very cost effective solutions, and although they won't quiet the horns completely, they should offer a quick and less expensive reduction in locomotive horn use. This page tries to get right to he point, What can be done? The links that are offered lead you to related information, background information, and citations and definitions, which you may or may not need.

Because I live in Longmont I offer my knowledge and expertise without charge as a community service.

Let’s face it, the railroad isn’t going anywhere, so let’s try to find a way to minimize some of the negative impacts of the trains that travel through our city.

The Federal Railway Authorization Act of 1994 added something called Quiet Zones. A quiet zone can be established if certain design criteria are met for the crossings in the limits of the quiet zone.

As many of you know the Longmont City Council did a feasibility study (note that this study is also in error stating that the recent rule increased horn volume) for making the entire city a "quiet zone". The cost was just less than $6 million to do only the main line through town.

Six million dollars is more than our city should afford, even if we weren't experiencing an economic downturn. A poll conducted by Longmont revealed that the majority of those surveyed were not in favor of a tax increase to fund the work needed to create the quiet zones. This leaves the City Council and residents of Longmont wondering what can be done. While the feasibility study offered several excellent suggestions, I would like to offer several—and less expensive—interim suggestions.

What the City Council Can Do

In addition to the recommendations by Dale Rademacher in his very thorough study, I offer several other options which can be implemented until we can afford the more expensive modifications that are needed for quiet zones.

1. Build a fence on at least one side of the tracks—preferably both. Leave openings only at crossings. This will discourage pedestrians (often children) and animals from crossing the tracks. We engineers hate hitting living things, and will blow the horn at anything on or alongside the tracks. This is extra horn use beyond blowing for the crossing that could be eliminated. 
2. Close some crossings. The original study proposed closing some lesser used crossings. No crossing, no horn! Why wait for other modifications? Close the crossings now!
3. Increase police presence. Police should issue warnings and tickets to anyone who trespasses on the railroad right-of-way, and anyone who crosses in front of a train (per city ordinance), and publicize it! The train crews will see the police cars along the right-of-way and will feel like they don't need the horn as much. Longmont should also review fine amounts for tickets given and make sure they are high enough to be a deterrent. Consider giving high priority to times when trains are present.  Are fines for trespassing high enough to deter it?  Consider contacting Longmont Emergency Unit (LEU) to do patrols of areas along tracks.  Do this in conjunction with education of the population.  This would be done through:
   • newspaper articles;
   • school visits by Operation Lifesaver;
   • the city newsletter;
   • signs in town along the tracks;
   • police, fire department and city worker interactions with individuals seen on or near the tracks;
   • asking local clubs, groups and organizations to invite Operation Lifesaver to give a presentation;
   • public service announcements on local cable channels or even in conjunction with other cities on Denver TV channels.
4. Phase in the quiet crossings. Some of the crossings are closer to being ready than others. In fact, the Longmont study identifies three crossings which need minimal modifications to become quiet crossings:
   • Hwy 119 at Hover
   • Hwy 119 at Nelson
   • 17th Street
   Isn’t each quiet crossing better than nothing?  Do them as the city budget allows over the course of several years. 
5. Research using time of day based quiet zones.  Because the modifications required to a crossing are based on traffic volume, and volume is lower from 10pm to 6am, it is possible to save money by only having quiet zones during that time. The FRA rule allows these “time based” quiet zones.
6. City Council should meet with Howard Gillespie (they may have already done so for the Quiet Zone review) and ask him to act as a liason between the city and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad to ensure the horn is used per the FRA rule. In talking with the Kansas City office, they informed me that this has been done in the past. This must happen prior to any complaints being sent to the FRA. I hope you all agree with me that no one should lose their job over this issue, or face discipline (in the form of unpaid time off) with no warning that there is a problem; and that the residents of our city would really appreciate the engineers' help with only using the horn as much as they have to. The goal here should be to make sure the local BNSF managers are familiar with the new rule so they aren't insisting on a higher level of usage simply because they are afraid of being sued. Additionally, we want the railroad to understand the city is taking steps to reduce crossing incidents.
7. Educate our public that engineers are just doing what they are required to do, and flipping them off, yelling at them, blasting your car horn at them and generally being nasty only make it worse (the result will be increased use of the horn). All of these actually happen.
8. Use city employees and/or volunteers to monitor horn use, using video or audio recording devices, to determine if FRA horn rules are being complied with. Violations should be reported to the railroad, and if they do not improve, then to the FRA.
9. Modify building code requirements (for new buildings or significant remodeling) for noise abatement inside buildings for buildings that are close to the RR tracks. Examples include: double or triple pane windows, additional attic insulation, and additional wall insulation. This makes the building quieter to be inside and easier to resell. I have seen this done near airports as well as railroad tracks.
10. Coordinate complaints. The City of Longmont should develop a form such as this one being used in Richmond, CA. Filling in this online form automatically sends emails to the railroad and city officials who can follow up.

