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‘Lay off’ the train whistle

I noted that the county turned off the clock chimes downtown this summer (boo!) in response to a few complaints. It is too bad nothing is being done to address the most intrusive and disruptive noise for us downtown residents – the train whistle. The chimes of the clock are like birds singing compared with a loud, barking dog! The engineers are excessive with their toots with some online reviewers even saying they should "lay off the horn.”

Why not require the train to go “signaless" as many trains have done in urbanized areas, cities and towns. Once north of town, the train could signal all it wanted if that is needed to keep the riders happy. I know the train is by law required to warn at crossings, but does that really involve laying on the horn as loudly as possible for minutes at a time? Are the engineers in competition with each other to make the loudest, most obnoxious sound? This loud whistle-blowing affects not only those of us who live downtown and those who may be shopping downtown, but store merchants along Main Avenue. In short, everyone within earshot. Could train employees please follow the minimum requirements, rather than going way beyond that and disturbing hundreds if not thousands of people?

Does Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad care about anything other than profits and its own domain?

Julie Meadows

Durango