I live near the airport and can hear a loud train horn maybe once a week. Are there still trains rolling through Petaluma or does someone have a novelty train horn in town?
I live on the southwest side, on Mission Drive, and I hear the train horn too. I'd chalked it up to "something happening at the fair grounds" until on Veteran's Day a tractor pulling a float drove by (probably over to the Veteran's Hall), and somewhere in their, either on the way over or the way back, did a train horn sound.
So someone's got a tractor that's used for pulling floats & such that has a train horn.
Which is cool, but also a slight letdown 'cause I got real excited at the notion that there were trains in Petaluma!
I would like to know the answer to that as well. I live on the Northeast side of Petaluma and the train tracks are literally in my back yard. Everytime i hear the train whistle i wait for the walls to start rumbling but then nothing. Although it may feel like an earthquake; my son would think it was the coolest thing to have the train running again.
There's an old a--hole on Copeland Street, right off Washington, and next to Kragen Auto Parts, who has a bright yellow trolley. He only has about 100 yards of track out here to run on, but when the sun is out he is guaranteed to be here making noise. I haven't seen him in a few weeks, probably because of the holidays, but I'm sure he'll be back with the good weather this weekend.
I have confronted the old man and asked him to pipe down, but he refuses. I also called the city and asked them to go out and cite him for the handful of traffic violations. They tell me that the only thing that can be done is a citizen's arrest, which requires going to court. If anybody else is fed up with the noise and has time to go to court, do it!
Posts: 6 | Location: Petaluma | Registered: 07 January 2009
I heard the train sounds as well and called City Hall. They thought I was crazy when I said that my husband and I are sure that we are hearing a train. We live on the East side close to the Sheraton. But any of us who are used to the sounds of the Raceway know how sound travels in our little town. Thanks for the answer Chris!!
Besides the obvious unnecessary 'Noise Pollution', it is not displaying the required placards for a slow-moving vehicle. I haven't looked into some other little things, but I'm sure that parking in the middle of the street for hours and dragging small train cars across the road without tires are violating some kind of traffic laws.
And if you all can hear this train from about a mile away like I can, and have a problem with it, then it is considered 'Disturbing the Peace'.
Posts: 6 | Location: Petaluma | Registered: 07 January 2009
Are you serious? You asked him to pipe down? Usually, asking someone to pipe down is a rude act, and generally will be responded to in a rude manner. How exactly do you expect him to "pipe down"? They don't modulate the volume. By law the horns are supposed to sound when crossing a street, and sets the loudness.
You expect them to put tires on? No violation of laws for having a train on tracks. No train requires "placards for a slow-moving vehicle."
For your local Trolley Museum website, to bring added reasons for people to stop there and spend more money. website
Originally posted by HottieHeather: I heard the train sounds as well and called City Hall. They thought I was crazy when I said that my husband and I are sure that we are hearing a train. We live on the East side close to the Sheraton. But any of us who are used to the sounds of the Raceway know how sound travels in our little town. Thanks for the answer Chris!!
Haha, we thought we were alone in this as well. We hear the train sounds periodically and we live near Petaluma Blvd N & Cherry St.
You expect them to put tires on? No violation of laws for having a train on tracks. No train requires "placards for a slow-moving vehicle."
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I don't expect anything from anybody. The guy that goes out there drags the small train cars across the street, not on tracks, without tires.
Maybe you don't live close enough to be bothered and annoyed when he's out here, but the weekend warrior only has a few hundred feet of track to go back and forth on. The city was scheduled to pave over all the tracks in Fall '08, but the Union was supposedly upset about the laying-off of a bunch of their guys. The paving has not yet been rescheduled.
Posts: 6 | Location: Petaluma | Registered: 07 January 2009
Originally posted by Chris Rosano: I know the answer!
There's an old a--hole on Copeland Street, right off Washington, and next to Kragen Auto Parts, who has a bright yellow trolley. He only has about 100 yards of track out here to run on, but when the sun is out he is guaranteed to be here making noise.
That would likely be the fellow (and his friends) who is trying to put the Petaluma Trolley back into operation on the tracks between the foot of First Street and the Factory Outlets. It's a bunch of foamers, as railroad buffs are often known to railroad workers, who are collecting some old rolling stock and the centerpiece of the collection is an original Petaluma Trolley car. They've also collected an old yard locomotive and that's probably what has the horn. It was in the Butter and Eggs Days parade last year on a flatbed trailer.
Among his friends is Mayor Torliatt, for what that's worth. She was an early and ardent supporter of the trolley.
Posts: 176 | Location: Around the town | Registered: 22 May 2007
Lordy--- looks like I lit a flame under you telling you about this train horn thread eh Chris?! I've always found the train horn to be charming...although sometimes startling. I understand it is downright disturbing to you however. I hear that big ole horn loud and clear a mile and a half away at my house. I hope someday (a very long time from now) when you are a codger and have $$$ for big and loud toys that you bang, ring or otherwise have a blast with them. And hopefully someone won’t be fantasying about placing you under citizen’s arrest!
The horn is unnecessary if he isn't using the vehicle for practical reason. He may be waking up napping babies and startling people with heart conditions. If it is done often then we may experience a 'cry wolf' scenario and not take obnoxious horns seriously.
The tracks end in San Rafael. I see no reason to advocate a trolly when it only goes halfway to the city. If only it ended at the Larkspur Ferry on Giants gamedays then I'd be all over it.
