Sometimes you wish the little engine that could, couldn't.
Especially when it's a diesel-powered locomotive sounding its high- or low-decibel horn at 3 a.m. at every road/rail crossing in or near your neighborhood.
Federal Railway Administration rules require that train horns be sounded as a warning to highway users at all public crossings.
That means every crossing, even those equipped with warning bells, flashing red lights and gates.
Urban areas have few unprotected crossings, usually because of the repeated horror of morons failing to cross the tracks in time and getting telescoped to death.
That's not what bothers railroads, however. What bothers them is having to spend big bucks to protect the dangerous crossing because of public outrage fueling political pressure.
Ergo, that's why the toots at both protected and unprotected intersections. Toots at only unprotected crossings just add to the neighborhood demands for expensive fixes. (19 APRIL 2010)
