High-pitched noises

[F40]

Anyone hear the ear-piercing screeech when you ride the train at high speeds? This can best be heard in the vestibule, but too faint if you're inside. It gets to my ears after awhile.

So what causes the annoyance? At first, I thought it had something to do with the catenary, but I heard the same thing on diesels at high speeds.

[Ken W2KB]

The rails vibrating.

[trainfreak]

Could it also be the wind?

[F40]

No. The wind sounds different. It kinda 'fights' the train and sounds like a suction pipe to an extent.

I'm referring to the very high pitched screeches that bug your ears out after a minute in the vestibule when the train is moving at a high speed. Speaking of which, I think this is the only high-pitched 'thing' you hear on a train and only occurs while the train is moving fast. But I think it is the rails vibrating.

[Olton Hall]

I call that "rail singing" It's a resonance in the rail that the concrete ties seem to amplify. When you approach a switch with timber ties you will hear the pitch change several seconds before and after. It also changes pitch near bolted rail splices in the cwr and where the concrete ties came from a different batch.

[roadster]

Just a thought, but rail which has been ground recently emits a very high pitched whine at speed, caused by the microgrooves left by the grinding process. It's always easy to tell when the grinders been by when a passing train "sings".

[Delta]

The only ear piercing screach I recall hearing is on curvatures. It's the steel wheels sliding/grinding on the steel rails.

[Engineer]

In a vestibule of a modern passenger car? You likely could be hearing the buffer plates rubbing together side by side or coming in and out. They are the sprung "walkways" that are between modern passenger and commuter cars.....

[ENR3870]

I have a feeling that F40 is refering to the flange squeal on curves.

[Engineer]

Probably was, but just trying to get all the possibilities out there...