What Inviduals Can Do

1. Stop back from the crossing 20 or 30 feet. Individuals can reduce the use of the horn by stopping back 20 or 30 feet as you approach a crossing, at least until the locomotive goes by. This signals the engineer that you see the train and are going to stop. Most engineers will blow the horn a great deal more if they think a car or pedestrian doesn’t see them. A car that “races” right up to the crossing is going to result in additional use of the horn. Besides the reduction in horn duration (due to a less concerned engineer), another good reason to do this is your safety. Trains occasionally derail and material does come off freight cars on occasion. Staying back from the crossing will minimize the effect of objects coming at you.
2. Contact your U.S. Representative. Call, write or email your U.S. Congressional Representatives and let them know that you feel the train horns are too loud in town and that they are used too much. This will only work if lots of people join the cause. Tell everyone you know, in and out of Longmont. Send emails or letters to friends and family telling them about the effort. The FRA won’t make much of a change in the current laws unless Congress directs them too.
   » Contact Betsy Markey, District 4
   
3. Contact the FRA and complain that the railroads are blowing the horn until the crossing is completely occupied, as opposed to their rule which only requires the horn only to be blown until occupied. Point out that this extra use of the horn creates excessive use due to slow speeds across the crossings.
   » Got a complaint? If you think the engineer overdid it call Bennie Howe at 816-407-9651.
   » Incident-specific complaints should be sent to Debra Dhone at debra.dhone@dot.gov or by fax to 816-329-3867. Please provide the following information: 1) city name and street crossing; 2) date and time; 3) the locomotive number (if possible); 4) comments describing the incident. Debra has assured us that every complaint is investigated as long as there is sufficient information for the department to investigate, even going so far as requesting the event recorder download to determine if the horn was used excessively. If you'd prefer to send a complaint in the mail the address is: Federal Railroad Administration, Attn: Debra Dhone, 901 Locust St #464, Kansas City, MO 64106.
4. Add insulation to their house. In addition to keeping additional noise out, it will save money in the long run from lower heating and cooling costs,
5. Replace windows with double- or triple-pane windows.
6. Use landscape to absorb noise.  Evergreen trees and bushes help a lot, as well as tall fences.
7. Don’t "fight it". When my kids were very little we had some problems getting them to bed. Our pediatrician recommended a great book (by Richard Ferber, we found it in the Longmont Library). The first few chapters were general information on sleeping (sleep patterns, etc). From what I learned from that book, as well as talking to lots of people and reading comments in the paper, I believe that people who get upset about the locomotive horn will lose more sleep than those who simply accept it. I can only suggest that you accept the fact that the horn is going to blow, and acceptance should in turn offer better sleep.

We hope this information helps. If you have suggestions that contribute to this conversation, please contact us and we will add them. You can also send additional information if it is helpful.

The horn itself is located on the top of the locomotive. Some models have it directly on top of the locomotive cab, while others have it behind the cockpit.

The increase in horn volume and use you have heard is not the result of any new law or regulation. Get the full story here.