Train Speed.Most U.S. freight trains are only allowed to go 60 mph max. In suburban areas they often go slower. Test suggest that they create an average of about 85 db of noise (at close proximity).
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The subway noise levels are around 90db. As you can tell from this brief scale, noises can reach unsafe levels rapidly. Most people do not have prolonged exposure to the sound of a subway train, but many face occupational noises that are equally as loud all day long.
Noise pollution and vibrations are some of the biggest concerns, particularly for people who live within one-third of a mile of railroads or railyards, says Natalia Caldeira Loss Vincens, an expert in public health at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
The intensity of sound (such as a train horn) that you hear will vary at night, sometimes louder and sometimes softer. The explanation is the height of the inversion above the ground.
In theory the seats in the center should be quieter and also should lurch less than the seats towards the ends. They are away from the wheels and st a fulcrum point.
The duration of noise is brief for high-speed trains when compared to traditional train systems which take longer to pass. High-speed trains are powered by an electric propulsion system which, when compared to the more common diesel train engines, generates significantly less noise.
The intensity of sound will vary at night, sometimes louder and sometimes softer. It has to do with the height and strength of a temperature inversion just above the ground. On clear, calm nights, it is cooler at the ground than higher up.
Guests are asked to limit conversation and speak in subdued tones. Phone calls are not allowed and all portable electronic devices must be muted or used with headphones (passengers using headphones must keep the volume low enough so that the audio cannot be heard by other passengers).
The horn needs to sound 15 to 20 seconds before the train arrives at a grade crossing, an area when road and rail intersect. They are also required to sound a short blast of noise if they see anything on the tracks. If it's an animal, a deer or cat, a sharp report from the horn usually scares it away.
Under the Train Horn Rule (49 CFR Part 222, issued on August 17, 2006), locomotive engineers must begin to sound train horns at least 15 seconds, and no more than 20 seconds, in advance of all public grade crossings.
Motormen rarely press the horns three times but when they do, it means they have lost control over the motor and that the guard has to immediately pull the vacuum brake.
Train horns are not just simple warning devices, but they also communicate different messages to railroad workers and pedestrians. The main reason why trains have multiple horns is to have multiple tones. The various tones make it easier to distinguish between different types of signals and make them more audible.
Anyway, don't blame the engineer: They're required to blow that horn. The regulation in question is called the Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns—a name that strongly implies they've had just about enough of your bitching—and it requires four blasts 15 to 20 seconds before every crossing.