Seattle's freight operations got a surprise ally recently - Danny Westneat shared some great comments about the railroads' horn blowing in his Seattle Times column - Without sounds, it's not a city. To him, as well as others like myself, the sound of a train is the sound of the city; one doesn't exist without the other. Trains and their activity represent commerce. But that commerce does have a sound that might raise back hair on some individuals.
Seems there is a person in West Seattle - fairly close to Harbor Island freight operations - who wants nighttime operations to cease or to have the horns go quiet. My first thought when I read the article was what others might also say: "What were you thinking moving next to the tracks?" It's the equivalent of someone moving next to an airport that has been in operation since the 1930s and complaining about jets. Danny states truthfully that other cities have and deal with train noise as part of the local fabric. To think that an entire commercial sector would shut down operations in Seattle because someone moved next to a rail yard is...well...not very city oriented.
In any case, I loved Danny's article and though WARail Readers might enjoy it too.
Friday, August 22, 2008
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Had to chuckle at this post! My sister lives on a slight bluff above BNSF in Blaine. Curses like a sailor when the freighters rumble through, drowning out our phone conversations. Been bitchin' about it now for more than two decades!
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