Comments on: Questions about train horns http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/letters/questions-about-train-horns/ Yolo County, California Thu, 16 Apr 2015 17:11:01 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 By: Edith Jandro http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/letters/questions-about-train-horns/comment-page-1/#comment-215610 Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:29:46 +0000 http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=199797#comment-215610 The train horn I heard last night in Owatonna, Mn. was eerily beautiful. I live close to the tracks, and last night had my windows open so I could really hear it well. I had never heard this sound before, and hope I do again soon. I enjoy the sound of a train horn, and the beautiful chords that are played are very enjoyable to me.

]]> By: Dr. Science http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/letters/questions-about-train-horns/comment-page-1/#comment-202725 Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:54:29 +0000 http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=199797#comment-202725 The newer train whistles can play a “2”, “6”, or major 7 chord among others, and that’s a forgiving interpretation since they are not tuned perfectly to the chromatic scale. I’ll have to listen more closely but I think the Capital Corridor is a 6 chord. Since the 1-3-5 standard chord is more pleasing to our ears, the blast of these common jazz chords is more suited for getting attention through dissonance than being a send-up to Brubeck.

Train horn blowing has to follow rules. If the train is slow, it has to start the horn 15-20 seconds prior to the intersection and continue through. If it’s fast, it has to start 1/4 early and continue through. Since crossing architecture is variable across the US, the standard rule applies.

The pattern trains blow when approaching the intersection is the Morse code for the letter Q:
–.-
or Long, long, short, long.

One additional note: due to atmospheric ducting, the train horn will sound louder when there is a cold layer of air near the ground, thereby bending the sound down to houses all over town, sounding much louder than normal. So the horns will seem louder on cold evenings and mornings rather than hot afternoons.

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