It should be noted that horns are not completely silenced in Hamburg... yet. Just 2 of the 8 crossings are now horn-free. Bayview Road (one of my favorite haunts inthe area) and other crossings will still have horns for now.
IMO, silent crossings are an accident waiting to happen. Someone will get hurt or killed when they are unable to hear the train's approach before it's too late. The NIMBY's who adovcated for silence may very well rue their decision someday. And what's next? Will they silence tractor trailers, motocycles, car horns and airplanes, too? Most of the residents who moved into Hamburg knew full that 2 RRs own active lines there, so I have zero sympathy for the whiners. There are plenty of areas well away from the tracks when horns aren't heard.
Matt Langworthy
"It is highly likely that the 1990s were an overrated decade."