Far-away trains passing by.

January 16, 2010 6:17 AM

Where's the best spot in or near Los Angeles to record distant train whistles?

I'm an itinerant field-recordist who's looking to get some tape of freight or commuter train whistles (perhaps in array, as in this Wikipedia ogg) in the Los Angeles area.

Where's the best spot around here (within 30 minutes) to get a good, middle-distance recording (i.e., not close enough to shatter my eardrums)? Even reasonably distant locales are preferred, as this will increase the haunted (and haunting) quality I'm after.

posted by mykescipark to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Why not go to one of "The last of America's great rail stations."
posted by pwally at 7:01 AM on January 16, 2010

When I lived in Echo Park I could hear the trains from the yard on the other side of Elysian Park clearly at night. There is some sort of metrolink yard, I think, along San Fernando Rd near the 110. I assume that is what I would hear, but I never investigated.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 8:52 AM on January 16, 2010

Only steam locomotives whistle (it's a function of having a boiler); are you talking about that or a diesel locomotive's horn (which is what the ogg file is)?
posted by mcwetboy at 9:21 AM on January 16, 2010

Ooh, good point. Perhaps this steam engine museum is something to check out.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 9:37 AM on January 16, 2010

Yep, mandymanwasregistered is thinking of the MetroLink yard that's just on the north side of the LA River. There's a nice riverwalk that you can get to via most of the streets that dead end along the south side of the river at that point (my hood, link in profile), which should give you a good middle distance sound. Or, you can park somewheres near where Fletcher crosses the river and squeeze through the (rather large) hole in the fence on the northern bank to get closer. It's a bit of a hike that way though.
posted by carsonb at 10:43 AM on January 16, 2010

There are parts of the northwest Valley where I bet you could get a really nice recording. I feel like trains sound especially melancholy when they know they're in Chatsworth.
posted by crinklebat at 1:49 PM on January 16, 2010

Definitely north San Fernando Valley. I live near Balboa and Sesnon, and hear train whistles from near the freeway late at night and early in the morning...
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 7:34 PM on January 16, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, folks. I'll test out the suggestions here and mark as Best Answer those which return the best results.
posted by mykescipark at 3:28 PM on January 18, 2010

Sunday Steamers at Griffith Park. They're smaller in scale, but still steam engines.

If you go on the 3rd Sunday of each month from 11 am to 3 pm you can also get a tour of Walt Disney's barn.
posted by IndigoSkye at 5:38 PM on January 19, 2010