The P&W switch engine approaches the Queen Avenue crossing from the south on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 10, 2025.
On a bike ride Wednesday, I finally managed to be at the Queen Avenue railroad crossing in Albany at the right time.
The right time for what? The right time to capture the sound of the Portland & Western switch engine’s horn on a video:
So what, you say. So the volume of the horn has been an issue for a long time, at least for people living and working near that crossing, which is often affected by train operations in the P&W’s Albany yard.
At least one nearby resident, Doug Hiddleson, has talked to railroad and local officials from time to time. He acknowledges that the horn has to sound when the engine approaches the crossing. But he thinks it doesn’t have to be as loud it is.
I touched on this topic a few days ago. Bob Melbo, the rail planner for ODOT and a lifelong railroad man, replied in a comment that the volume of locomotive horns is regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration.
So it’s out of the engineer’s or the railroad’s hands.
When I was standing there with my phone recording the scene on Wednesday, the horn was loud, of course, but to me it did not sound painfully loud.
That’s probably because my hearing is just about shot. (hh)
I understand the need for the inbound and outbound horns to be loud. Those trains are usually traveling at a much higher rate of speed. But I think that switch engine could be a few decibels lower.
Thanks for the early morning laugh. “the right time.” ?
Hasso…there’s a free NIOSH app you can download to your phone, to test for noise/sound levels. It’s not 100% accurate, but you can get a general idea of sound levels.
A typical modern train whistle or horn is extremely loud, usually around 100 decibels on average and, by regulation in many places, roughly in the 96–110 decibel range when measured about 100 feet in front of the locomotive.[strasburgrailroad +3]
Typical loudness range
Most mainline train horns are designed to fall within a regulated band of about 96 to 110 decibels at a standard distance (around 100 feet ahead of the train), which is comparable to or louder than a chainsaw or rock concert. This level helps ensure the horn can be heard over traffic, weather, and other ambient noise from well over a mile away in many conditions.[wikipedia +3]
hh–you could install a sound meter app on your cell phone and report the decibel reading next time.
I bet with the age of the engine, no one put a louder horn on it. So it has been loud for years, it was loud when the people who live there moved in, when the houses were built, before cars drove thru Albany. It may well be awful to listen to, but folks, it was loud before you got there, kind of like moving in next to a pig farm and then complaining about the pig stye smell…. just saying
More important might be the duration of the sound. I’ve heard extremely loooooong blasts at times that seem unnecessary.
The horn on the switch engine is loud, Hasso. Guess my hearing is better than yours.
Train whistles have been loud for a long time. It really isn’t how load the whistle is during the day but when someone is trying to get some sleep or remain asleep it can be very startling at 2:00 AM. Train whistles were instituted when railroad crossings were not monitored or when they were just waggers. Back when cars were not nearly sound proof, before car radios, drivers paid attention when approaching railroad crossings. When drivers were distracted is when accidents occurred. It is much like school buses and railroad crossings. School buses must stop, open the doors and visually see that there is no train coming. If school bus safety was really an issue then ALL kids on the bus would be required to wear seatbelts. It’s a political thing.
I also wonder about the frequency increase.
One commenter said the trains have been here, like moving in next to a pig farm. Yes, but at what frequency? I would bet they’ve increased over the years so instead of daily, they’re now multiple times a day. The community has no say in the impact. You’re just stuck dealing with it.
Nicki, Albany used to be referred to as “HUB CITY” because we had train tracks going out in every direction, much more traffic in the past, trains are now much longer on the mains though.
I suppose some people (complainers) could institute an official “ no train horn zone” similar to what other cities have (Salem, Oregon and Milwaukie, Oregon, to name two)!
On second thought, train horns for safety is the best idea!
Marty
The horn for safety i understand but many times I think they over do it specially the tracks by salem ave and Geary street i leave in town houses next to maple lawn late at night or very early mornings they can cut the horn a little shorter
Its not like the train whistles all the way through town .. what it whistles for like MAYBE 30-45 seconds?? Kinda silly to complain about lol ..