It was an ordinary day. Reading one of the many weekly columns that my local Sunday newspaper presents each week titled "LANCASTER WATCHDOG." The title of this week's article read, "Family grows weary of loud train whistles." Story was about a girl and her father who have lived within earshot of the Strasburg Rail Road all their lives. For years and years the noise from the train was only background noise until recently when the train whistle seemed to be louder and higher-pitched than before. Their home is about two miles from the train station, but now the whistle noise starts earlier in the morning and continues well into the evening. Is this a bit too much? The Strasburg Railroad was founded in 1832 and prides itself on being the oldest continuously operating railroad in the country.
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| The oldest steam locomotive at the Strasburg Railroad. |
In 1958 it was transitioned into a tourist destination that seems to have grown in size, and noise, with over 300,000 visitors a year. Most close-by residents seem not to hear the noise with only the one recent complaint. But, Dennis Groft, vice-chairman of the Paradise Township Board of Supervisors (yep...we have a township named Paradise) acknowledges that there is a new, unique whistle from the trains this year. The sound sort of jumps out at you and is different from the past. It is quite noticeable to the neighbors. The new whistle sound seems to have a harsher pitch to it. Not long ago my wife and I traveled to a small cemetery along the Strasburg Railroad tracks to search for a tombstone. While we were walking through the cemetery, we heard the train approaching the county road where the cemetery was located. |
| Photograph of the train tracks from the cemetery. |
Then the whistle blew and scared the crap out of us. The whistle was a warning to drivers along the road to stop for the train. It definitely was alarming and I could see why the whistle would be annoying if it is what they hear all the time. But there are also rules that the train must follow. Operators must sound their whistles at a crossing and the whistle must be a minimum of 96 decibels which is the equivalent of a chain saw from 3 feet away. In 2005 local authorities were allowed to establish "quiet zones" where there could be a ban of routine whistles based on the safety risk at the intersection. Pennsylvania has only three of these intersections...and none are in Lancaster County. Well, the "LANCASTER WATCHDOG" spoke to Mr. Ziegler, the vice-president and chief mechanical officer of the Strasburg Rail Road about the recent complaints. Seems that a few months ago the Norfolk & Western Class J611, a steam engine train from the 1950s, that carried passenger cars in its heyday, came for an extended visit to the Strasburg Railroad. The noise it makes corresponds with the sound that the neighbors noticed. Seems that the 611's whistle has a low pitch to it rather than a high one. But, it was mentioned that from time to time the whistles on the engines are changed at the request of visitors to the Strasburg Railroad. It is said that the Strasburg Railroad tries to provide a nostalgic railroad experience for its guests and will, at times, make a few changes for the guests. Plus, some of the engines on the Strasburg Line are steam-powered while others are diesel-powered, thus a change in the whistle sounds.  |
| A diesel-powered locomotive. |
Perhaps when the Norfolk & Western engine moves on in the near future, the peace and quiet will once again return. I can't imagine what it would be like living along railroad tracks and having to listen to the sound all the time. But then again, my hearing is poor enough that all I would have to do is turn off my hearing aides and I wouldn't hear the train whistle, be it high or low pitched. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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