Bartlett Arboretum owner Robin Macy is moving closer to a peaceful solution to BNSF Railway’s track expansion at Belle Plaine that increased the frequency of train engines blasting horns near intersections at levels comparable to a Boeing 737 on approach for landing. “This was a tranquil place. Concerts, weddings happened routinely. People came here from all points, many different states,” Macy said of the era before doubling of BNSF track in the southcentral Kansas community a decade ago. “We used to have about 20 trains a day and now we can have a train through here every five minutes.” Macy and Mike Mackay, who is a retired civil engineer, collaborated with city and state officials to lay the foundation of a railroad “quiet zone” in Sumner County. It’s a regulatory and financial challenge, but if successful, the routine around-the-clock use of engine horns to warn motorists and pedestrians of approaching trains could soon end in the town of about 1,500 people.
Source: Kansas Reflector
