Train noise in Wylie/Sachse (Garland, Murphy: apartment, houses, neighborhoods) - Dallas - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

PJSleepy · 11-30-2009, 07:48 PM

So I just recently moved to Woodbridge, technically in Wylie but borderline Sachse, and WHAT is the deal with the train whistles blowing at 10, then 2, then 4 am??? I knew there was a railroad there, but my house is a considerable distance from it and I never dreamed I would be able to hear all this racket in the middle of the night! I've been trying to do some research, and it looks like Wylie is taking steps to implement quiet zones at railroad crossings (which is awesome and can't come soon enough by the way), but I can't find any info on Sachse. Or maybe they already have quiet zones and everything I hear is coming from Wylie??? I don't know, but quite frankly this is ridiculous. Anyone have the inside scoop???

momof2dfw · 11-30-2009, 08:15 PM

That train track is a major freight line thru this area. It has been around for decades and will not be going anywhere anytime soon. As a matter of fact Collin County is trying to get a huge freight destination port in the area. As for the whistle itself....... on clearer nights you can hear it more. I live closer to it than you probably do and I don't notice it hardly at all. What happened is several years ago there was this sudden rash of people trying to beat the train as it did not have crossing arms at every single crossing. Of course this resulted in numerous fatalities (one was several children from an entire family which this one was kind of fishy to me). Anyway, they did not have to blow their horns at every crossing then. The residents of course practically marched onto the city councils in the area (Wylie, Sachse and Garland) and got them to implement a law that the trains had to start blowing their horns w/in so much distance of every crossing. Of course now just about every crossing has the arms on it so some cities have dropped the ordinance with the horns and created "quiet zones". As long as every crossing as the crossing arms then the cities are more apt to do this. If they don't then they will not. I'm not for certain if every crossing in Sachse as arms or not......hmmm, I just went over several of them today and I can't remember. I know the one at Murphy Rd & 78 does.

MaryS80 · 11-30-2009, 08:52 PM

As momof2 said they tried to do away with the horn/whistle and it was a disaster. I want to say about ten yours back or so there were quite a few cars that got hit at on that exact track. It was along 78 in Garland, a few blocks from where the mall now sits.

I live all the way at Campbell and 190 and I can hear that train late at night.

momof2dfw · 11-30-2009, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaryS80

As momof2 said they tried to do away with the horn/whistle and it was a disaster. I want to say about ten yours back or so there were quite a few cars that got hit at on that exact track. It was along 78 in Garland, a few blocks from where the mall now sits.

I live all the way at Campbell and 190 and I can hear that train late at night.

I remember several accidents on these tracks back about 10+ years ago. One was a Sachse man that tried to beat the train I want to say up on 3rd St in Sachse. There was the dad that came off of 190 to go south and then turned right onto Naaman School Rd in the minivan on a Sunday on the way home from church. Mom didn't go because either her or one of the kids was sick. He turned right onto the path of the train which I don't get. He was right beside the train as it was going south as well. That one was really investigated by the GPD at the time if I remember correctly. There were a couple of more up in Sachse and Wylie during the same time frame. This is when all holy h e l l broke loose and residents were demanding that the train do everything it can to warn people so they passed an ordinance that they had to blow their horns as they approached every crossing. In some areas they are right on top of each other so it is almost a continious whistle.

wordstringer · 12-01-2009, 03:28 PM

I asked this same question, sort of, a while back as we're considering Woodbridge and Provence at Firewheel. After several visits, we have yet to see/hear train. Does it only come through at night?

momof2dfw · 12-01-2009, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordstringer

I asked this same question, sort of, a while back as we're considering Woodbridge and Provence at Firewheel. After several visits, we have yet to see/hear train. Does it only come through at night?

No, it comes thru during the day as well. It is not near as often as it used to be years ago. Years ago it was not uncommon to get stopped by the train at least once a week. And they were LOOOOONG trains as well guaranteed to make you sit there for the max time they can take, 20 minutes. Now it is more like once every 6 months I MIGHT get stopped by it but they are a lot shorter. Funny thing is last night after I posted above here I went upstairs to turn off some Christmas lights and as I was I heard the train whistle. It was faint and I'm pretty close to it.

tulip66 · 12-01-2009, 06:26 PM

Is this the same train whistle I heard while in Fairview/Lucas the other day??
Just curious as its the first sound of a train Ive heard since I moved here last year!!

PJSleepy · 12-01-2009, 06:49 PM

Thanks everyone! I'm all for safety by all means, but I just think it needs to be mandatory to have quiet zones when you are going through residential neighborhoods. I realize this costs $$$, but I would spend extra tax money to have peace and quiet! I'm going to e-mail the city of Wylie engineering department to see if I can receive status updates on their progress in turning Wylie intersections into quiet zones. I'm still worried about the Sachse portion though. I'm not sure why I'm being so sensitive to this. I am actually a VERY sound sleeper but for some reason the sound of a shrill train whistle in the middle of the night is driving me crazy. This can't be an issue for everyone judging from the number of homes in Woodbridge, and the number of people who live there. This isn't something I want to get used to though.... I just want peace and quiet between the hours of 10p-7a.

PJSleepy · 12-01-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordstringer

I asked this same question, sort of, a while back as we're considering Woodbridge and Provence at Firewheel. After several visits, we have yet to see/hear train. Does it only come through at night?

I actually only hear them at night. But even then, when I heard one, I thought, well, that will be it for the night. But on said night (unless I was dreaming) I woke up every 2 hours to a train whistle. Granted it's not super loud from where my house is, but I really don't think screetching train whistles through residential neighborhoods are acceptable at all during night hours.

El Passeaux · 12-01-2009, 08:04 PM

I have 2 houses between my house and the train. it probably comes by every few hours or so. I dont hear it if I am sleeping but if awake, you can hear it a few miles away heading your way. It doesnt bother me. I once lived in an apartment about 8 miles out on an O'Hare flight path. A plane came overhead every 45 seconds. When the big boys coming from Asia went over, you couldnt hear the tv.