Western Railroad Discussion > New on the Richmond Pacific RR

Richmond Pacific, the classy little switching railroad based in Richmond, California, has a new grade crossing installation at S. 34th Street. A pair of wayside horns. I'm not sure if they're active yet but this will eliminate the grade crossing whistle signals by RPRC and BNSF trains at that corner. That will please workers in the Caltrans office shown in the background with their "please don't honk..." sign in a window.

Several Quiet Zones exist in Richmond.

---

---

Quiet zones? With those obnoxious wayside horns??! Don't people realize that those horns MUST BLOW THEIR FULL SIGNAL CYCLE, vs. an engineer being able to sound a quicker, somewhat quieter horn blast? If you've never heard the wayside horns, trust me: they ain't pleasant. They're the same--EVERY SINGLE TIME. Horrible. Mind numbing.

Have at it, Richmond (and CALTRAINS workers in the nearby building)!

Looking through 49CFR222 (Use of Locomotive Horns at Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossings), I wonder if the reason why this crossing has a wayside horn while none of the crossings further west on the RPRC have them is because the 34th St. crossing is too close to Regatta Blvd. to allow for advance "no train horn" warning signs.

http://goo.gl/maps/qQzjf

Advance warning signs are one of only four requirements for quiet zone crossings, the others being: 1) the zone is a minimum of one-half mile long, 2) the crossings have flashing lights and gates, and 3) the crossings have functioning crossing bells. 49CFR222.35(c) lays out the signage requirements, but paragraph 5 says the following:

(5) This paragraph (c) does not apply to public and private highway-rail grade crossings equipped with wayside horns that conform to the requirements set forth in § 222.59 and appendix E of this part.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=746258197daf942832d562b8f730d9cc&rgn=div5&view=text&node=49:4.1.1.1.17&idno=49#49:4.1.1.1.17.3

>this will eliminate the grade crossing whistle signals by RPRC and BNSF trains at that corner

Minimize, yes; eliminate, no.