Stifling sound of train horns

As development and progress move west, they take along some of the same questions and problems once faced by neighbors to the east.

The blast of a freight train horn is a perfect example. A blast with no homes nearby is just a blast of a horn. But a blast of a horn with more homes going up near tracks, and more trains going through populated areas, represents an annoyance.

Elburn may be viewed as the new "end of the line" because of Metra commuter service, but the village is tackling the horn-blowing problem it addressed successfully in the past with Chicago and North Western. This time, it's with Union Pacific freight trains.

Elburn village trustees are talking to Union Pacific officials about alternative safety measures that would put an end to train horns blaring near crossings.

Village officials and residents estimate they are getting their ears rung by more than 200 horn blasts a day.

And the city of Geneva can relate, as it has been down this noisy rail line before.

Geneva's ears stung

Geneva City Administrator Phil Page recalls the conversations with railroad officials several years ago, when Geneva residents near the Peck Road crossing and Western Avenue crossing were going through the same type of noise pollution.

"The Peck Road situation was tough, until the county built the overpass," Page said. "But the train engineers are still obligated to blow the whistle when there are workers present near the tracks.

"Eventually, we came to an understanding that the engineer would not blow whistles unless they saw a good reason to do so," Page said. "For the most part, Union Pacific has been a very good neighbor about that."

Elburn officials will hope for that and much more in the future, as Village President Jim Willey is encouraging safety measures that would quiet horn blowing, such as medians that make it nearly impossible for motorists to drive around a lowered gate.

A family divided

Take a quick look at the political signs in front of homes this week, as you may not see combinations like this in some time.

It's rare, but you can find homes with signs for Chris Lauzen, a Republican candidate, and John Laesch, a Democratic candidate, in the same front lawn. It means a clash of political parties about who should serve as congressman of the 14th District occurs at the dinner table in those homes. Or there's a Jim Oberweis and Lauzen sign in the same front yard. So, there's a home split down the middle for the Republican primary.

I was chatting with Geneva Alderman Chuck Brown, who mentioned he has seen those strange sign combinations.

Brown, who is backing Fermilab colleague Bill Foster for the congressional seat, also said he feels Tuesday is going to be interesting because so many voters who take Republican ballots on a regular basis may switch to a Democratic ballot to cast a vote in the presidential primary.

As a reminder to voters, remember there will be two ballots for the congressional seat -- one for the special election to fill Dennis Hastert's vacancy, where winners will face each other in a special March 8 vote; and the other to choose the candidate to represent your party in the general election in November.

Piling on miles

My 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee now has 114,000 miles on it, a fact that is troublesome, considering we have a son in college. In other words, I won't be buying a new car any time soon.

But when having the oil changed on my car, the manager at the service center told me not to worry about the mileage. He said he sees numerous vehicles with far more miles. He recently serviced a car with 230,000 miles.

It makes me think that many people are holding onto their cars longer because money is tight -- and cars seem to last longer these days. And we know what happens when people stop buying new cars. Just about everything else suffers.

That was quick

Has it only been a year since the Bears went belly-up on football's grandest stage? The season they just put us through makes one believe that it has been more like 10 years since the excitement of being in a Super Bowl.

So, today? Just enjoy the food.