These days I live in Sugar Land, TX. The family and I feel like we are on mission here. I was laying in bed this morning not sleeping because our dog was crying. That is another tale altogether. So I start hearing train horns and thinking that they seemed loud today. Now I have spent time in three cities in Texas and slept in about 10 hotels or houses. Only one of them was right next to the tracks (yes Eric, your apartment), but in each of them I remember hearing trains. I’ve come to the conclusion that is just a fact of life in Texas, or at least in the areas I have been. Our current house is 3/4 of a mile from the tracks as a crow flies based on Google Maps. The train doesn’t head toward our house and the 3/4 of a mile is the closet point the tracks come. So why do we need to hear the horn? You would think that some one could develop a more directional horn that doesn’t spread the sound 3960 feet to the left and right of the train. I have not been woken up by a train at this house, but Trisha and I are pretty sure the conductor is using the horn to keep himself awake.