Train noise in Pleasanton--any place quiet at night? (Orland: rent, home)

[Planner1]

Are there any neighborhoods in Pleasanton, particularly near downtown, that don't have a lot of noise from train horn blasts at night? Some years ago Pleasanton residents were campaigning for a train horn quiet zone, but I couldn't find anything recent about that or about whether that effort had been successful. I don't mean the toot-toot from BART trains--I'm talking about the extremely loud blasts from freight trains as they approach crossings. Thanks in advance!

[ServoMiff]

Not sure what came of that either, but my wife and I lived less than 0.5 miles from railroad tracks when we lived in Orlando, and sleeping with earplugs and a white noise machine changed our lives. I haven't awakened due to noises like that since and I never miss my alarm in the mornings. Just something to keep in mind...

[Planner1]

Thanks--we lived about a mile from the train in another state, and even though we too use a white noise machine (even in the quiet area where we live now!), that wasn't enough. I tried earplugs too, and though they helped quite a bit, I found them irritating--they sort of hurt if you sleep on your side, and after a few days my ears started itching. Two or three times a night the freight trains would come through and blast their horns; depending on the weather and winds, the noise would either be extremely loud or more muted, but it was always enough to wake me up. So we really don't want a repeat of that situation, and that's our major concern about Pleasanton.

[ServoMiff]

Originally Posted by Planner1

Thanks--we lived about a mile from the train in another state, and even though we too use a white noise machine (even in the quiet area where we live now!), that wasn't enough. I tried earplugs too, and though they helped quite a bit, I found them irritating--they sort of hurt if you sleep on your side, and after a few days my ears started itching. Two or three times a night the freight trains would come through and blast their horns; depending on the weather and winds, the noise would either be extremely loud or more muted, but it was always enough to wake me up. So we really don't want a repeat of that situation, and that's our major concern about Pleasanton.

I'm not sure if this helps or not, but I don't hear any trains during the daytime, though my office is slightly north of downtown at Stoneridge and Franklin. I realize that means nothing for the middle of the night, but I suppose it depends on how close to downtown you're trying to be.

[Planner1]

Thanks again--I don't mind train noise during the day, just at night. I was thinking of those neighborhoods near downtown, like Pleasanton Heights and Pleasanton Valley--places where you could walk to downtown within 15 minutes or so.

[smarino]

We use plain old box fans for white noise. If that isn't enough, buy a CHEAP window A/C and put it near the bed at the same height you sleep at and run just the fan, not the A/C part. They generate pink noise, a moisture of different sounds at different frequencies (a fan is just one sound), which is much more effective at noise masking. Windows are your major source of noise intrusion, so buy a triple paned window or windows, and mount it INSIDE the home in the room you sleep in. Retain the outer window just as it. This, along w/ the air space between, will make a big difference in the noise. Caulk it well, as noise can come through small air gaps. Very simple DIY project, and you can do it even if you rent as it is easily removable.

Your trains must be a lot louder than ours. We've lived near them in Galveston, Las Cruces and now Daytona, Florida, and love the sound of their rumbling. We've been listening to them lull us to sleep for years, and hope the new city we're moving to will have a train nearby. Maybe the horn blasts are much louder where you are.

[Planner1]

Thanks--these are great ideas, especially the triple-paned inside window! I'm still wondering, though, if the neighborhoods within walking distance of downtown are significantly affected by the horn blasts. (The rumbling doesn't bother me--it's kind of nice!)

[clongirl]

There's a chance I may be wrong, but I lived in downtown Pleasanton (right in the thick of it) for a year and vaguely recall the noise from the trains NOT being a huge issue--particularly at night (I'm not a great sleeper to begin with).

I'm wracking my memory here, but I think the trains that come through are commuter Ace/Amtrak trains rather than freight trains (which seem to be much noisier and disruptive). Of course, you can certainly run a fan/air purifier/white noise machine and I think that would be totally fine for your needs if the noise was much more than some short safety horns at the crossings.

[Planner1]

Thanks--unfortunately, there supposedly are freight trains that run through the night and, according to this noise campaign brochure, the horn has to be sounded four times at every at-grade public crossing, of which there are four in Pleasanton at Santa Rita, St. Mary, Rose, and West Angela....

https://sites.google.com/site/trainnoise/

[Evelinericksson]

I lived on Whisrpering Oak Way in Pleasanton. That is about half mile from Main Street in downtown. I really liked it. I didn't have any noise at all.