"When the evenin' train goes by..."
April 29, 2011 10:46 AM
I'm heading up to Chatsworth, CA tomorrow night to record some train whistles. How far away from the tracks should I be to get that nice, misty, dreamlike faraway sound? And is there a particularly quiet/desolate part of town where I can sit for a few hours and gather said recordings?
(Recommendations for other desolate, train-heavy spots within a two-hour drive also welcome.)
Do those trains even whistle? I thought they only honk their horns.
Griffith Park does have Travel Town old railroad stuff on the north side of the park. I can't recall ever hearing a train whistle, though. It's been a while since I've been in that area, but quiet/desolate isn't the way I'd really describe it.
The only place where I hear nice, misty, dreamlike faraway train sounds is in the desert at night. Again, no whistles, but distant freight train horns and engine noises carrying across far in the desert. Last time I heard that was when I was last summer one evening parked off old route 66 east of Barstow. Kinda far from L.A.
posted by 2N2222 at 12:01 PM on April 29, 2011
Griffith Park does have Travel Town old railroad stuff on the north side of the park. I can't recall ever hearing a train whistle, though. It's been a while since I've been in that area, but quiet/desolate isn't the way I'd really describe it.
The only place where I hear nice, misty, dreamlike faraway train sounds is in the desert at night. Again, no whistles, but distant freight train horns and engine noises carrying across far in the desert. Last time I heard that was when I was last summer one evening parked off old route 66 east of Barstow. Kinda far from L.A.
posted by 2N2222 at 12:01 PM on April 29, 2011
When I said, "been a while since I've been in that area, but quiet/desolate isn't the way I'd really describe it", I meant the area around Chatsworth station. Sorry for the confusion.
posted by 2N2222 at 12:03 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by 2N2222 at 12:03 PM on April 29, 2011
Sorry, I'm always conflating whistle/horn when I ask this question. You are correct, 2N222.
posted by mykescipark at 12:12 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by mykescipark at 12:12 PM on April 29, 2011
Train tracks run right through Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, and into a tunnel in the mountain. It would be a nice place to sit for a few hours.
posted by astrid at 2:18 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by astrid at 2:18 PM on April 29, 2011
I live right by the tracks in downtown LA and because of the LA river and all the concrete, the echoes are dreadful. I'd look for a far less populated area than Chatsworth to get that high lonesome sound.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:59 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by Ideefixe at 3:59 PM on April 29, 2011
I live right by the tracks in downtown LA and because of the LA river and all the concrete, the echoes are dreadful. I'd look for a far less populated area than Chatsworth to get that high lonesome sound.
Yeah, that seems to be the developing consensus as I ask around today. I'm going to Barstow instead. Thanks for all the thoughts - I'll post some recordings (if I get anything) to make it worth your while...!
posted by mykescipark at 10:12 PM on April 29, 2011
Yeah, that seems to be the developing consensus as I ask around today. I'm going to Barstow instead. Thanks for all the thoughts - I'll post some recordings (if I get anything) to make it worth your while...!
posted by mykescipark at 10:12 PM on April 29, 2011
If you're heading to the desert, keep in mind that it can sometimes be very windy out there. I don't know how this affects recordings, but I assume it might make things difficult.
posted by 2N2222 at 10:44 AM on April 30, 2011
posted by 2N2222 at 10:44 AM on April 30, 2011
If you're heading to the desert, keep in mind that it can sometimes be very windy out there. I don't know how this affects recordings, but I assume it might make things difficult.
If Burning Man taught me anything...!
Yes, my mics are quite windproof. Thanks for the thoughtful concern!
posted by mykescipark at 10:48 AM on April 30, 2011
If Burning Man taught me anything...!
Yes, my mics are quite windproof. Thanks for the thoughtful concern!
posted by mykescipark at 10:48 AM on April 30, 2011
Packing up from a long overnight in Barstow. It appears the trains don't blow all night here - tons of them passing through, but my recordings pretty much consist of the (often impressive) harmonics of steel on rails, engine roar, and the occasional conductors' bell. Nice stuff but not what I came for, sadly. Back to the drawing board!
posted by mykescipark at 6:47 AM on May 1, 2011
posted by mykescipark at 6:47 AM on May 1, 2011
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posted by goalyeehah at 11:20 AM on April 29, 2011