Due to numerous complaints about the high decibel level of train whistles in Ames, the city council is trying to pass a budget to alleviate the problem.

Union Pacific Railroad bought out the previous railroad company in Ames and now runs more trains through the city, city officials said.

Now the number of train whistles has increased, as has the noise level caused by the whistles.

City Councilwoman Judie Hoffman is an active supporter of a bill to rid Ames of the problematic whistles.

“For people who live close to the railroads, it is very noisy and especially difficult at night when they are trying to sleep,” Hoffman said.

The proposal asks the city staff to look into alternate ways of alerting people of oncoming trains through intersections at seven at-grade crossings in Ames.

They have gathered information about what is being done in two other cities experiencing similar problems — Parsons, Kan., and Gering, Neb. These towns have been using an automated horn system on a trial basis, and it has now been approved for continued use in those communities, Hoffman said.

The automated horn system works by mounting horns on the poles at railroad crossings facing each direction.

As a train reaches a certain point, circuits go off, causing the gates to go down and the bells to ring.

The sound of the bells is then directed down the road rather than into the broader community to bother fewer people, she said.

When the budget hearings take place in February, Hoffman said she will raise the issue.

She is asking the city to put aside enough money in the budget to have the automated system at three of the most bothersome intersections — Hazel Avenue, Scholl Road and North Dakota Avenue.

“The reason to put it in the budget is to get relief more quickly,” Hoffman said. There is a program available through the Department of Transportation for funding through application for a grant in which the state pays for 90 percent of the project and the city pays 10 percent, Hoffman said.

However, the next grant period is August 1998 and will be awarded in October 1999. This means the earliest the system could be constructed is in the year 2000, Hoffman said.

“That’s too long to wait,” she said.

The cost for the new system is approximately $30,000 per intersection, comprised of $15,000 for the equipment and $15,000 for installation. The city will apply to the DOT for funds to automate the four remaining crossings, but Hoffman said it is important to go ahead with the three most troublesome intersections.