Trains stopped blowing their horns at three railroad crossings in Ames late Tuesday at midnight.

A new stationary horn system has replaced train-mounted horns on Hazel Avenue, North Dakota Avenue and Scholl Road in an effort to reduce the noise levels, said Scott Logan, traffic engineer for the City of Ames.

“This was to create a quiet zone in West Ames by the [residential areas],” Logan said. “Next year, it may be extended to Kellogg, Clark and Duff [Avenues].”

A press release from the Iowa Department of Transportation said City of Ames officials conducted a “quality of life” survey on the train-mounted horns in September. It showed that 85 percent of residents living within 1,000 feet of the crossings believed the horns were too loud, especially at night.

The new system will have two horns at each crossing, operated by automated signals instead of an engineer. These are the same signals that operate the other safety devices, such as the gate arm, bells and lights, said Steve Gent, DOT research engineer.

Gent said the horns decrease noise by producing sound at a lower decibel level and directing it down the road toward approaching traffic rather than out into neighborhoods.

“Train horns sound a quarter of a mile away from the intersection,” he said. “One-spot location will affect a lot less people.”

Ames is the third community to install stationary horns, preceded only by Gering, Neb., and Parsons, Kan. Gent said this “pilot project” is part of research that is the first of its kind and will influence similar endeavors on a national level.

The Federal Railroad Administration has not yet approved the systems, and they are being used and evaluated on a trial basis. Gent said it is the DOT’s job to do a quality evaluation.

“We want to test and evaluate this system to see if it is as safe as the train horns,” he said.

Logan said feedback about the stationary horns has been positive so far. The system in Parsons had two or three accidents prior to its installation, but the town has not had any mishaps since the new horns were installed, he said.

Train engineers will know the system is functioning by the use of a strobe light, Gent said. If the strobe light is not flashing, he said, or not visible due to weather conditions, engineers will use the train horns as a back up.

“The FRA decides if other communities will get these,” Gent said. “Once they approve the systems, a lot more will go into use.”

The DOT, the City of Ames and Union Pacific Railroad will be conducting joint surveys in November to test the success of the new system, Logan said.

In addition to noise, Gent said the DOT will be surveying motorists to estimate confidence in the safety of the system.

Logan said there have been a few reports from people who have heard the train-mounted horns in addition to the stationary horns.

“[Engineers] are used to blowing their horns and forget,” he said. “We just have to be patient.”